Choosing the Right Location for a New Garden

Container Gardening Article

Constructing Raised Beds

Louisiana Farm to School Program

Even if you have only a windowsill, a patio or a balcony to work with, you can grow amazing flowers and even vegetables with limited space! Depending on what you would like to grow, the location that you choose is important. Plants that need direct (full) sunlight need a location that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. But plants that only need partial sunlight need only between 3 and 6 hours per day. If you have limited light in a spot and you still wish to garden, then choose plants that do well in those conditions – or even consider providing artificial light for them with special light bulbs.

If you plan to garden in some type of back or side-yard location (non-container garden), try to choose a place that is full of sun unless you want to grow the shade-loving plants. Choose your location or what you wish to grow first; then the other will be guided by your first choice. Enjoy the adventure of making that choice and where that leads you with the next.

If you wish to garden in a yard or typical garden location and you don’t have a place that has level ground and drains well, then you might garden in containers or consider building a small, raised bed.

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A garden site that meets all these criteria will be a more productive garden.

• is easily accessible or within safe walking distance
• receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day (most vegetables plants need this to produce well)
• is located near a water source (to keep the plants alive)
• has well-drained soil (as most vegetable plants cannot survive in waterlogged areas)
• has a tool storage area nearby

Resources that you will find in this section:

• Get It Growing - Containers: An Easy Solution to Many Gardening Conundrums
• The LSU AgCenter’s Farm to School Program This project webpage has a vast number of informational articles and videos to help a gardener to garden in a sustainable way. This site has resources for gardening, agriculture and even nutrition.
• The LSU AgCenter’s Home Garden Series publication: “Raised Beds (Constructing Raised Beds for the Home Vegetable Garden)” This article has excellent suggestions and instructions as to how to provide your garden area a more manageable spot to grow well.