Where to build it
Is the soil fertile enough?
Raised beds and double-digging
The lazy way
Paths
The sides
Sizes and shapes
Trellises
Cement
Soil
No compost?
"Things to do in the garden now" from HDRA -- the organic association. Month-by-month online organic gardening calender for temperate regions (UK), detailed, well-organized, down-to-earth guidance from the experts. Well illustrated. http://www.hdra.org.uk/todo_now.htm
The Territorial Seed Company has Planting Charts for the USA. A useful Seed Usage and Yield chart shows how many seeds to sow per 100' row, per acre, distance between seeds, thin plants to..., distance between rows, depth of seed, when to plant, days to maturity, yield per 100' row, for all the vegetables. http://www.territorial-seed.com/links/charts/links_charts.html
The 2001 US National Arboretum "Web Version" of the US Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map -- click on any area to go to a close-up, or click on your State abbreviation below to go to that region. http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/
The American Horticultural Society's Heat Zone Map -- this Zip Code Zone Finder will tell you the Heat Zone rating for your specific area. http://www.ahs.org/publications/zipfinder.htm
Seasonal vegetable planting guides for the Southern Hemisphere: Summer, Spring, Autumn, Winter -- from the Canberra Organic Growers Society (COGS). With other useful articles from Canberra Organic Quarterly Magazine and other COGS brochures. http://www.cogs.asn.au/methods.html
From "Gardening for Hong Kong", by W.J. Tutcher, F.L.S., Superintendent of the Botanical and Forestry Dept., Hong Kong, formerly of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 1913.
JANUARY
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Radish, Turnip, Chinese Spinach, French Beans, Peas, Cucumber, Lettuce, Tomato, Vegetable Marrow, Sweet Corn and Chinese Long Beans.
Plant out young plants of the following: Cabbage, Lettuce, Endive, Kohl Rabi and Brinjal.
Earth up Celery as required, previous to which give the beds a good watering.
Tie up Cos Lettuce to blanch them, and put flower pots over Endive for the same purpose.
Put in cuttings of Tomatoes, as plants raised in this way fruit earlier than those from seed.
Fresh beds of Watercress may be made.
FEBRUARY
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Radish, Turnip, Chinese Spinach, French Beans, Peas, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Long Beans, Water Spinach, Ochroes and Sword Beans.
Put out young plants of the following: Lettuce, Vegetable Marrow, Tomato, Cucumber and Brinjal.
Towards the end of the month Jerusalem Artichokes may be planted.
Asparagus beds may now be manured.
Lettuce and Endive blanch for succession.
Earth up Celery for succession.
MARCH
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Radish, Turnip, Chinese Spinach, French Beans, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Long Bean and Ochroes.
Plant out any seedlings ready from last month's sowings.
Canavalias (Sword Bean) should be planted
Watercress may still be planted.
Plant out Tomatoes raised from cuttings.
Brinjals may be planted.
Get stakes ready for Cucumbers, Canavalias (Sword Bean) and Chinese Long Beans.
Jerusalem Artichokes may still be planted.
APRIL
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Chinese Spinach, French Beans, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Long Beans, Ockro and Brinjal.
Plant out seedlings (raised last month) of Cucumber, Lettuce and Ockroes.
Stake Canavalias, Cucumbers and Long Beans as they require it.
Keep the surface of the beds in good condition with the Dutch hoe. Plants cannot thrive with a hard, baked surface to the soil.
MAY
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Chinese Spinach, French Beans, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sweet Corn and Chinese Long Beans.
Put out last month's seedlings of Cucumber, Lettuce, Ockro and Brinjal.
Seedlings of Chinese Spinach may be planted out if desired, but if frequent sowings are made this is not necessary as seedlings pulled from the seed-bed are more tender than those which have been transplanted.
Attend to the staking of Cucumbers and Long Beans.
JUNE
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Chinese Spinach, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Long and Short Beans, Chinese Green and White Cabbage.
Thin out some of the leaves of Chinese Long Beans.
Brinjals will be better if they have some of their leaves taken off, as they will continue to bear much longer, especially if they are given a little more manure at the roots.
JULY
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Chinese Spinach, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Short Beans, Celery, ~Chinese White and Green Cabbage.
AUGUST
Short Beans sown last month will require staking. Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Chinese Spinach, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Green and White Cabbage, Celery, Tomatoes and Carrots.
Dig over all vacant ground, so that it will be in good condition for sowing seeds in September and October.
SEPTEMBER
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Chinese Spinach, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Chinese Green and White Cabbage, Radish, Beet, Carrot, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Vegetable Marrow and Celery.
Plant out Tomatoes.
Transplant Celery from seed pans into nurse beds.
Towards the end of the month manure the beds for the bulk of the winter crops.
Obtain Brinjal seeds for sowing next month.
OCTOBER
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Lettuce, Chinese Green and White Cabbage, Radish, Beet, Carrot, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Brussels Sprout, Endive, Prickly Spinach, Turnip, Parsnip, Salsify, Pea, French Bean, Thyme, Sage Marjoram, Parsley, Brinjal, Chillies, Asparagus, Leek, Savoy Cabbage and Kohl Rabi.
Plant out Cabbage, Cauliflower, Vegetable Marrow and Celery.
Potatoes may be planted about the middle of the month.
Procure seeds of Ockroes, Water Spinach and Chinese Spinach.
NOVEMBER
The same kinds of seeds as last month may be sown either for succession or to replace failures.
Tie up Lettuce to blanch them. Lettuce plants through the summer will never be big enough to tie up, but with cooler weather the plants will be bigger and this may be done.
DECEMBER
Seeds of the following may be sown: Mustard and Cress, Lettuce, Radish, Cabbage, Celery, Turnip, Peas and French Beans.
Plant out seedlings of Celery, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, &c.
Earth up Celery and Potatoes.
Keep the soil well stirred in the beds and see that everything is watered sufficiently.