Most people wouldn’t think about growing vegetables in anything other than soil, but gravel can produce just as good a crop as soil.

Not only does gravel keep weeds at bay, it keeps seeds and plants warmer than soil, and provides wonderful drainage with minimal water needed to keep the garden well watered. Gravel can be readily found in any store that sells garden gravel supplies.

Make A Plan

Just as with any other garden, you have to do some planning. Map out where you’d like the garden to be located. Gravel gardens are usually smaller than conventional gardens. So, they’re perfect for those with smaller spaces.

Dig

Dig down about three inches to remove the sod and roots. The holes should be filled in with two parts soil and one part compost.

The Specifics For A Gravel Garden

Landscaper’s fabric or garden plastic should be laid over the garden area and secured with stakes. The edge of the material should be weighed down with heavy objects like bricks or railroad ties.

Layout

Decide on what you’d like to grow and create a layout. Plants must have the proper amount of water and sunlight, so take all this into consideration when thinking about what will go where.

The Best Veggies For Your Gravel Garden

  • Tomatoes
  • Melons
  • Squash
  • Beans
  • Peas

Just about anything that grows above ground will work in a gravel garden. Things like lettuce and root vegetables would be hard to harvest around gravel.

Planting

Seeds for a gravel garden must be started before being planted. Four to six weeks before the season starts would be ideal. When you’re all ready to plant, cut an ‘X’ into the area of the garden where you’ll be planting the seedling. The hole you dig should be as large as the seedling’s root ball. Plant the seedling and backfill the hole, making sure to pat down the soil around it. The plastic around the plant should be smoothed out.

Adding The Gravel

The last step once you’ve planted all the seedlings is to add the gravel, which you can purchase from any store that sells garden gravel supplies. Seedlings are very delicate at this stage, so care must be taken when adding gravel. Use a scoop to gently place the gravel around the plants. Once all the gravel is in place, a hand rake can be used to make it level and attractive.