Homegrown: The right plant for the right space

Linn County Master Gardener, Lisa Slattery, offered the following tips on seed selection:

Seed catalogs are arriving in the mail! They bring visions of big, beautiful, perfectly tended gardens with amazing varieties of flowers and vegetables.  I love browsing the catalogs but also try to keep some perspective and be realistic about how much space, time and effort I want to devote to the growing season this year.  Plus there are several things to keep in mind when selecting seeds and plants on your order form.

One of the Master Gardener mantras is “pick the right plant for the right space.” Unless you have an acreage or farm (which many of you do) you might not have enough space to accommodate everything you want to grow.  So start with a list of your useable garden space.  If you plan to create new garden beds this year consider that new space as well.  I'd suggest using graph paper to draw out your plant-able areas which will also help you visualize how much space will be required for mature plants.  This is especially useful with vegetable gardens since tomato seeds turn into very large plants.  Plants planted too closely together will invite disease and pests. 

Think about hardiness or zone.  If you're planting annuals you'll have more variety since they're intended for one growing season.  If you are selecting perennials or landscape plants such as shrubs and trees make sure they are zone hardy.  Here in Eastern Iowa we are a combination of zone 5 and 4, so I would suggest you choose plants that are cold hardy to zone 4.  Proper zone hardy plants will thrive with less work.   

Consider your light. Plants that require full sun require 6 to 8 hours of daily sunlight.  If you don't have full sun, consider plants that have lower light requirements.  If plants don't receive proper sunlight they won't bloom and won't be vigorous growers.  This is especially true for many vegetables.   

Think about our growing season.  All seed packets come with “days to maturity” listed.  Some seeds like to be directly sowed and others can be started earlier indoors.  Various plants will be shipped according to planting dates as well. 

Moisture and soil conditions are another item to keep in mind.  If you have hot, dry areas in your garden select plants that thrive in low moisture conditions.  If you have a boggy area of your garden that doesn't drain well, there are plants that will thrive in moist areas as well.  

Keeping these items in mind when browsing the seed catalogs will help you select the right plant for the right place and allow you to create a beautiful garden that will be both vigorous and rewarding.