Skip to main content

HappySprout may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

How to plant the ultimate fruit and vegetable garden

Having fresh fruits and vegetables for meals and snacks is a great way to inject your diet with extra nutrients and add a little flair of color to your meals. Grocery stores, however, don’t always have exactly what you want; or, if they do, it may be more expensive if it’s out of season or not grown locally. So, what are you to do? Grow it yourself! Gardening for food doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated, and practically anyone can do it. Here’s your simple guide to the ultimate fruit and vegetable garden!

A person in a blue shirt holding a brown basket full of assorted vegetables, including carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and lettuce

Choosing your fruits and vegetables

The exact fruits and vegetables you choose will depend on your climate and personal taste, but there are a few things to keep an eye out for. Try to choose a wide range of fruits and vegetables, and plant a few of each. Look for plants with similar, but not exactly the same, harvest times. If all your plants are ready for harvest at the same time, you may have difficulty getting it all in on time, resulting in some fruits or vegetables going to waste.

Look for plants with compatible needs. If all your plants have exactly the same needs, it can place a higher demand on resources. For example, if all your plants need a lot of calcium, the calcium in your soil will be depleted faster. Instead, your plants should have varied needs and benefits. For example, pairing a plant that needs extra nitrogen with a nitrogen fixing plant, or a tall, sun-loving plant with a smaller, shade-loving plant underneath.

Some of the easiest fruits and vegetables to grow are tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins, and leafy greens like lettuce, cabbage, and spinach. Starting with these makes for a great baseline, and you can add any other fruit or veggie that you find particularly delicious to the mix.

Vegetable garden consisting of two regular garden beds and several hanging baskets, suspended on chains.

Arranging and planting

There are a few things to consider when arranging your ultimate garden. Plant needs are one. Make sure the plants that need the most sun are in the sunniest areas of the gardens and the ones that prefer shade are provided some shelter. Consider planting sun-loving, vining plants — such as pumpkins, cucumbers, or squash — on an A-frame trellis with shade-loving plants underneath.

Another thing to consider is pest control. If you live in an area that’s frequented by rabbits or deer, plant deer-resistant vegetables at the edges of the garden with the plants they find tastiest in the center. Although this won’t stop every pest, and you may still need to put up a fence or deer scare, it can help dissuade them and reduce your problems.

Caring for your garden

Be sure to water your garden in the morning before it gets hot. Wet leaves often burn, and you want to give the water time to absorb into the soil before evaporating in the sunlight. Watering in the afternoon or evening may be OK during warmer seasons, although it isn’t ideal, but avoid it altogether during cooler stretches. Many types of bacteria and fungi thrive in wet, dark climates, so watering just before dark can encourage infections.

Keep a careful eye out for any signs of disease, and act quickly at the first signs of infection. Although some diseases only affect a limited range of plants, some diseases can spread throughout your garden. Treatments can range from applying fungicide, increasing a particular nutrient in the soil, or removing the infected plant or part of the plant.

A woman in a pink shirt and black and white checkered shorts squats while harvesting tomatoes. Next to her on the ground is a basket of harvested vegetables, including eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots.

What to do at harvest time

When it comes time to harvest, it’s best to do it as the fruits and vegetables ripen rather than wait for a lot of them to be ready for harvest. Harvesting a little at a time as they ripen reduces waste, as fewer fruits and vegetables are left to rot on the vine, and you can eat or preserve them as they come, rather than having to deal with many at once. It can also lead to an increased harvest, as some plants will produce additional fruits after the existing ones have been harvested.

It’s also best to harvest in the morning, around the same time you would be watering your garden, and for similar reasons. It protects you, the gardener, from heat stroke, but also keeps your nice, ripe fruits and veggies from drying or wilting in the sun before you can pick them.

There you have it, the simple guide to planting the ultimate fruit and vegetable garden. You now know the tips and tricks to planting, caring for, and harvesting your garden. Remember to choose compatible plants, plant them strategically, and water and harvest in the morning. What your ultimate garden looks like and what flavors it provides are up to you, so enjoy your fresh garden feast!

Editors' Recommendations

Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
Plant your bacopa now for a sweet-looking display through spring and summer
A care guide for your bacopa trailing plant
White bacopa flower

Spring and summer flower gardens are known for their bright colors, sweet smells, and cheerful atmospheres. There are many options when it comes to choosing what flowers to plant, but what if you’re looking for something new? You might be interested in bacopa. Bacopa is a great choice for any flower garden, from outdoor gardens to indoor ones, hanging planters to window boxes. In this bacopa care guide, we’ll walk you through all the steps of planting and caring for your new bacopa plant.

What is bacopa?
Bacopa (Chaenostoma cordatum) is a beautiful flowering plant from South Africa. It has trailing vine-like stems that grow flowers in shades of white, pink, and purple. A single bacopa plant will produce many flowers, creating a small mound of flowers for your garden. Their trailing stems make bacopa plants perfect for hanging planters and window boxes, while the number of flowers makes them great for traditional gardens.

Read more
Zone 10a planting guide: Here’s what you need to know about what you can plant
Plants and their growing schedules for this zone
Woman reading book by plants

Consisting of the southernmost parts of the U.S., zone 10a is a rich region for a wide range of plants. While you might need to keep an eye out for your tender herbs and cold-hardy plants, many flowers, succulents, and plants can thrive in zone 10a's warm temperature outdoors. Below, we've put together a zone 10a planting guide to break down all that you need to know about this welcoming environment for nourishing foliage life.

What is a climate zone? 
With the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has divided the country into 13 different climate zones based on average annual minimum temperature ranges. Zone 1 has the coolest temperatures, while zone 13 has the warmest ones.

Read more
Caring for nemesia, a cute and colorful perennial for your flower garden
Tips to keep your nemesia thriving
Dark red and white nemesia flowers

If you’ve grown all the classic flowers and are searching for something new to try, then this just might be the care guide for you. Nemesia is a cute, colorful flower that grows well in gardens and containers, and it’s easy to care for. Want to try growing it for yourself?

This care guide will explain everything you need to know, from what nemesia is to the common pests to protect against. Just follow these tips, and your garden will be full of beautiful nemesia flowers before you know it!

Read more