Deciding the best vegetable garden size for you.
Starting (and planning) a garden can be hard.
I was thinking back to when I first got into gardening, and dreaming about all the things I could grow.
I did tons of research on different layouts, gardening styles and the types of plants I could include. But I always found it really confusing when trying to answer the question: ok, so how long will that take?
This was pre-kids era when I had more time to spend on my hobbies, but I still never really knew what sizes translated into amount of time spent. I just went based on trial and error, and years of observation. But that’s not a great recommendation for a new gardener.
That’s why I decided to make this week’s video.
It breaks down a bunch of different sizes of gardens and how long it typically takes to care for them.
This way you know what you’re getting into before you buy a single plant.
And since I know this is subjective, I took it to the streets (aka Facebook). I asked dozens of other gardeners about their experiences and factored their responses into my recommendations.
Thinking of starting a garden or scaling up? Check out this week’s video where I talk all about deciding what size garden is best for you!
Watch below or click here to watch in YouTube
Time Stamps:
- Things to consider when planning your garden size 2:43
- Factors that influence the time it might take 5:18
- Sample Size Gardens & Typical Timing 9:03
- 1-2 hours/week 9:13
- 3-5 hours/week 13:27
- 6-10 hours/week 17:06
- 11-20 hours/week 20:47
If you enjoyed this and might want to come back to it later, pin it to your Garden Tips or Garden Planning board.
Here’s a quick rundown of key highlights from the video.
How long it can take based on different garden sizes:
1-2 hours/week -> 50-250 sq feet (15-75 meters) *If you’re a beginner, or want to keep it simple until you get a sense of timing for yourself, start with 2-3 raised beds or 50-100 square feet
3-5 hours/week -> 300-700 sq feet (90-215 meters)
6-10 hours/week -> 800-1200 sq feet (240-365 meters)
11-20 hours/week -> 1000-2000 sq feet (300-600 meters)
Remember, this is just a starting point so that you get a feel for how long each size might take in the main summer months, but it can vary based on a number of other factors (see below).
Some of the Factors that can influence how long it might take you are:
- How fast you work in the garden
- What you’re growing
- Your soil, climate etc.
Do you have a garden? Share your experience with size and timing down below to keep the conversation going!
