Go out into the garden and work out the best possible place for your plot. If you have the choice, it’s good to grow veg in the kind of sunny, sheltered spot where you might want to sunbathe. Most of the plants going into the patch are annuals. They are working with a short timescale and need to grow rapidly. To enable them to put on this performance, they need all the help they can get and plenty of food to fuel this growing process. That’s only possible in full sun, so avoid overhanging trees and shade-throwing sheds and buildings as far as possible.
As well as sun, many plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers need shelter from the wind. They won’t grow well if rocked at their roots and their leaves will blacken with wind burn. Try fencing panels, hurdles or even think of planting a permanent hedge on the windy, western side of the plot. These will give the more delicate plants a chance of survival outside. If you can’t find hurdles, use a few straw bales for instant effect. These provide a cheap, but perfect temporary wind break, which can be removed once the worst of the spring winds are over in early May.