Many people spend most of their lives in their dachas. The summer resident cares for and cherishes his brainchild, using various devices for the dacha and the garden in the arrangement.
The result of human labor is beautiful beds in the garden, giving a good harvest.
Summer residents dream that their work will always bring results in the form of a harvest. But the record harvest largely depends on how the beds were placed in the garden.
You need to clearly understand how to form them correctly, arrange them, how to arrange places for the beds in your garden, what size and shape they should be.
How to arrange the beds in the garden
First you need to draw a schematic plan of the garden plot on paper in order to have an idea of how it all will look in the end. Then make a ruling on the ground.
The beds should be positioned so that they have a maximum of natural sunlight. Ideally, if on the north side of the site you will have fruit trees that cover the beds from cold winds. Examples in the photo.
If you already have old trees on the site that you do not want to eradicate, then just trim the upper branches with them a little so that the sun's rays can easily break through them.
Remember to run the beds from north to south. If your site is on a hill, then make beds across the hill. This will prevent the earth from coming off the hill during rainy and windy periods.
If the site is located in a lowland, then make high-type beds. Remember that in this case you will need drainage trenches to drain excess moisture.
You have to make beds in the garden, but you still do not know how to arrange everything so that it is convenient. To create convenience, wide aisles between the beds are suitable. Sometimes you will need to walk around the garden with a cart, and the beds should not be an obstacle in your path. Think it over in advance.
You also need to think about which part of the garden will be located compost heap, into which waste from the garden will be deposited. In the future, you can use the rotten material as fertilizer for the beds.
Where the beds will be located in the next season, you should think about in the current one. Digging up old beds is carried out in autumn, when the entire crop is harvested.
So, creating a garden bed, you need to know:
- what shape it will be;
- its dimensions;
- location.
The shape of the garden bed that suits you
The form can be of any kind. It depends on the imagination of the summer resident and the area for planting. The beds can be straight, curly, in the form of geometric shapes. There may or may not be a fence around each bed.
An example of the correct distribution of beds How to choose the optimal bed height
The beds are high and low. Optimal height is 40 cm. These kind of beds are warm, the sun's rays quickly warm the earth in them.
The average width of the beds varies from 60 cm to 1 m. The length of the beds can be unlimited.
Some of the summer residents adhere to the Meatlider method, according to which the bed should be 45 cm wide, and the aisles between such beds should be 90 cm each. The length of one bed in this case is no more than nine meters.
Optimal location: south to north
The location of the beds, as mentioned above, should be from south to north. If the site is very uneven, then the beds are made on the slope on the south side, and trees are planted on the north.
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Various useful accessories for a summer residence and a vegetable garden
The use of various devices for summer cottages and gardens, as well as the creation of homemade products, greatly simplifies the life of summer residents.
If you love beds with bumpers, then your imagination is unlimited. Use various materials to create sides: boards, strips of slate, metal, brick. You can even purchase factory-made galvanized steel curbs and fences coated with polymer material... Quite a popular trend in last years was the manufacture of curly fences for beds from tires, painted in various colors.
DIY homemade products look beautiful in the garden. The paths between the beds, lined with tiles, stone, or even sown with grass, look aesthetically pleasing.
Any design solution will give your beds a great look that will delight your eyes all season.
Many people create vegetable gardens as separate part suburban area: without paths and ornamental plants.
But you can turn the garden into a real decorative vegetable garden.
Back in the XVI-XVII centuries. such "kitchen" gardens were created in England and France.
After all, vegetables are not only tasty and healthy, but also beautiful!
It is better to place such a garden closer to the fence, hedge, fruit trees, as if limiting it. To make it convenient to care for the plants, make a square plot as you can with an area with beds 1.5 m wide.
Like any garden, paths and beds are created here for several years with a change of vegetable crops.
Tracks must be created with minimal cost on their care.
Gravel requires regular maintenance to remove weeds and sticks to feet in bad weather. Grassy paths require mowing, so it is easier to create paths from scrap materials left over from construction works(as a rule, these are old bricks, cement blocks, beautiful pebbles).
Their width should not be large in order to save the total area. Therefore, the main paths can be made 70 cm wide (convenient for passing a wheelbarrow), and the secondary paths no wider than 45 cm.
