Before you build raised beds, dig garden rows, haul in soil, and create a beautiful permanent garden area, there is one very important thing you should do.
Watch your yard.
Yes, seriously. That is the first gardening job I am giving you. Go outside and stare at your yard.
Maybe have a cup of coffee so the neighbors think you are relaxing instead of studying the sun’s movement like a slightly confused scientist.
What Does Full Sun Actually Mean?
When a plant label says full sun, it generally means the plant needs at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Many vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, squash, and beans, grow best with plenty of direct sunlight.
The problem is that the sunny spot you see at 9:00 in the morning may be completely shaded by noon.
Trees, fences, sheds, houses, and even your neighbor’s house can cast shadows across different parts of your yard throughout the day. The only way to really understand your yard is to watch how the sunlight moves across it.
Mark the Sunny Areas
I don’t mean just mentally, either. Unless you have a very small yard. You do not need fancy equipment to track sunlight in your yard.
Use whatever you already have. Empty pots, buckets, pieces of cardboard, garden stakes, bricks, or even upside-down nursery pots can help you mark areas.
Start in the morning and note which parts of your yard receive direct sunlight. Mark those areas.
Check again around midday and then again in the afternoon.
You may discover that one section receives strong morning sun but afternoon shade. Another area may stay shaded all morning and then suddenly be blasted by the hot afternoon sun.
Those are very different growing conditions, and different plants will appreciate them.
Find More Than One Growing Area
Do not assume that your entire garden has to be in one place.
You may find that the best location for tomatoes and peppers is along one side of the house, while lettuce and herbs are happier in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
That is perfectly fine.
Your yard does not have to look like a tiny farm with perfectly straight rows all in one location. Grow food where the conditions make sense. The tomatoes will not complain that the lettuce lives across the yard.
Probably.
Remember That Sunlight Changes With the Seasons
This is a big one.
The sunlight patterns in your yard can change dramatically throughout the year because the sun sits at different angles during different seasons. Trees also create different amounts of shade depending on whether they have leaves.
I have two raised beds that receive full sun during the summer and work wonderfully for warm-season plants. In the winter, those same beds are in the shade about 90% of the time.
They are basically decorative dirt boxes until the sun comes back.
This is why watching your yard over time is so helpful. A spot that is perfect in June may be completely different in December.
Start With Containers While You Learn
If you are brand new to your yard or brand new to gardening, consider starting some plants in containers.
Containers are easy to move if you discover that your “perfect sunny spot” stops being sunny three weeks later. You can experiment with different areas of the yard without committing to permanent garden rows or hauling a raised bed to a new location.
And trust me, a raised bed full of soil is not something you casually scoot six feet to the left.
Use your first growing season to experiment. Watch the sun. Move containers around. Pay attention to which areas stay sunny and which become shaded as the seasons change.
Once you understand the sunlight patterns in your yard, you can confidently choose locations for permanent rows, raised beds, trellises, and other harder-to-move garden features.
A little patience now can save you a lot of digging later.
Until Next Time!
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