In order to get the maximum yield out of our vegetable garden we need to take a few things into consideration: size, harvest time, sunshine, interplanting, perennials, yields and times for planting. I am listing the considerations below; after all you want the best maximum yield vegetable garden in your neighborhood.

Size

Each individual vegetable needs a certain amount of space in order to grow well. Don't crowd plants into a smaller space than they need. Radishes on the other hand need very little room. Squashes and melons have a tendency to sprawl for yards in every which direction. Corn will grow tall, as will asparagus and pole beans. The height on these plants might make it necessary to plant them in a place where they won't shade other plants. Brussels sprouts and cabbage need plenty of room as they grow to a bulky size.

Harvest Time

Leaf lettuce will be ready for picking in a few short weeks, beets in about eight weeks, and carrots any time between two and half to three months. These vegetables and other fast-maturing crops can succeed one after the other in the same soil: lettuce, if you so desire, can be planted several times during its growing season; where you once had peas planted is a good spot for raising carrots or beets; lettuce can be followed by beans and early carrots by fall spinach. Such "plantings in succession" will give you more than one harvest from the same patch of soil.

Certain crops are planted only once because they need the whole summer to mature. Vegetables such as winter squash, tomatoes, and eggplant need about three months to ripen. They also require a great deal of nutrients and plenty of space. They should be given a large, sunny area.

Sunshine

Some plants will grow without daylong sunshine: lettuce and spinach will thrive in partially shaded spots or planted between rows of taller crops such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Interplanting

Many of your fast-maturing vegetables - mustard greens, leaf lettuce, or spinach - may be planted among the slow-growing vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants. Most of the leafy plants will reach maturity before their neighbors can shade them. Radishes are often planted in the same rows of slower-growing vegetables such as carrots or parsley. They will sprout quickly, thus marking the rows, and are usually picked and eaten while most of the other vegetables are still small.

Perennials

There are only three perennials that are commonly grown in vegetable gardens: asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries. If you grow them, just remember they need a considerable amount of space. Asparagus and rhubarb won't produce a crop until, approximately two years after planting.

Yields

Some crops have tremendous yields. It is better to plant a short row of lettuce, as a long row planted all at once will reap more salad than you can possibly eat. It is also more practical to plant short rows of fast-maturing vegetables and then make succession plantings at two- or three-week intervals.

It is best to learn which vegetables must be eaten right away, which you can freeze or can, and which can be stored in a cellar if you have one. If you have the storage space, plant more onions, potatoes and winter squashes. If you own a freezer, grow more Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, and okra. Raising extra tomato plants is great for home canning.

Times for Planting

When designing your garden, it is important to learn when each vegetable should be planted. Peas and spinach need the cool weather of spring. Tomatoes cannot be planted until the end of the frost. Tender lettuce will thrive in spring and fall, but in the heat of midsummer it will "bolt" or produce a stalk.

For fall and early winter vegetables the best time to plant seeds, such as: beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, lettuce and radish, is late June - early July. In August you can plant lettuce, spinach and turnip seeds. The plants of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower should also be planted in August or later because hot weather will not promote good growth. About 10 weeks before the first killing frost the seeds of beets and carrots can still be planted. Now you have all the considerations to think about so your maximum yield vegetable garden will be one of the greatest.