Layout solutions for tracks can be very diverse.
The simplest option is to divide into rectangular beds with an emphasis on the central bed.
Another option - a square layout - makes it possible to further enhance the decorative effect of the central squares.
Another solution - a diagonal-square-circular arrangement of paths - will allow you to diversify a rectangular planning network with a circular line.
If the area allows, you can implement several options for planning decisions at once.
No less important than the paths is the selection of ornamental plants that would attract attention from different ends of the garden and combine a vegetable garden with a fruit garden.
These can be pyramidal or formed on the apple tree frame, small "balls" of ornamental plants that could be planted at the intersections of paths.
To emphasize the line of the paths, you can plant lavender, hostas or boxwood borders along them, which do not lose their decorative effect for a long time.
The main purpose of such a vegetable garden is to harvest. Therefore, for the cultivation of high-quality vegetable products, the following crop change scheme can be recommended.
In the first year, legumes are planted in a certain area, after harvesting which, nitrogen-fixing roots remain in the ground.
After them, cabbage is planted in the second year. In the third year, the soil turns into tuberous crops.
But such an alternation of plants can be carried out within one year.
For example, in spring beans are planted, and when they grow up, onions are planted between them.
Once the beans are ripe, they are harvested, the roots are left in the soil as nitrogen fixers, and the beds are filled with small plants of broccoli, cabbage, or other types of cabbage.
The combination of vegetables is determined by both growth rate, ripening time, and aesthetic characteristics.
Onions, dill, parsley are planted closer to the paths, because they most often have to be thinned out.
Of course, for such an intensively cultivated soil, every year it is necessary to use top dressing in the form of garden compost or well-rotted mullein.
Numerous varieties of salads allow you to create decorative groups with curly, shaggy, flat and lacy leaves of various color shades and different heights.
Therefore, it is necessary to allocate a larger area for salads.
Zucchini can be sown between rows of early salads.
They will reach full size just by the time the salads are removed.
Different varieties of cabbage can be taken as the basis for the composition - they have a longer decorative period.
In such a vegetable garden, you will certainly get both aesthetic and practical pleasure.
See more different variants placement of beds:
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Apr 12, 2016 Galinka
The goal of every gardener is to get the richest high-quality crop using each square meter plot. But these indicators do not always depend on the area of the sown land. It is much more important to properly organize the available space so that the harvests are pleasing, and the work in the garden is not so exhausting. And during the summer season to experience the aesthetic pleasure of contemplating your own work. Competently laid out beds are not just strips of land with vegetables or herbs. The sizes of the beds - length, height, width - provide the most comfortable conditions for each crop, ease of maintenance of the site, caring for plants, and harvesting.
Standard garden bed sizes for different crops
The standard sizes of the beds vary within the following limits:
| Accessible from one side | Accessible from both sides | Path between the beds | |
| Width (cm) | 50–60 | 70–100 | 20–50 |
| Length (m) | 5–10 | 5–10 | |
| Height (cm) | 15–20 | 15–20 |
When choosing one size or another, they are guided by the requirements of the planting scheme (distance between rows and between plants in a row).
Types of beds and their sizes
Agricultural technicians and amateur gardeners, summarizing the experience of growing crops in different regions, are looking for the best options for organizing the beds. Therefore, novice gardeners have a wide choice. Taking into account their own needs, climatic conditions and the characteristics of a particular site, each summer resident will determine what type of landing site he needs.
Traditional
The most common type of domestic beds with standard sizes- a ten-meter strip of land, the width of which can reach 2 m. Up to 40 cm are allocated to the paths between them. The device of such ridges does not contain any tricks: when digging a site, the earth is tilted from the strips that will become paths. They are trampled down, the landing site is leveled with a rake. The disadvantage of traditional ridges is the impossibility of high-quality processing of plants in the center of a wide strip of land, these crops receive less sunlight often they don't have enough space.
Big
Large planting areas are reserved for potatoes, beans, pumpkin and squash, which do not need regular maintenance and careful weeding in the early stages of growth. The width and length of such a bed in the garden are determined by the required sowing volume, but the total area exceeds 12-15 m 2.
