Where to Grow
1. Do you have mostly sun or mostly shade?
You'll want to spend time observing the space where you intend to create your garden. Nearly all plants that feed people require full sun, so keep an eye out for any shadows throughout the day. The hot afternoon sun helps the plant produce the most and best quality fruits or vegetables. Only blueberries, elderberries, and currants tolerate more than a little shade.
2. What type of soil do you have?
Most plants that feed people prefer well drained soils, so you'll want to choose an area where rain doesn't pond for more than a few hours. You won't usually need to amend your soil by mixing anything specific in, although you can consider some well rotted bagged cow or sheep manure bought from a local hardware store. We don't recommend chicken manure because it has been our experience that it's easy to burn your plants.
All stone fruit prefers sandy soil and will not thrive in heavy clay because it tends to be too wet for the roots. While blueberries prefer slightly acidic soil, you can use a berry-specific fertilizer to achieve this balance.
3. What threats are present in your area?
Will deer or rodents be an issue? If you're not able to fence your garden, consider using a product such as Bobbex Deer and Rodent repellant to deter these pests from snacking on your new plants. You'll want to think about bird netting for smaller fruit and Japanese Beetle traps to prevent pests from enjoying the fruits of your hard work! We also recommend planting away from areas where kids or pets play because we've heard far too many cautionary tales about gardens being damaged by a stray soccer ball!
4. Have you heard of Juglone?
You'll also want to look up to see if any Black Walnut, Hickory, or Chestnut trees are nearby because these produce a natural herbicide called Juglone that's present in soils and toxic to nearly all food producing plants. Some of the only exceptions are cherry trees and black raspberries! Tomato plants and apple trees are some of the most susceptible.
In our experience, it's not enough to dig out the contaminated soil and replace with new if the offending tree(s) are still present in the area because Juglone is also spread though rotting leaves and fruits. Research is limited, but suggests that it can take as long as five years after the tree is removed for the soil to rehabilitate.