Topic: which veg garden spacing methods will you be using in 2010

[Columbus]

I like to have two rows that fit into a stride of about a yard. This means the crop will fit under a peice of debris netting. I like to line up the rows, instead of staggering the plants so I can hoe from the sides.

Most crops will fit into this system. I had an idea last year of growing sweet corn in clumps, (like grass grows), but the mice ate two packets of planted seed so I never got to try that.
Spuds are planted a good stride apart `cus I like to earth up a lot.

Col

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm not familiar with all of those, but I plant in flat beds. If I'm planting six inches apart, say, then the rows are also six inches apart, with the plants alternating.

That covers most things, but peas and beans go up wigwams, and occasionally I have something which goes in a row down the middle of a bed because of the amount of space it needs.

[plainleaf2]

1 and six are not same.  3 and 6 are similar but not really.
6. plants in triangles.
 6. can read about in John Jeavsons   book"How to Grow More Vegetables:"
3. is basic a wide row where seeds are sprinkled.
7.multidimensional poly-cropping is basically either square foot or triangle spaced plants.
But with advanced companion planting,succession planting integrated but also includes a lot more. It also contains predefine planting layouts. This will be totally revealed in my book.

  

[powerspade]

Who cares?.  I sow as per what the packet says

[earlypea]

I care.

As a fairly new grower it's something I really haven't worked out yet, mainly because there are way too many conflicting theories and methods.

If I do it as the packet it seems to waste a lot of growing space, but if I jam them together I seem to get more diseases, especially mould on brassicas, mildew on me spinach, alongside more pests which I then can't get access to at all easily.

But other plots seem to get away with very tight spacing for the same crops.  I'm guessing they are either using F1s or their earth has been built up over the years and will sustain it better than mine?  Would that be it?

[Squash64]

I think I must have learned my gardening on another planet.

I am not at all methodical about rows, distances etc.  I plant according to what a particular plant needs.

[saddad]

Over feeding can make brassicas (in particular) prone to disease, earlypea, especially at this time of year....  :-\

[Duke Ellington]

Ohhhhh too many complications! :'(

Duke

[ACE]

Years ago I broke my fork. So I made it into a dibber. My spacing is now defined by the length of the dibber, the width of the dibber handle and that old english measure arfadibber. Most times it works but on that rare occasion it doesn't the boot comes into play in single mode or doubled up sometimes. Arfaboot don't work but sideways on could I suppose but that is equal to a dibber anabit so I don't bother with that one.

One allotment I had was just about big enough to feed us but small enough to handle so if there was a space it got used on something that was going to be tasty and essential. I never grew for size as I prefer taste to be the reason it was planted. So smaller yields suited us.

[earlypea]

Over feeding can make brassicas (in particular) prone to disease, earlypea, especially at this time of year....  :-\

Thanks Saddad.  I don't tend to feed at all actually (could it be that?), just peas or manure in the autumn , then mulch with some home compost/manure mix once.  Only fed one bed with pigeon stuff this year, where keeping some plants at the edge for seed seemed to have drained it of all nutrition.
(sorry, bit off-topic)

[saddad]

Re-reading it Earlypea, and if you have had the dry September we've had, I would suggest dry at the roots, that would encourage mildew on the spinach and whitefly on the brassicas which would create conditions for the mould to flourish... I'd dig in more muck for these crops to improve the moisture holding of the soil, which it sounds like your neighbours have been doing over the years..  :-\

[earlypea]

Re-reading it Earlypea, and if you have had the dry September we've had, I would suggest dry at the roots, that would encourage mildew on the spinach and whitefly on the brassicas which would create conditions for the mould to flourish... I'd dig in more muck for these crops to improve the moisture holding of the soil, which it sounds like your neighbours have been doing over the years..  :-\

Cheers.  I had actually come to similar conclusions myself, but it's nice to be backed up by a more experienced gardener  :)

I got caught up in the 'no-dig' idea last year and frankly not for my dry crumbly type of earth at all.  This Autumn I've prepared by digging manure in - hopefully it will pay off.

[betula]

   LOL  @ ACE  ;D

The arfadibber comes in very handy.

Normally start off with following seed pack instructions,as the space gets filled up I follow the rule called bungitinthisbit ..................Then the rule comes in ....what was I possably thinking?there is more than enough room .

Love it............ :)

[saddad]

Do I come across as that old then....  :-[

[grawrc]

Not from where I'm standing boyo, but everything is relative.  ;D ;D ;D Anyway experience, like wisdom, is not always the preserve of the old.

[earlypea]

Do I come across as that old then....  :-[

No - most people have been growing vegetables longer than me.  You could be any age.  Experienced gardener not the same as old gardener  ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

My staples are the width of four fingers, thumbtip to spread forefinger tip, thumbtip to spread little fingertip, boot, and cubit.

[plainleaf2]

now back to spacing methods

[Slug_killer]

I tend to use the Mornington Cresent method with reverse shafting.

[grawrc]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D