Kholmikovaya
A hilly garden bed for vegetables is similar to high warm ones: overheating organic matter, in a large number laid at the base of the hill, increases the temperature of the soil by several degrees relative to ordinary beds. For the device, measure a strip 1.90-2.0 m wide, and the length depends on the choice of the landowner. The sod layer of the earth is removed from the selected area, fertile soil is taken out up to 30 cm deep. On the bottom - in a strip up to 0.6 m - boards, branches, twigs, stalks of corn, sunflower are laid. Sod and a large amount of organic matter are laid on this ventilation and drainage layer: foliage, weeds, rotted sawdust. This layer should be at least 20 cm.
Further, a mixture of unripe compost, humus, peat, and straw is formed. 20 cm of fertile soil, mixed with compost, completes the construction of the hill, whose height varies from 0.8 to 1.0 m and is considered the optimal size. The hill is prepared in the fall, so that all layers have settled and compacted. As soon as the sun begins to warm up and the snow melts, they cover it with a black film so that all layers warm up more quickly and the mechanism of organic decomposition starts, the result of which will be the internal heating of the earth.
Before sowing crops, a small groove is made in the center of the hill to collect and retain moisture. Any vegetables grow well on hilly beds. If there is a desire to combine crops, then tall crops are planted at the very top, and those that do not stretch in height are planted below. Thus, all plants will have enough light. At the end of the season, the mound is mulched with a good layer of organic matter.
For 5 years of service, the vegetable hillock will settle, and completely rotted organic matter will become a source the most fertile soil with high content humus.
High
Tall beds are most in demand in regions with a harsh climate, where spring is late and autumn comes early. A high planting can extend the summer season by almost a month. And in regions where flooding is possible on the site, this is the only option to cultivate garden crops without the risk of losing the entire crop.
Everyone determines the optimal size of a high bed in the country in accordance with their needs, but the ideal parameters for the combination of width and height: width up to 150 cm, height - about half a meter. The width of the passage between the high beds should allow you to move freely with buckets and other equipment, freely mow the grass with a trimmer, put a weeding bench in a comfortable sitting position, that is, the paths should be at least half a meter wide.
The material for manufacturing can be very different: boards, slate, profiled sheet, PVC panels, brick, natural or decorative rock... High beds are filled according to the same principle as hilly beds - in layers.
Deep
Planting vegetables, strawberries, greens in deep beds is effective in regions with dry, sultry summers, where moisture does not linger on the site, and the soil is weathered. The principle of organization is the same as for high ones, only the layers are not laid in a box of boards, but in a trench.
The optimal width of deep ridges is 0.9 - 1.0 m, and the distance between them should be at least half a meter. Such a width of the paths between the trenches allows each plant to receive maximum illumination and enough space for development, because in the final version, the height of the beds is obtained at ground level.
Narrow
More and more theorists and practitioners from vegetable growing agree that the size of the beds is of fundamental importance not only for the convenience of their maintenance, but also for the efficiency of use. If it was once believed that the larger the size of the beds and narrower the path, the larger the usable area. Experience shows that the correct bed is high and narrow (the width of such a bed in the garden is up to 110 cm) with optimal dimensions row spacing about half a meter.
Plants planted along the edges in a checkerboard pattern receive maximum light, do not fight with neighbors for a place. Root systems plants do not compete in the extraction of moisture and nutrition, and the summer resident does not break his back and bushes, trying to reach the plants, because with such an organization, the width of the beds is very convenient.
Planting in tall, narrow ridges is minimal because it does not require digging. After harvesting, a rich layer of organic mulch is poured into the box, and compost is added in the spring. Charged according to the basic principle high beds, they are ready for seeding much earlier than standard ones.
Mittlider method beds
An American farmer, developer of the author's system of beds, Mittlider is an adherent of narrow beds in the garden. The correct dimensions according to Mittlider are a maximum of 50 cm of the planting area in width, earthen sides are from 10 cm and above, and the paths are 0.9-1.1 m. The length does not matter, but the author advises to make all the beds one length and width. For the effective implementation of the technique, it is important to take into account the features of the location of the site:
- the technology will not work in low-lying areas where flooding is possible;
- the beds should be as horizontal as possible so that there are no problems with watering and leaching of the earth.
