companion plants that make different demands while complementing each other.

5. GROW UP

■ Lay out your garden plot with the fence, trellis, or wall at the north side. By planting the tallest plants there, you will avoid shading the smaller ones. Vining plants, if left to sprawl, take up valuable space in a small garden, so help them grow up. Cucumbers will eagerly climb a nylon net fence, with the subsequent bonus result that the dangling fruits grow straighter and are easier to pick. Tomatoes produce more fruit and ripen earlier if kept off the ground on a trellis or in a wire cage. Peas and pole beans naturally reach for the sky and will cover a wire fence or twine around a tripod of poles. Some heavier plants, such as cantaloupes, melons, and winter squashes, may need help in climbing, so tie their vines to the structure to get them going in the right direction. Support the fruit with slings to keep them from tearing off the vine too soon.

Plot It Out

Good soil, adequate sunshine, and sufficient drainage are the only requirements for a successful vegetable garden. Every garden—and every gardener—is different. Create a garden tailored to your space and needs.

EARLY PEAS, then POLE BEANS

PEPPERS and EGGPLANT

CARROTS

TOMATOES

LETTUCE CABBAGE

CHARD

BROCCOLI

ONIONS

CUCUMBERS

BEETS

BUSH BEANS

SQUASH

A 100-square-foot garden (10x10 feet) can easily yield a wide variety of veggies. Bisecting it with two narrow paths forms four beds that are easy to reach into and tend. (One square = one square foot.)

SITTING PRETTY
(COMFORTABLY)

■ If you use wood, large stones, or cement or cinder blocks to enclose your raised beds, create a convenient seat to work from by placing a board across the path between the beds.