How big should my first garden be?

Start with one bed about 1.2 m wide and 2.4 m long (4 × 8 ft), or four to six large containers. Small, tended gardens beat large neglected ones.

How much sun does a vegetable garden need?

At least six hours of direct sun daily. Leafy greens and herbs tolerate four hours; fruiting crops like tomatoes want eight or more.

What are the easiest vegetables for beginners?

Lettuce, radishes, bush beans, courgettes (zucchini), cherry tomatoes, spring onions and herbs such as basil, parsley and mint.

Should I use raised beds or the ground?

Raised beds warm earlier, drain better and are easier to manage. If your soil is good and you have time, in-ground beds are cheaper. Either works.

The First Garden Plan: What to Plant Where, for Beginners

The best first garden is the one you will actually look after. Too many beginners dig an enormous plot in a burst of enthusiasm, plant forty varieties in one weekend and are overwhelmed by midsummer. A modest, well-placed bed with a short list of reliable plants builds confidence, delivers harvests quickly and teaches you the skills in this pillar in a controlled setting.

This guide brings those skills together into a practical plan: where to put the garden, how big to make it, what to plant, how to lay it out and what to do each month. It is the final step of the Plant Growing Fundamentals pillar, and it connects to design topics in Garden Design and food growing in Vegetables & Herbs.

Step 1: choose the site

Spend a day watching your outdoor space. Note where sun falls in the morning, noon and late afternoon. A good site has:

Sun: six to eight hours of direct light. More sun means more food and flowers.
Water: a tap or water butt within hose reach. Carrying cans over long distances kills enthusiasm.
Shelter: protection from strong, drying winds.
Drainage: no puddles after rain. If water lingers, use raised beds.
Convenience: near the house, so you see the garden daily and notice problems early.

No ground at all? A sunny balcony, patio or doorstep can host a perfectly productive container garden. Choose pots as described in Choosing Pots and Potting Mix.

Step 2: size and shape the bed

A bed up to 1.2 m (4 ft) wide lets you reach the middle from either side without stepping on the soil. Stepping on soil compacts it and damages roots. Length can be as you like; 2.4 m (8 ft) is a good starting size. Leave paths about 45–60 cm wide between beds so you can kneel and use a wheelbarrow.

Garden style	Size	Best for
Container garden	4–8 pots, 20–40 L each	Balconies, patios, renters
One raised bed	1.2 × 2.4 m, 30 cm deep	Most beginners
In-ground bed	1.2 × 3 m	Good soil, tight budgets
Starter plot	3 × 3 m with paths	Families, keen beginners

Step 3: prepare the soil

Clear the area. Remove grass and weeds by lifting turf or smothering with cardboard for a few weeks.
Loosen the soil. Fork it to the depth of the tines, breaking up compacted layers without turning everything over.
Add compost. Spread 5–8 cm of well-rotted compost over the surface and lightly fork it in.
Rake level. Create a fine, even surface for sowing.
Mulch pathways. Wood chips or straw keep weeds down and mud away.

For raised beds, fill with a blend of roughly 60% topsoil, 30% compost and 10% coarse sand or perlite. Detailed guidance on improving soil is in the Soil, Water & Fertilizer pillar.

Step 4: choose forgiving plants

Plant	Why it suits beginners	Sow or plant	Harvest
Radish	Ready in 4 weeks; teaches sowing and thinning	Direct, cool season	3–5 weeks
Lettuce (loose-leaf)	Cut and come again; tolerates partial shade	Direct or transplant	4–8 weeks
Bush beans	Fast, productive, fix nitrogen	Direct, after frost	7–9 weeks
Courgette (zucchini)	One plant feeds a family	Transplant after frost	7–9 weeks
Cherry tomatoes	Reliable and delicious	Transplant after frost	10–12 weeks
Herbs (basil, parsley, chives, mint)	Compact, constant use; mint belongs in a pot	Transplant or seed	4–8 weeks
Marigolds, nasturtiums, zinnias	Colourful, edible or cut flowers; attract pollinators	Direct or transplant	6–10 weeks

Add flowers to every bed. They bring bees and hoverflies that pollinate crops and eat aphids, and they make the garden a place you want to be. More ideas are in Flower Gardening.

Step 5: a simple layout

For a 1.2 × 2.4 m bed, picture four 60 cm sections running along its length:

North end (back): tall plants such as tomatoes on stakes or a trellis, so they do not shade neighbours.
Middle: medium plants such as bush beans, courgette, peppers.
South end (front): low plants such as lettuce, radishes, herbs and marigold edging.

Plant slow crops (tomatoes) alongside fast ones (radish, lettuce). The fast crops are harvested before the slow ones need the space. Follow spacing on packets and the advice in transplanting seedlings.

Step 6: a first-year schedule

When	Task
6–8 weeks before last frost	Sow tomatoes and peppers indoors (see sowing)
2–4 weeks before last frost	Prepare the bed; sow radishes, lettuce and peas outdoors
Around last frost	Harden off tender seedlings
1–2 weeks after last frost	Plant tomatoes, courgettes, basil; sow beans and marigolds
Early summer	Mulch; start regular deep watering (see watering)
Midsummer	Sow second crops of lettuce and beans; harvest daily
Autumn	Clear spent plants; sow cool-season crops; add compost
Winter	Review your journal; order seed; plan next year

Calculate your own dates using the seasonal planting calendar.

Step 7: care routine

Weekly: check soil moisture, pull small weeds, look under leaves for pests, harvest regularly.
Monthly: top up mulch, feed container plants, tie in tall plants.
Seasonally: add compost, rotate crops, record results.

Learn to interpret problems with plant signals and keep a garden journal: sowing dates, varieties, weather and yields. Even a few lines per week will help.

Common mistakes to avoid

Making the garden too large for your time
Choosing a shady spot because it was convenient
Planting everything on the same weekend
Ignoring spacing, then crowding plants
Skipping mulch and watering routine
Giving up after the first failure; every gardener loses plants

Pro tips

Plant what you love to eat. A garden full of unwanted vegetables is discouraging.
Sketch the plan on paper before digging. Moving a drawing is easier than moving a bed.
Add a compost bin or pile nearby; free fertiliser from kitchen scraps pays back quickly.
Invite someone to garden with you. Shared effort and shared harvests keep habits going.

You are ready

You now have everything this pillar teaches: how to sow, move, water, pot, propagate, time, read and plan. The next step is to begin. Put in a first bed this season, write down what happens and return to Plant Growing Fundamentals whenever you need a refresher. When you are ready to expand, explore Tree & Shrub Care and Garden Design for the structure of a mature garden.