On plots with a slope, if it is impossible to level the ground, arrange a garden-terrace, placing the beds in boxes of boards "ladder". According to Mittlider, vegetables with a voluminous aboveground part - cauliflower and cabbage - are planted in a checkerboard pattern, and root crops in two rows.
Greenhouse beds
The standard for beds in greenhouses is 3 × 6 - width 60 cm, height up to 40 cm, paths from 40 cm: it turns out three ridges with two aisles. The central bed is surrounded by a path on all sides. Such an arrangement with the observance of the indicated dimensions is most convenient for the care of plants and maintenance of the earth. Taking into account all the features of the area: climate, relief, wind rose, seasonal rains or drought, it is not difficult to choose the appropriate type of beds or a combination of varieties so that work on the earth is a joy.
I never thought about how to arrange the beds on the site, since the dacha has belonged to our family for a long time and the traditional orientation of the garden from east to west has developed by itself.
We simply dug up all the land allotted for crops every year, re-formed ridges in this direction and grew vegetables and herbs.
Everything changed when a very active person bought the plot opposite: she began to convince the neighbors that this orientation was wrong on our clay soil, and the abundance of her harvest compared to ours, with the same care, made us believe.
After that, I carefully studied the issue and understood how to properly organize the arrangement of the beds to the cardinal points.
The correct arrangement of the beds should take into account literally all the features of your site: the region, the relief, the nature of the summer, the presence of buildings and shade from fences and trees. The structure of the soil is also important: it turns out that the orientation should be different on sandy and clay soils.
The orientation of the beds is necessary to ensure optimal illumination for the crops growing on them, as well as to prevent stagnation of water or, conversely, increase soil moisture. Having correctly laid out your future garden, you will significantly save your energy and increase the yield of vegetables and herbs.
To mark the future vegetable garden without mistakes, draw a site plan. It is convenient for this to use a printout of the cadastral plan, it will accurately reflect the size of the land and the buildings on it.
After that, you need to determine where your recreation areas, parking lot, garden, vegetable garden and flower beds will be located. As a rule, flower beds are planted near the house and in front of it, the garden is located along the contour of the site and on the north side, and somewhere in the center there is free space for vegetables.
Illumination and cultural features
So, the illumination of the site is extremely important for planning the location of the beds:
- The southern sector receives maximum sunlight; it is advisable to plant here heat-loving plants and crops that do not need high humidity. The orientation can be any, but if the summer promises to be hot and dry, it is best to arrange the beds from east to west.
- The lands lying to the north of buildings, a fence and trees, which are in the shade for most of the day, are not suitable for garden crops. It is advisable to locate a recreation area here.
- Where on your plan there will be marked places that are occasionally in the shade, they are suitable for growing greens - onions on a feather, dill, parsley. It is best to orient them from north to south so that they receive maximum sunlight at noon.
- A sunny place in the center of the site, which is not obscured by buildings and trees, remains for planting vegetables. Here, the orientation of the beds to the cardinal points can be any, arrange them as you like, or as required by other specific factors characteristic of your summer cottage.
You also need to consider the nature of the crops you plan to plant. Usually, every gardener has a clear list of his favorite vegetables, some of them are short, others are tall.
Considering that you will need to organize a competent crop rotation over time, it is important to make the beds initially so that the above-ground parts of the plants do not obstruct neighbors and do not deprive them of their shade of life-giving sunlight.
A little more information on the layout of the site and the orientation of the beds to the cardinal points can be found in the following video:
Other factors
In addition to the degree of illumination and crops growing in the garden, when planning a site, one should take into account the type of soil, types of beds and features of the relief.
Type of beds
It is believed that it is advisable to arrange ordinary beds that do not have delimiters from east to west. This will provide optimal illumination for low-growing crops. The east-west location is also advisable for trellis growing of weaving crops - cucumbers, peas and beans. Plants turn their leaves to the south, receiving "sunny vitamins".
Beds with sides or with growing tall crops are traditionally oriented in the north-south direction. So the plants do not block each other, and moisture is retained in the aisles due to the creation of a shade.
Features of the relief and soil
If you have a pronounced slope on the site, then you do not have to think about the orientation of the beds to the cardinal points: you will need to arrange a vegetable garden exclusively across the slope, forming stepped platforms fortified at the edges. Such an organization will allow you to rationally distribute the usable area of the land you have and prevent water from flowing along the relief.
