A kitchen garden is less about size than about timing. The gardens that feed a household all year are rarely large; they are simply planned so that something is always coming ready as something else finishes.

Spring belongs to quick crops. Radishes, lettuce, peas and spinach go in as soon as the soil can be worked, and most are ready before the summer heat arrives. Sow a short row every two weeks rather than one long row at once, and the salad bowl never goes empty.

Summer is for the long growers: tomatoes, beans, squash and peppers. Give them the sunniest beds, a deep mulch of straw or leaves to hold moisture, and a regular evening watering at the roots rather than over the leaves.

Late summer is the moment most gardeners miss. As the first crops come out, sow kale, chard, carrots and late beets in their place. They grow through the cooling weeks and sweeten after the first frost.

Winter need not be bare. Leeks, parsnips and hardy kale stand in the ground through cold weather, and a simple cold frame or row cover keeps herbs and greens going for weeks longer. By the time the seed catalogs arrive, there should still be something to pick.