Make This Simple Switch to Grow More Vegetables in Less Space

This is Part 2 in my gardening series of blog posts.

I have a really short and simple gardening tip for you this week.  It's a simple switch I made a few years ago that has allowed me to increase the amount of food I grow without expanding the size of the garden. Here it is:

Rather than planting my seeds in a single row with pathways in between, I scatter my seeds in a wide row (or "bed") about 2 feet wide.

Look at these two gardens to see what I mean:

Because the plants are "huddled" closely together like penguins, there are 3 benefits to this method:

• The vegetable leaves shade out the weeds.
• The shade provided by the plants also keeps the soil cool and moist.
• The close spacing of plants offers some wind protection.

Does that make sense?  So simple, right?

Here's a picture of what this looks like in my garden:

(On the far right, you can see that I just pulled out a bed of radishes and am preparing to plant a second crop.)

The next (and final) blog post in the gardening series will be:  
The KEY to Understanding WHEN to Plant Your Garden