What best to plant in a small demonstration raised bed??

[Jeannine]

I put this is my lottie post but I think it is better here,

I have been asked to garden one of the demonstration reised beds at my new lottie.The produce goes to the food bank. There is a patch of them all together,The idea is to show people not used to gardening what can be produced in a small area or it can be used to demonstrate various other unknown things, eg a garden of heritage tomatoes all different coilours, sizes and shapes. I  originally thought of this but felt I had left it a bit late to set seeds off, so I chose squash.

The bed is only 3 feet x 8 feet so very little room. I would have to do some upright on to trellis and buy  bush varieties.

My other idea was to grow a selection of veggies but all minis like mini cabbage, cauli etc.mini everything really,and there are plenty of them.

What do you all think, I suppose I still have time to change my mind. Could really use the help.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[Bugloss2009]

why not grow all the ingredients for a meal or meals, and have them prepared for people to try by the raised bed

[Mortality]

Lettuce, coloured types to add variety, taste and texture. Radishes again mixed..whats that mini pea called again...brb..Little Marvel.

[antipodes]

Yes, I was thinking more "bushy" things: mixed salads, lettuce, radishes, what about a nice courgette plant? A wigwam of beans always looks pretty too. Can't you buy a tomato plant or two? They always look so attractive, especially small tomatoes.

[Obelixx]

A few rows of carrots with onion sets between them - pretty and a good partnership.

Strawberries, Swiss chard, especially ruby for its colour, beetroots for roots and salad leaves.   Mixed leaf salads.   All attractive plants so will appeal to the eye as well as the stomach.

[goodlife]

How about,,climbing french beans using sweetcorn as a poles to climb on...alpine strawberries as edging..maybe something colourful in the middle amongst beans and sweetcorn...few flowers...herbs..maybe few leeks...real potage..
the short peas are good like Mortality said...I've got some "half pint" peas still left...do you want some of those...? ;)

[allaboutliverpool]

I have raised beds but do not often mix things other than salads

You could grow at the north side a 'three sisters' arrangement with 3 or 4 sweetcorn, a few climbing/runner beans and a not too rampant squash (you are the expert there).

Another solution would be to look up hints on growing the 'square foot' way.

[1066]

Picking up on what Obbelix suggested - the onions and carrots but continue the theme and make it a companion planted garden?

[Duke Ellington]

What about~

THE EDIBLE FLOWER GARDEN....


It would be very pretty. Alot of the flowers you can start from seed direct into the raised bed. Sunflowers and nasturtiums. You could use chives flowers, borage. I think even rocket if you allow it to run to seed produces little white flowers than can be added to a salad.
I would love reasearching this one as I am sure there are so many out there !

Duke :)

[nilly71]

I thought a food bank has all pre- boxed/tinned food for distribution, would things like tomatoes store/travel well?

Neil

[Duke Ellington]

OOps sorry I forgot about the Food Bank ....Scrap the edible flowers idea LOL I dont think it would go down all that well .

Duke :-[

[sunloving]

Hi Jeannie
I had to have raised beds for my years of living in a flat, they were on top of tarmac i can recommend dwarf french beans they do fab, carrots, even tall peas are fine i grew onwards in mine no probs, rows of onions courgette on a support.
Good luck
x sunloving

[Jeannine]

I can't do a mixed bed unless there is a theme or demonstration worth showing. I did think of ..: how much produce you can grow from a small space", then use all the mini veggies, mini cabbage, cauli, savoy, parsnips, toms, chilies, turnips, peas mini squash,mini pumpkin, lettuce, mini leeks,etc etc I tink I am going to ask if I can change to that.

XX Thanks for the help, I can see me working some of your ideas in.

XX Jeannine

[aj]

I'd use clumps of spring onions and garlic to mark out little areas and grow something different in each. The main thing in a demo bed is to always have something to go in when crops are harvested.

[landimad]

Why not grow all native grown veggies, with a mix of local herbs to set it off.
If you really want to plant dwarf trees in the centre to give it some height.
Then finally companion plant around those that get trouble from the pests.