A vegetable garden can provide the owner with wealth and healthy harvest, only on condition the right choice its location and high-quality preparation of the soil for dividing into beds. For small or narrow areas, there is a specific plant distribution pattern.
Do you want to get a rich harvest of vegetables in your garden and spend less time on care and weed control? Remember the secrets!
Even before the start of the gardening season, that is, in winter, draw up a planting plan. Think about what vegetables you will grow and in what quantity. Calculate how much fertilizer your plants will need. Draw a diagram and number all the ridges.
Choose the right place for a vegetable garden on your property
If you are a novice gardener, it is very important to immediately choose the right place for your vegetable garden on your property. What should it be like?
Ideally, level, sunlit from 6 am to 6 pm. At worst it happens midday until the end of the day. Typically, the ridges are located in the direction from north to south. Shouldn't be near the garden big trees and tall shading hedges. Areas located on the northern side of slopes, in damp lowlands, and on former peat bogs are also not suitable for gardening. In winter, the soil here freezes deeper than on the plain, and it cools down more at night. Only in a warm and sufficiently bright place will you get a rich harvest at the right time.
Many gardeners have long come to a consensus. The simplest and cheap way growing vegetables - narrow ridges on natural soil. This method requires less and preparatory work, and start-up costs. Optimal width such beds are 45 cm. The length varies depending on the size of your personal plot. Row spacing should not be less than 60-75 centimeters, otherwise the plants will not receive enough light and space to grow. Such wide passages make watering, weeding, disease and pest control, and harvesting very easy. To get rid of weeds in aisles, you can simply cut them off with a sharp flat cutter. In soil compacted by your feet, they will not grow again soon. And moles try to avoid such soil.
How to prepare the land for narrow ridges?
First, dig the soil well to a depth of 25 to 30 cm. Carefully remove the roots of perennial weeds. If the area is covered with turf, remove the top few inches and compost it. This fertilizer contains a huge amount nutrients to increase soil fertility. Start digging the soil along the cord stretched along the border of the bed. Use a shovel to create a neat and clearly defined line. In this way, dig the entire border of the bed. Be sure to pay attention to the density of the earth at the depth of the shovel bayonet. If there is a lot of clay there, you will have to dig to a depth of two or three shovels.
After digging, level the surface of the earth with a rake. If the site has a slight slope, place the beds across the slope. In this case, the finished ridge and the passages along it must be at the same level. To separate them from each other, make earthen edges along the sides and ends of the ridge. They create a favorable microclimate for seedlings and do not allow water to flow into the passages.
How to make sides? Use a rake to rake the soil from the sides of the bed toward the middle. You will end up with a long mound of earth running along it. Divide it lengthwise into two parts and rake the soil to one and the other edge of the ridge. Control the height of the piles with a taut cord tied to the pegs. If the sides are low, increase them to a height of 8-10 cm using soil from the passages. Check: the distance between the sides (the width of the bed) should be 35-45 cm. Carefully level the remaining soil in the middle of the bed.
The surface of the bed should be flat. Select direct wooden block or a 2-3 meter long rail and securely fasten building level in the center of the bar. The permissible difference in height along the length should be no more than 3 cm per 9-meter ridge. After checking, the cords can be removed. The bed is ready!
It’s better to mark out your garden space once and for all
Do not change the positions of the ridges and passages, and never dig up the soil in the passages. I advise you to follow this rule strictly. But it is necessary to dig up and fertilize the soil on the ridges, break up clods, and form sides before sowing each new crop during the season. And, of course, one cannot neglect the well-known rules of crop rotation. The beds remain in place, but the vegetables are “changed” by them.
Many gardeners prepare the soil in advance to save time. I never do this and here's why. In an empty garden bed you let the weeds grow great benefits before cultivated plants, and weeding the ground twice is an unreasonable waste of time.
It is better to prepare the soil immediately before sowing seeds or planting seedlings.
