to know before you start and this is why I suggest you create a site plan.  Whether you have a patio or a large plot of land mark out the following; Perimeter of your space Any garden beds Any large established plants/trees Any structures (paving, sheds etc) Fences (and get an approximate height so you can think about the shadows they cast) Orientation (this is important re; sun direction) Here is one of my original site plans: Once you have this basic site plan you need to add the next layer of information. This is where you need to... Step 4 -- ...Know the Site Basics I have created a gardening file which is my bible. This is where I have recorded the site plan and all these other details. I recommend starting one. Things to add to it are; Sunshine These guys love the sun! What is the suns path across your garden?  Some people (like my husband) will know the path the sun follows just based on the orientation of the garden however it always seems to boggle me. If you can't figure out just by N-S-E-W logic be archaic like me and go into your yard every few hours and note where the sun is at that time (on your site map). Another sneaky trick I used (so I could get an idea of how the sun behaves in different seasons) was using Near Map . This is like Google Maps with the added advantage of you