Topic: What size beds?

[Katinkka]

So I decided to go with the linka bords as per previous discussion.  So my question is how big should I make them?  OBviously the bigger the better as its more cost effective but I will need to access the whole area.  I was thinking 3m by 1m per bed but do you think I could go bigger?

Thanks

[tim]

1. Think of rotation - how much of what do you want at a time - then rotate the whole bed.

2. A metre is just nice for reaching into by hand. Ours are 2mX1m.

[supersprout]

1m wide sounds good - my (unedged) beds were 1.25 wide and I reduced them to 1.1 wide, it makes all the diff. if you can reach to the middle easily. Wider would be a false economy imho.

One way to tell how long they should be might be to mark out the bed areas with string, and see where you would need paths. My beds are 4m long, but I wouldn't personally want to go any longer without a path or a japanese style bridge ;)

Tim has a good point if you have the discipline to stick to one crop per bed. I don't - as the season progresses I whack in whatever's ready and will follow the previous crop. Yesterday half my garlic were ready for harvesting a month early, so where I harvested I've put in French and runner beans. So 1/3 the bed is garlic still growing, and 2/3 is beans. And so on.

Worth mentioning to keep paths nice and wide for turning wheelbarrows? ::)

[John_H]

I think my beds get narrower as I get older!

I have two beds which run east/west as opposed to the usual north/south. these have quite high boards on the north side and none at all on the south side (so they slope towards the sun). I use these for cold frames and early crops because the ground warms up a couple of weeks earlier.

[tim]

Paths, Sprouty? Yes - & lay bark chippings to cushion the soil & keep it weed free?

[supersprout]

I have two beds which run east/west as opposed to the usual north/south. these have quite high boards on the north side and none at all on the south side (so they slope towards the sun). I use these for cold frames and early crops because the ground warms up a couple of weeks earlier.

Hi john, most of mine run east to west too, but I plant quite a few crops in blocks offset, or e.g. beets and snips across the bed (north to south). I experimented with sloping two of the beds this year with mixed results - the higher part of the bed was drier than the lower. Do you find this a problem at all, or do your boards retain the moisture better than my 'no edge' policy?

[Rosyred]

Supersprout .....How did you know your garlic was ready?? Planted mine in Oct 2005

[supersprout]

Mine went in in October last year too.

1. Yellow leaves on all the plants
2. First ones falling over
3. Dug one up and judged it was 'normal' size
4. Gave it a squeeze - nice and firm
5. Used it in the kitchen just to be sure!

How scientific is that? :P ;)

[moonbells]

Hi john, most of mine run east to west too, but I plant quite a few crops in blocks offset, or e.g. beets and snips across the bed (north to south). I experimented with sloping two of the beds this year with mixed results - the higher part of the bed was drier than the lower. Do you find this a problem at all, or do your boards retain the moisture better than my 'no edge' policy?

Ironically I made my raised beds primarily to compensate for a north-south slope!

The top ends are always terribly dry and watering them doesn't help unless it's done very slowly - the water just used to run down the bed. I have ended up with beds that have 6-8" high boards at the downhill end, and in some cases nothing at the uphill (natural ground level).

oh and as to size, mine are 3.5x1.5m - and yes I can reach, just! Maximises bed to path ratio... paths *very* narrow (15")

moonbells

[Tee Gee]

I have been asked this question many times on the plots by both large & small people and I find the following method works for them all;

Kneel down as if to do some weeding by hand, bend forward to a comfortable distance and try to do some weeding.

Measure the distance you can reach too then double it, assuming you can get access to both sides of the bed.

I also find the following works for me;

I grow many of my plants 15" apart so I find the following calculation fits most of my needs;

6"+15"+15"+15"+15"+6" =72 " or 6 ft (the 6" is the distance from the edge of the bed to the first plant)

It also works well for plants 12" apart.

I hope this helps.

[supersprout]

Supersprout .....How did you know your garlic was ready?? Planted mine in Oct 2005

It looks like this the day after harvesting



:)

[Rosyred]

My leaves are still green with a few yellow but will have a better look if I go down tonight.

[OliveOil]

I have a gentle slope from East down to West. Plot is South Facing. Any tips as to the way i should run my plot?  I'm not doing too much planning this year as i just want to get it filled as much as i can as its a large plot with no clearing to do. I am trying to keep things together but will do a proper plan next year.

[John_H]

I have two beds which run east/west as opposed to the usual north/south. these have quite high boards on the north side and none at all on the south side (so they slope towards the sun). I use these for cold frames and early crops because the ground warms up a couple of weeks earlier.

Hi john, most of mine run east to west too, but I plant quite a few crops in blocks offset, or e.g. beets and snips across the bed (north to south). I experimented with sloping two of the beds this year with mixed results - the higher part of the bed was drier than the lower. Do you find this a problem at all, or do your boards retain the moisture better than my 'no edge' policy?

Supersprout

My soil seems to take ages to warm up in spring (lots of clay) though it does tend to hold water. I have also put upturned 2lt drinks bottles with the bottoms cut off, that means I can get the water down deep which may help, it just sort of relies on capillary attraction to get drawn back up draw while encouraging the roots to stay down deep.

I think I also need a wind break of some sort (its always draughty down here by the seaside) so I'm going to experiment with row of rosemary and lavender cuttings to help reduce wind chill on that bed too.

All the best,

[John_H]

I have two beds which run east/west as opposed to the usual north/south. these have quite high boards on the north side and none at all on the south side (so they slope towards the sun). I use these for cold frames and early crops because the ground warms up a couple of weeks earlier.

Hi john, most of mine run east to west too, but I plant quite a few crops in blocks offset, or e.g. beets and snips across the bed (north to south). I experimented with sloping two of the beds this year with mixed results - the higher part of the bed was drier than the lower. Do you find this a problem at all, or do your boards retain the moisture better than my 'no edge' policy?

[jennym]

My beds are 2m wide, and I chose that size because the heavy duty woven black membrane I use for covering the soil in some areas comes in either 1m or 2m widths, so its more economical to use if you get the exact width.