The only thing that can be done before winter is to dig up the ground without breaking the clods, so that they freeze well on all sides. I would like to warn you against another mistake. When digging in the fall, do not add to the beds. mineral fertilizers- under the influence of frost, their quality deteriorates. It is much more convenient to fertilize the soil in the spring, “in the snow,” scattering granules on it. By thawing, it will not only “draw in” the fertilizer deeper along with water, but will also distribute it evenly in the soil.
And one more tip - place large crops in one row.
But not in the middle of the ridge, but along one of the sides. tall plants Plant on the north side away from low growing ones. This will distribute sunlight evenly between them. Place smaller crops in two rows. At the same time, plant plants that require a lot of space and light in a checkerboard pattern. These are lettuce, cabbage and other crops similar in size.
What to do if the plot is small and there is not enough space for a full-fledged vegetable garden?
No problem! Vegetables can be successfully grown even on paved areas if you place so-called box-beds filled with fertile soil on them. To install them you will need: a measuring stick or tape measure, a hammer, a nail puller, a building level, a strong cord, boards with a cross-section of 25x200 mm, pegs 45 cm long and a cross-section of 25x50 mm, pointed at one end, and 70 mm nails.
Impregnate boards and pegs with protective compounds containing copper. Level the site if required. Mark the location of the corners of the rectangular ridge boxes. Drive pegs into the markings to a depth of about 20 cm and connect them with a cord. Now move along one of the long sides of the resulting rectangle. Drive a peg 25 cm from the corner. Place a board on it. The top edge of the board and the end of the peg should be level. Nail the board and peg securely with nails from the peg side. Press down on the board until its bottom edge rests on the ground. Continue working, driving in pegs and knocking them down onto the board 70-75cm along the cord line. Make the second side of the box in exactly the same way. Install and nail the drawer end boards. Level the sides of the drawer.
With the arrival of spring, many summer residents begin to think about how to plan their plot in order to get maximum yield on the one hand and convenience on the other. There should be a good access to the plantings for watering, loosening, fertilizing, pruning, etc. The same dilemma may arise in summer time when you need to quickly organize a bed for any crop.
Orientation to cardinal points:
- Regular beds with low-growing plants are best placed in a north-south direction. This rule should especially be taken into account in shaded and low-lying areas.
- Raised beds, as well as ordinary beds located on light, dry soils on the sunny side of the site or on hills, are best located from east to west. In this case, the plants will shade the row spacing, which means that more moisture will be retained in the soil.
- If there is a slope on the site, the beds should be made across the slope.
You should also determine which parts of your site receive how much sun. To do this, use the main picture for this material:
- The southern territory of the site, marked green, gets the maximum sun rays during the whole year. It is better to plant heat-loving plants here.
- The central yellow area is also suitable for growing most garden crops. Moving across the sky, the sun will evenly illuminate every part of this territory. On some ridges it will shine actively in the morning, on others - in the afternoon. This way, each plant will be exposed to direct sunlight for a sufficient amount of time.
- The northern part of the site with the least amount of sunlight is highlighted in red.
Of course, all this division is very arbitrary. Your north end will be your neighbor's south end. Focus primarily on objects and large plants that can shade individual plantings, taking into account the movement of the sun.
Be sure to consider the region of your summer cottage. When placing the beds from north to south, the plants will receive maximum sunlight, but if in the Kuban this can cause them to burn out and dry out from an excess of sun, then in middle lane Russia would be the best option.
Few people know, but garden beds are needed precisely to greatly facilitate and improve the life of cultivated plants. This is done by changing the topography of the soil. It is loosened, dug up, in a word, cultivated, while giving the land an aesthetic appearance. To make the plants feel comfortable and not interfere with each other’s growth, and also to make them easier to care for, the land is cultivated in rows. Root systems plants, if they are located at a decent distance from each other, will not “jam out” their neighbors, and you can easily walk between the cultivated rows and take care of the plantings. Such rows are called beds.
