When designing your front, back or side yard using beds, it can be difficult to decide on the right beds….. How should I space them? Do I use one large bed or 3 small ones? How tall should my beds be?
All good questions. Here are some items to consider:
Sizes
If you are accessing from one side, consider how far you can reach into a bed of fully grown vegetables to pick all the ripe veggies. In this situation, I recommend no more than a 3’ width, preferably 2- 2 1/2 ‘. Accessing from one side is beneficial when the bed is positioned close to a fence, house, or at the edge of a garden space.
You can access your beds from one (long) side or both sides. Both are great practices.
If you are planning to maintain your garden from both sides, a wider bed could be used with greater ease. I have some 4’ wide beds and can easily reach to the middle from either side of the bed.
Side note: If you are planting in the winter, you will want to plant about 6” in from the side to protect from frost. I use my larger beds in the winder for this reason.
Spacing between beds
Simply put, compost and dirt are heavy! To help, having enough room between your beds to fit a wheelbarrow or other utility tool to assist with moving this stuff can save you a lot of extra work. I have a minimum of 42” between my beds and could almost use a little more space.
When spacing, please also consider irrigation. Your beds have the potential of producing a great amount of flora. With this, water is required. Make it easy on yourself by putting your beds in a spot where you can easily access your water supply.
Single or multiple beds
Both plans work great. There is no wrong answer. When planting, there are some plants who don’t like being next to each other. Just be sure to accommodate those nuances. I’ve opted for many beds, from 4’x6’ and 2’x8’ to 4’x2’ and have arranged them in an aesthetically pleasing way. I had a smaller square space to work with and wanted to make it fun. I also like to plant a single type of vegetable in some of my smaller beds and let them go wild (tomatillos and tomatoes were numerous in our household this year using this method). We’ve also built several 16’ beds for folks with the available space and they are absolutely beautiful.
Height
I’ve seen incredibly beautiful beds with a very low profile. The 12” tall beds work well for them as the growing plants don’t block other views in their yard.
I use 24” beds for a few purposes…..first, our dog. The taller beds are not bothered by our Baxter and his puppy friends that visit on occasion. Next, I like controlling the dirt as the dirt in our yard is sooo hard. We also use our garden to beautify our backyard and just like the look of the taller bed.
Designing a garden can be daunting, but first deciding how you want to use it really helps to form the vision. And, you can break it down into steps and build it up over time. Enjoy the process!
Please contact us for more information on custom bed sizes.
“If you want to be happy forever, be a gardener.”
Chinese Proverb