We are just weeks away from the unofficial gardening season kickoff in Chicago and I could NOT be more excited! Early May is generally considered a safe time to start planting in zone 5B because there is less risk of frost. If you are itching to get outside, I wrote a garden to do list for April that will keep you plenty busy until planting season. Today is all about daydreaming and talking through our 2021 garden plans for zone 5B.
This is our 2nd year in the house, so my plans could look vastly different from yours. However, looking at what other people are planning for their gardens is always inspiring and I hope this will be for you, too! We are only the second owners of our home. Although it had not been cared for in many years, it was obvious that the previous owners had a garden at some point. Unfortunately due to old age, they let things go quite a bit and the garden was wildly overgrown by the time I bought the house. I spent most of last Spring and Summer trying to tame the garden and build new flower beds. Now that things are more under control, I am excited to watch my plants grow.
The East side border of our garden is half full sun and half dappled shade. Last year I put mixed perennials from my mom’s garden in the full sun spot. I didn’t know a lot about each plant and some grew too wide or tall for the small space. This year I plan to move some of the bigger plants to the new west side border bed. That will leave room for the smaller plants to thrive. The dappled shade half of the garden had peonies, which I imagine were planted prior to the shade tree. I moved those earlier this Spring because they didn’t bloom without sun. Fingers crossed that I didn’t kill them!! In addition to the peonies, my mom gave me many hostas which I intermixed with some astilbe for color. This year I plan to add a couple coralbells, but otherwise this area will remain the same.
Vegetable Garden
Ahh, the vegetable garden. Known affectionately as “the pit.” This was by far the most overgrown area of the garden last year. And that is really saying something. It was full of day lilies, grasses, weeds, and who knows what else. But mostly day lilies. We would like to make this area our vegetable garden, so we didn’t want to spray chemicals to kill off the overgrowth. Instead we put a huge tarp over the area and hoped that it would starve all the plants beneath it. We haven’t taken the tarp off, but I have a horrible feeling that the day lilies survived. I can already see some poking through the tiniest gaps in the tarp. They are the devil. There is a solid chance we will have to pay someone to completely overhaul this spot. I’ll keep you posted!
North Side Border
This is the area that I put the most work into last year. It involved extensive pruning of the lilac, digging up sod to combine beds, having the overgrown barberries taken out, and planting new perennials and shrubs. All the work paid off because this bed is looking great this year. We already pruned the lilac even further and I edged the whole bed. I will have to move the hostas to a shadier spot and fill their space with something else, but that’s about it. I’ll see how things grow in and reassess later in the season.
West Side Border
This garden bed is fresh and new! I spent all last summer trying to tame the ancient barberries that lined this spot and finally had to throw in the towel. I was so tired of how sloppy they looked and kept getting pricked every time I pruned them. It was also very hard to control the weeds in this area. We had them taken out in November and it was the best (most expensive) decision. This year we are planning to line the bed with shrubs and perennials. Our neighbor already told me he will be splitting a lot of his garden and my mom is ALWAYS giving me plants. I will fill in the rest of the area with shrubs. My list includes Ginger Wine Ninebark, Flamingo Dappled Willow, and Limelight Hydrangea.
Burning Bush Bed
This flower bed is also looking great this year. Much like the East side bed, I will have to move some plants around due to their size. There are a lot of Sundrops in this bed and I have a feeling they are overrunning some of the other plants. I will dig some out or move them to another area to leave room for the other plants. The Bee Balm seems to have multiplied as well, so I will be watching it carefully to make sure it doesn’t take over other plants.
What plans do you have for your garden this year? I would love to hear about them! Send me an email or tag me on Instagram . My 2021 Garden Plans for Zone 5B are very much at a beginner level, so take what I say with a grain of salt. And feel free to send me suggestions or corrections 🙂 Happy gardening, friends!
As a general rule, put tall veggies toward the back of the bed, mid-sized ones in the middle, and smaller plants in the front or as a border. Consider adding pollinator plants to attract beneficial insects that can not only help you get a better harvest, but will also prey on garden pests.
There should absolutely be at least one foot of space away from the home's exterior wall when the plants will be fully grown in order to allow for home maintenance of all kinds. This will also enable the plants to be out farther from the house, so they can gather more sunlight and air.
A general guideline for a summer vegetable garden is to plan on about 100 square feet per person. Advanced: If you're more ambitious and want year-round groceries, plan on about 200 square feet per person. Freeze or can at least half of the harvest for winter use.
Make a rough sketch first and use it to log all your measurements.Then transfer them onto paper to make a precise scale plan. If you have an established garden with lots of plants or structures that make access to the boundary tricky, you might find it helpful to look online at an overhead view.
Square foot gardening is an efficient and space-saving technique that involves dividing your garden into small, manageable squares. Each square is typically one foot by one foot and is planted with a specific number of plants depending on their size.
The most basic garden plan consists of a design with straight, long rows running north to south orientation. A north to south direction will ensure that the garden gets the best sun exposure and air circulation. A garden that runs east to west tends to get too shaded from the crops growing in the preceding row.
Typically, vegetables need at least six hours of sun, though eight hours is better. Don't fuss so much about if the spot for a vegetable garden gets morning or afternoon sun, just check to make sure it gets six hours total of sun.
A north-south orientation is best for low-growing crops, allowing direct sunlight to reach both sides of the bed. For taller crops such as pole beans, peas and tomatoes an east west orientation works best.
The best place to site your vegetable garden would be where it gets the most sun and has the best soil. A southern exposure is ideal, especially if the ground slopes away from the garden so the heavier cold air flows away from it. That gives the garden it's longest season with best light and soil.
A good size for a beginner's vegetable garden is 6x6 feet. Select up to five types of vegetables to grow, and plant a few of each type. You'll get plenty of fresh produce for your summer meals, and it will be easy to keep up with the chores. Growing vegetables in containers is also a good way to start out.
Tomatoes: Grow two plants for each person in the family. Bush beans: Grow 5 feet of row for each person. Beets: Grow 2 feet of row for each person, but sow several times in succession. Carrots: Grow 2 feet of row for each person; make several sowing.
Grid lines drawn at 45 degrees can be used as a guideline to design the garden. Rectangular themes are the most popular and widely used. They are adapted to give a formal look to the garden. Long or narrow gardens can be easily divided into even sections using this particular theme.
Place the plants with the distinct form or texture (focal plants) in locations that will lead the eye around the garden. The most common pattern is a triangle shape between three plant beds. Stagger the plants on either side of a pathway in a zigzag pattern to lead the eye forward and draw the viewer into the garden.
There are two basic rules when arranging plants in the beds: 1) space the individual plants so that they touch each other when they reach their mature size, and 2) overlap the masses of plants and connect them so that they flow without space between them. Avoid gaps or large open areas between masses.
Introduction: My name is Terence Hammes MD, I am a inexpensive, energetic, jolly, faithful, cheerful, proud, rich person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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