The most common bed size is from 70 cm to 1.1 m. If the bed has paths on both sides, you can easily reach the plants from either side. But this standard is not applicable for all cultivated plants and not for all vegetable gardens. If this country garden and the gardener is cramped for land, then the size of the beds can be made smaller. In general, ideas for garden beds are a separate topic for conversation, but if country cottage area is not too small, then the usual average standards are quite suitable for the garden.
The distances between the rows of the beds can also be different, but 40 cm is acceptable. In such a space it will be more convenient to cultivate the soil near the crops, care for them, and also walk between the rows of plants, for example, with a bucket or with some garden tools, without fear of damaging the tops. The length of the beds can be of any size.
Main types of beds
The most common types of vegetable garden beds are listed below. The specified dimensions are not critical; you can change them in accordance with the characteristics of the site, but in general, it is advisable to adhere to them.
Types of beds depending on size:
- Traditional beds have dimensions up to 2 m wide and up to 12 m long with a path width of 40 cm.
- Large beds in area can occupy over 12 square meters. In such beds, unpretentious crops are planted that will not have to be weeded frequently in the future.
- Hilly beds are sometimes made up to a meter high, but the length is chosen by the gardener himself. These are very unusual beds, and you will have to work hard to make them correctly with your own hands. To do this you will need to remove the fertile upper layer garden soil, place boards, brushwood or chipboard cuttings there, then fill them with fertile soil. Once the bed is ready, a small ditch is dug in the middle to retain water. This way the bed will be recharged with moisture. Hilly beds are perfect for growing vegetables. Only the tallest crops should be planted in the center, and shorter ones at the edges, so that all plants receive sunlight equally. It is up to the gardener to decide how to arrange the beds of such a formation. The rows of mounded beds are quite rare and, in any orientation, will be well illuminated by the sun's rays.
- More often they are located in places well accessible to the sun and protected from the wind. Their length may vary, but their width is usually no more than one and a half meters. To create it, the top layer of soil is removed, all kinds of construction waste is laid along the length of the bed (boards, pieces of fiberboard and bars are suitable), and covered with grass and tree leaves. Next, pour a layer of soil at least 30-35 cm high on top of all this. After this, the bed is ready.
- Narrow garden beds are applicable both in greenhouses and in simple garden plots. And so that the plants do not get sick, and gardeners cannot injure the roots of crops when walking along the beds, they are usually fenced with special boards or slate so that the beds are much higher than the level of the main garden. If used to build frames for such beds durable material, then you can end up with eternal beds that will serve their owner with benefit year after year. Just know that it is best to plant different crops in these beds every year.
Advantages of Rozuma beds
If the land for the future vegetable garden has not been looked after for a long time, or if it has not been cultivated at all before, it is better to use Rozum’s beds on such land. You should know that planting and caring for intensive Rosum beds will not require much expense or effort, but the final effect will undoubtedly satisfy any gardener. The point of Rozumov’s beds is that even in poor lighting and low temperatures achieve excellent yields.
Strawberry bed by V. Rozum
This is achieved mainly with the help of a special arrangement of such a bed. Organic components are placed in the center of the bed at a width of 45-55 cm. The beds in which the plants will be planted are made on both sides of the center and have a width of 30 to 35 cm; on the sides of such double beds there are paths.
Beds for a greenhouse
Many people will wonder how to make beds in a greenhouse to get a good harvest. The beds in greenhouses should be located much more compactly. This is done in order to make maximum use of the greenhouse area. Therefore, each bed should not be more than 75 cm if it is cultivated on one side, and have a width of no more than 110 cm if cultivated on both sides. The minimum passage width is 35 cm.
It is best if the greenhouse beds are oriented in rows along the north-south line.
This way, plants drawn to sunlight will protrude less onto the path between the beds, and the plants will receive approximately equal portions of daylight. This fact should also be used as a guide by those who are wondering how to properly place beds in a vegetable garden; a similar arrangement of beds in relation to the sun is acceptable for all types of garden plots and summer cottages.
