Selecting the Best Location for a Garden

Learn how to choose the most suitable site for a vegetable garden, a location that will allow the vegetables to thrive.

Draw a Map(4 of 6)

On this map, you can indicate any obstacles and record the areas that receive the best sunlight. The site must certainly be free from underground utility lines. Utility companies will locate and stake out underground lines if you tell them you are digging a garden. Call your local utility companies to find out where you may have underground wiring or pipes. This number is normally located in the front of your phone book under "Call Before You Dig."

To make a site plan, you'll need a simple bound or loose-leaf notebook, camera, marker, wood stakes. First take a photograph of the site to map out the garden. Be sure to shoot the picture from a point that allows a full view of the entire yard. In your notebook, draw a design of the area and then mark the shady areas or any tree roots or slopes.

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