When planning the orientation of the beds, you should also pay attention to the nature of the soil:
- The N-S direction is advisable on clay soils, in damp lowlands and strongly shaded areas. Such an organization will ensure that plants receive maximum sunlight by noon, - penetrating into the aisles, it will effectively dry the ground.
- The W-E direction is justified on dry sandy soils, hills and open areas in the southern regions. Growing crops will shade the aisles, thereby preventing the evaporation of life-giving moisture from the soil.
In principle, difficulties with the nature of the soil can be leveled using agrotechnical methods: heavy soils can be "diluted" with sand, chernozem and sawdust, and drainage ditches can be organized in wet areas to drain excess water.
Outcome
It is impossible to say unequivocally how to correctly orient the beds on the site to the cardinal points. Several factors affect the choice of the direction of the garden:
- region (in hot climates, it is more expedient to plant crops from east to west, and with a short summer - from north to south);
- the degree of illumination (on the southern or well-lit side, you can form beds as convenient, and in partial shade - only from north to south);
- the nature of the soil (on heavy clay soils, the beds are made from north to south to prevent stagnation of water, in sandy and on hills - from east to west to retain moisture);
- type of beds (high orientate in direction N-S, ordinary - B-C).
In general, if you live in the middle lane in a temperate climate, the soil on the site is fertile, and you have the opportunity to observe your garden every day, then you can orient the beds to your liking.
According to experienced gardeners, correct location the beds are 10% of the success of the harvest, and the remaining 90% depend on your work in the garden and the competent organization of work.
Now is a good time to finally make at least a couple of small permanent beds.
To make or not to make permanent beds is no longer a question today. For those who intend to significantly reduce labor costs while increasing productivity and soil fertility, the question always arises: where should the shafts be turned how to arrange the beds - from north to south, from east to west, perpendicular to the fence or in the direction, sorry, of the toilet?
Theoretically, when the beds are oriented from north to south, the plants are evenly illuminated by the sun from morning to evening, which at first glance is good.
But if a "nuclear summer" happens (and for many it is frequent), then you have to look for ways to reduce the amount of merciless sun through agrofibre, shading nets and corn curtains. 
As well as the orientation of the beds from east to west - to reduce insolation.
A long time ago, in my first organic season, I ran into this situation: 
According to the BTI plan, it turned out that the north is up, and the beds should be done somehow like this: 
To which my relatives strongly objected in the style of "What the neighbors will say."
I had to do it "parallel to the road." 
Did this affect yields? 
Perhaps long-term painstaking observations would show that the "north-south" orientation gives an increase in yield compared to "west-east" at the level of 1.74%, or 174 g for every 10 kg of harvest, and compared to "parallel to the road" by 0.88%. Or otherwise. Or maybe not;) Still, shading by trees must be taken into account, and the number of cloudy days, which is not the same in different years.
And here is how to orientate correctly? 
This is not a flower bed. That is, a flower bed, of course, but not just a flower bed, but a flower-medicinal and also spicy-flavoring one.
Where is the north here? 
(, I recommend reading and praising the author).
And I thought: but if the orientation to the cardinal points is important for the harvest, then there should be an answer in classical agronomy for a long time. And I called (well, that is, like the old ... I mean, we have been friends for a long time, but he is still quite;) part-time teacher of the Poltava Agricultural Academy, the head of the Poltava club of organic farming and a consultant of one large organic farm.
And what, I say - corn, sunflowers and other potatoes on a thousand hectares are sown from north to south, or from west to east, or in accordance with the Hartmann grid?
To which there was an answer: they sow for everyone. This is so good, but so it is, and some even according to Hartman. Everything is in strict accordance with the theory of a quantum observer;)
The moral of this fable is this: if you live in a region where "June is not summer yet, and July is not summer anymore," then you definitely need to catch every ray of sunshine and every degree.
The rest - don't bother. Agricultural technology has a much more noticeable and understandable effect on yield than the orientation of the beds to the cardinal points.
For example, grapes don't care at all - they will turn their leaves towards the sun. And cucumbers, if not on a trellis, but spread out - what's the difference where the north is? Etc.