Wooden frames for planting
A plot or garden will look best if it is landscaped with wooden beds. Firstly, in this way, gardeners prevent their plants from spreading over the entire territory of the garden, and, secondly, this allows the beds to constantly remain in shape, even despite the effects of precipitation. A few words about how to beautifully design garden beds in your country house or garden. You don’t need to think long about what you can make beds from with your own hands, just look around.
Most likely, for many, along the edges of the garden, backyard or a summer cottage, boards or slate stored just in case have accumulated. All this may well be suitable for building frames for beds. Slate is even better suited for such purposes than regular boards. You can read more about how to arrange beds using this material in the article. Slate will last much longer, but you will also have to tinker with it much longer. But more often gardeners prefer wooden beds for the garden, because this material is the most common and relatively cheap.
In addition, constructing wooden beds with your own hands is quite easy. And if, when assembling the frames, a garden board for Master Garden beds or similar high-quality boards made specifically for such purposes were used, then such beds can later be easily disassembled. For example, for redevelopment of a vegetable garden or for any other reasons.
If you use sets of boards purchased in stores and specially designed for these purposes to assemble bed frames, then with the help of special fasteners you can assemble beds of any configuration, using this set as a children's construction set. But how to do beautiful beds in the garden, when is it possible to use only simple boards?
To do this, remember that any board can dry out over time. Therefore, you should not make beds from simple boards too long. And even if they turn out to be relatively short, you should still strengthen the resulting structure every half meter by driving pegs into the ground, for example, sawn from rebar. Subsequently, when filling the beds with soil, they will not allow the structure to move apart.
It is best to fasten the corners of wooden structures with corners specially purchased for such purposes in stores, or with tin cut into small strips and self-tapping screws.
It is up to the owners of the plots to decide how to arrange the beds in the garden. Some people prefer to arrange them in a herringbone pattern, while others prefer a strict style - parallel bed after bed. Some aesthetes like to arrange the beds in ovals or semicircles, but such solutions usually require quite large space and they are not suitable for everyone. And many even prefer to create multi-level beds in their garden.
Multi-level beds
Such beds represent a whole cascade of single-level (regular) beds. It may seem that creating multi-level beds with your own hands is quite difficult. But that's not true. Here, for example, is how to make a bed for strawberries that will look like a cascade. The first level is created. A square frame is made for a bed with dimensions of 5x5 m and a height of 20 cm. A frame is mounted inside it, the sides of which will be narrower than the previous one by two widths of the bed.
For the most part, strawberry beds are small in width - 20-25 cm. This means that each subsequent frame will be 40-50 cm narrower than the previous one and higher than it by, again, the height of the bed - 20 cm. Then, after filling the frame with black soil, it turns out excellent and a completely aesthetic cascade of square beds. Cascades can be made not only in a square style. This style is shown here only because of the comparative ease of its construction.
Hanging beds for strawberries
And some gardeners make hanging strawberry beds for their garden, which look very attractive. Making them is also quite simple. To do this, assemble a strong frame for the bed made of wood, only this time with a strong bottom, in which small holes are drilled for ventilation. Also good for frames plastic pipes. If you cut them in half lengthwise, you will get two frames for a strawberry hanging bed.
Next, holes are made on the sides for a cable, rope or fishing line, depending on what this hanging bed will be supported on. Then the frame is hung between trees, pillars or walls, in a word, where, in the gardener’s opinion, it would be most acceptable and aesthetic to place such a bed. After this, the frame is filled with soil, strawberries are planted in it and the hanging bed is ready. But it is worth paying attention that it is better not to place such beds in places where it is blowing. strong wind. He can swing and turn over the bed.
If a gardener or gardener has enough free time, he can turn his vegetable garden, garden or summer cottage into a truly wonderful corner that can not only feed its owner, but throughout the entire warm period will delight the eye, both him and those passing by. or people passing by. In such a place you can not only enjoy fresh fruit, but also have a pleasant rest. You can read how to organize space and arrange garden beds at your dacha.
A. Vetrova, by e-mail
The height of the ridges depends on many factors: climatic conditions, location of the site, soil composition, type of structure of the ridges themselves, choice of crops for planting.
