Interplanting is a method by which you plant your vegetables closer together based on their height, width, and need for sunlight. Instead of planting in the traditional method (neat rows), you can plant shade-tolerant plants between taller, bushier, sun-loving plants. This requires more planning than a traditional garden and some 3D thinking, but the payoff is a larger yield of produce from a smaller area.

Getting started
You'll need some basic data to get started. First, measure out your garden area and plot it out on graph paper. A good rule is 4 square blocks = 1 square foot of garden space. That way you'll have an easy way of measuring down to 6" spaces.

Make sure to mark the direction your garden faces. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, you'll want a South-facing garden. (If you were in the Southern Hemisphere, you would want a North-facing garden.)

Next, make a list of the vegetables you love to eat and check to see if they can be grown in your area. You can do this by finding your area's Hardiness Zone. Here is a Wikipedia article listing the zones for major US cities. It also lists areas for Europe, Australia, and Canada.

Once you have a list of the vegetables you'd like to grow and that will flourish in your area, buy your seeds. Keep in mind that lettuces, leafy greens, and broccoli/cauliflower need an early, cool-weather start. Here is an article (For Dummies) on growing leafy greens.


I recommend Heirloom seeds as the best investment
Heirloom seeds have been handed down for centuries and can be saved and grown again and again. Once you grow Heirloom plants, you can harvest the seeds from them to save for the next year's planting. That next generation will come out just like the last.

You can save hybrid seeds (the type usually sold in garden centers), but you can't be sure what you'll get the next time you plant. Hybrids have been cross-bred for the most desirable traits (uniform appearance, higher yields, etc.) and the resulting saved seed may revert to one or other of the parent-types, leaving you with a vegetable variety that you may not be happy with.

Add to that Heirloom varieties are tastier. (If you like tomatoes, try a Cherokee Purple or a Brandywine!) They can also be more nutritious in some cases. The one-time investment in Heirloom seeds can last for the rest of your gardening life. You'll never have to buy seeds again!


Chart your vegetable information
Now that you've picked out your vegetables, look at the back of the seed packet for size and sun information. If you don't have your seeds yet, you can do a Google search to find this information. Make a list of the mature height, width, and sun preference (partial shade/sun, full sun) for each vegetable. You will also want to chart the center-point of each plant's mature width. (Example: 18" mature width = 9" center point.) You'll need the center point for your planting graph.
Another thing you'll need on your chart is a planting schedule. You start certain plants at certain times. You'll need to keep this in mind while placing your plants. Your seed packets should have info on when to plant. If not, do a Google search of "planting schedule" and you'll find a chart for your area.
This is important because if you plant lettuce in April and plan to shade it with squash that you won't plant until May, you will have a problem. A good way to avoid this is to plan your garden in waves. Look at what you'll plant first and place those at the back of the garden. Plant the next wave in the center, and the latest plantings in front.

My garden as an example
My garden area (chart above) is 13' x 12'. I needed beds that I could reach the middle of, so I split the area into two 5' x 13' beds with a 2' walkway between them.

I knew I wanted a ton of tomatoes, peppers, and summer squash so I gave those veggies the lion's share of my garden. I then placed broccoli, cucumbers, okra, peas, and beans. Lastly, I interplanted spinach, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, garlic, and 3 onion varieties. In my garden chart above, the visual representation on the right helped me to plan and visualize the whole garden. The graph on the left showing the center points of the plant widths gave me accuracy on where to sow seeds/transplants.

You can chart your garden easily with only paper and pencil (a geometry compass is handy) using your measurements.

Another way to do this is to cut out paper circles using the scale you've used to draw out your garden. If you know you want 9 tomato plants, cut nine circles in the plant's mature diameter (roughly to scale.) Do the same for the rest of the plants you'd like to place.

You can also use a graphics program, which makes the task much easier than cutting out paper to scale.

(If you want to use a computer program, do a Google search for "free gardening planner program." You should find some basic free programs along with some paid programs that offer a free trial. I can't recommend any because I haven't used them, but you can give them a go!)

I would recommend using paper and pencil with measurements or a computer program, but some may do better with the visual nature of the cut-out paper.


Chart your garden