On damp, heavy, poorly heated clay soils any vegetable crops It is better to grow on ridges and ridges with a height of 25-40 cm. In light areas, but prone to waterlogging, a height of 15-20 cm will be sufficient. When constructing ridges on light soils, their edges are made flat, on heavy soils - steep.
High ridges are needed primarily for planting heat-loving and early-season vegetables, as well as for crops with root crops buried in the ground (carrots, root parsley, parsnips, daikon, etc.).
It is not advisable to plant cabbage or sorrel on them, although in small quantities this may be justified. In the risky farming zone, high ridges with reinforced edges, including stationary ones, are often made. The side walls of stationary beds are made of different materials(slate, metal sheets, brick, stone and concrete). The height of such a ridge is from 60 to 100 cm.
A layer of compost, branches, leaves, and grass is placed at the bottom, which, by overheating, heat the soil, making it possible in the northern regions to grow heat-loving crops, early sowing or planting seedlings. Heat-loving vegetables with a strong root system: pumpkins, work especially well in such beds. zucchini, cucumbers, melons, watermelons, as well as peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, beans.
One of the varieties of high ridge - mound bed. It is an earthen embankment up to 90 cm high with gentle edges.
To install it, in an area about 2 m wide and of arbitrary length, select soil to a depth of 20-25 cm, the bottom is lined with a thin metal mesh to protect against moles and small rodents.
Next, a mound 60 cm wide and 50-60 cm high is built in layers, placing branches, twigs, coarse stems in the center, and on top of them and on the sides smaller wood and plant waste, fallen leaves, immature compost, mixed with peat or humus.
All layers of the bed are moistened.
The structure is covered on top with a layer of fertile soil 20-30 cm high. Such a ridge can partly replace a greenhouse for heat-loving vegetables. In the first year, vegetables that consume large amounts of nitrogen (pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchini) are grown on the beds. Then the plantings are distributed in this way: large (including perennial) crops are planted in the center, and annual and low-growing crops are planted closer to the edge.
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Advantages and disadvantages of raised beds
Usually, having heard about the many advantages of such structures, people begin to wonder how to make one. How it differs from regular landings at ground level? We will list only the main advantages:
- The soil on your site can be absolutely anything; this will no longer affect the harvest. High design can be filled with a universal soil mixture or suitable for a specific crop. If your dacha is located in a damp lowland, then drainage can be laid as the first layer: broken brick Next, lay it in layers eggshells, branches and grass remaining after the autumn cleaning of the site, leaves and soil.
- After many years of use, the soil in the garden becomes less fertile and accumulates various pathogens. Having learned how to make a high bed and installing it on your site, you will be able to add fresh purchased soil and protect the plants from rotting and fungi.
- In spring, such structures warm up faster, which makes it possible to plant plants earlier. This gives you a chance to get two harvests instead of one.
- Productivity is 2 times higher than when using flat beds.
- Convenience of caring for the garden bed, as well as collecting the fruits of low-growing plants.
- Saving area and aesthetic appearance.
Everything has its downside. The downside of raised beds is the need for material investments and labor in their creation. They dry out quite quickly and require frequent watering. this won't do. The limited space of the garden bed requires regular fertilization as the soil becomes depleted.
What materials may be needed to create a raised bed?
If you have so far only used flat beds, then be sure to experiment by installing one progressive design. If we talk about how to make a high bed, the first question arises about necessary material. There is a lot of room for creativity here, it all depends on your skill level and the amount you are willing to spend.
- High beds made of brick. If you do not have experience in bricklaying, the design may not be very aesthetically pleasing. The advantages of this are long-term and safe use.
- High beds made of boards. They are the easiest to make. You need to have a sufficient number of long boards, corners, and cross beams on hand. As an option, you can use slats that are used to sheathe a wooden one. The disadvantage is obvious - the wood rots.
Usually taken old slate, which was removed from the roof during repairs. It is believed that this harmful material, but the only damage to health can be caused by the dust generated when cutting it. The downside is fragility and the possibility of breaking the structure during gardening work.- Stones and cement mortar- a very creative approach to gardening. You can create structures that will last forever, beautiful, durable, of arbitrary shape and size.
- Plastic bottles filled with colorful sand. You will get original beds with low sides.
Optimal bed height
Depends on features garden plot and planted crops. If in the garden good soil, you can make sides about 15 cm high. This will make it possible to solve the problem of weeds and soil diseases, make it easier to care for the bed and improve its appearance.
If the soil is poor and a high bed is created as a separately functioning structure, then it must be made higher, 30-90 cm. Sometimes the height is set at waist level, but then it should not be made wide.
Installation
Setting up raised beds is a creative process. Each gardener will create a completely unique piece of work, but the main thing is that the goals are achieved, the garden crops grow well and bear fruit, and the garden bed itself is easy to maintain.
Choose a location. It may be the most trampled and unsuitable for planting. Draw the size future design. The length can be any, but it is better not to make the width more than 110 cm. Drive pegs around the perimeter, this will indicate the size of the bed.
Now decide on the material. If it is wood, then it should be protected from dampness, coated with varnish or drying oil, and then assembled into a box using corners and nails. Raised beds made of slate are even easier to create. Using a grinder, you need to cut the sheets into strips of the required width (70-80 cm), and then, having dug a narrow groove around the perimeter, deepen them one by one and press them firmly. You can add strength to the structure using the same corners; in addition, you need to tighten it around the perimeter with steel wire.
Filling the bed
We assume that the height of your bed is 80-90 cm. Place a wire mesh at the very bottom so that your vegetables do not become prey for moles or shrews. Then about 25 cm can be taken up by all the waste from your garden plot: uprooted stumps, large branches. For better drainage Large pieces of brick can be added here.
The next layer occupies 40-50 cm. This is the source minerals and fertilizers. This can be small chips, grass, wood ash, lime, food waste (vegetable peelings, etc.). It is also worth adding rotted manure and compost, bird droppings with straw.
On top, in a layer of 10-20 cm, you need to lay high-quality garden soil. There is no need to mix the layers, just water them generously and give them time to shrink. Setting up raised beds is not as complicated as it might seem from the outside, but absolutely amazing results are achieved.
Features of watering
The design features are such that it absorbs more heat and, therefore, consumes a lot of moisture. High is good since the soil temperature here is almost 10 degrees higher, this stimulates the growth and development of the root system. In addition, this crop loves light and fresh soil and does not tolerate wetlands. But do not let the soil dry out. If it is not possible to install, water several times a day, especially in hot weather.
The effectiveness of these structures is so high that, having set one up as an experiment, you will soon decide: we will make high beds throughout the entire site.
Raised bed in spring and autumn
In the fall, after harvesting, you may notice that the ground level has dropped significantly. Collect a new layer of organic matter (plants, branches, grass, fertilizers), place it on the bed and cover it well with high-quality garden soil. If you still haven’t seen raised beds in person, a photo will help you imagine all the details. There is no need to dig, you just need to water and cover with film until the new year. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, your garden bed will be ready for planting the first plants. These can be greens and radishes, which will later be replaced by cucumbers, tomatoes or cabbage. A high location will save plants from fairly severe spring frosts, and good heat transfer from the bed stimulates fast growth and abundant fruiting.
What is better to plant
Soil temperature high beds always higher than the surrounding land. This is facilitated by limited space, and the elevated location, and the decomposition of organic matter, which is stuffed into the structure. In the first year of use, it is better to plant “gluttonous” plants that like excess nutrients. These are tomatoes, pumpkin, cucumbers, cabbage. Only in the second year can you grow root crops, spices and leafy vegetables. But even now the soil temperature will be much higher, which will allow the harvest to be harvested sooner.
Let's sum it up
Now you know how to make a high bed, and you can put it into practice on your site. Minimum hassle available materials, and as a result, a neat, weed-free garden and excellent vegetables that ripen at least a month earlier. This is a strong enough motivation to try.
