Someone asked how to lay out a 20 x 25 garden plot to get a variety of produce from it. I came up with this after some thought. Perhaps it will be of some value to some of you?
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I like this James!
My gardens are large but everything was in 4' beds this year and is preferred. You can see from your diagram how the arrangement would work with beds of about the 4' size, also.
Two beds of corn, with about that spacing, then the squash/cucumbers . . . use the path thru the corn to harvest because the squash/cukes will invade the path on their side.
The peas will come and go early. You can replace them with bush beans but having better access to the cucumbers would be a good idea if you don't mind walking across the bed where the peas grew.
The squash/cukes will invade the path on that side also but a single row of staked or caged tomato plants in a 4' bed should be accessible from the okra/pepper side. I've got to say that I know very little about growing okra but the peppers should be well behaved. They may require a stake. A row of kale or a smaller early cabbage could go beside them in their bed.
You have essentially plotted a 4' bed on the right. But, go ahead and grow "baby" bok choy and push them and the lettuce in as double rows and don't be trying to walk between them . . .
Steve
My gardens are large but everything was in 4' beds this year and is preferred. You can see from your diagram how the arrangement would work with beds of about the 4' size, also.
Two beds of corn, with about that spacing, then the squash/cucumbers . . . use the path thru the corn to harvest because the squash/cukes will invade the path on their side.
The peas will come and go early. You can replace them with bush beans but having better access to the cucumbers would be a good idea if you don't mind walking across the bed where the peas grew.
The squash/cukes will invade the path on that side also but a single row of staked or caged tomato plants in a 4' bed should be accessible from the okra/pepper side. I've got to say that I know very little about growing okra but the peppers should be well behaved. They may require a stake. A row of kale or a smaller early cabbage could go beside them in their bed.
You have essentially plotted a 4' bed on the right. But, go ahead and grow "baby" bok choy and push them and the lettuce in as double rows and don't be trying to walk between them . . .
Steve
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- jal_ut
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I would not personally plant Bok Choy nor Okra. Maybe green beans and beets instead? I have always held that we should plant what we like to eat. This is just my dream of what could be put into a small plot and provide enough produce to be worth the time.
I can see why many have went to smaller beds. Yes, they have some advantages, however you would need six beds to grow this much and the walkways between would add another 15 feet to the width of area needed to accomplish the task. OK if you have the space.
I have been walking on my garden forever. I really don't see it being a problem. As far as muddy feet, stay out of the garden when it is wet!
I can see why many have went to smaller beds. Yes, they have some advantages, however you would need six beds to grow this much and the walkways between would add another 15 feet to the width of area needed to accomplish the task. OK if you have the space.
I have been walking on my garden forever. I really don't see it being a problem. As far as muddy feet, stay out of the garden when it is wet!
Well, that's right.jal_ut wrote:. . . you would need six beds to grow this much and the walkways between would add another 15 feet to the width of area needed to accomplish the task. OK if you have the space. . .
With 6, 4' beds -- you've got 24'
With 5, 2' paths between the beds -- you've got 10'.
With a 2' path around the perimeter -- you've got an additional 4'.
I've got big feet and in one garden, I tried to limit the paths to 18". It didn't work. What happened was the beds shrunk to 3 1/2' and the paths widened to 2' .
With 6, 3 1/2' beds -- you've got 21'.
If I could walk on a skinnier path . . . oh, neeevver mind!
Steve
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I think the key to productive use of limited space is sequential planting. Almost all the veggies I grow, are in 200 sq ft, about half of the plot size you are describing. It is 200 sq feet of raised bed space, which means it has no walkways in that space and it can be very densely planted.
Here's a thread I did about what I grow in 200 sq feet:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=275278&highlight=200#275278
I have one 10x5 bed I put in the middle of my front lawn, because that is the sunniest spot. It started the year with garlic, spinach and broccoli in it. Before they were done, I planted two small tomato plants behind them. By the time the tomato plants were getting big, I pulled the broccoli and spinach and planted basil, parsley, and peppers with the tomatoes. I put one squash plant in the middle (which I think would have had room and done ok, but the vine borers got it). Now the summer stuff is gone and it is back to being planted in garlic, spinach, broccoli, onions.
From that bed, I got a remarkable spinach crop, all the spinach two of us could possibly eat for several months plus some to freeze. I got 6 main heads of broccoli and some smaller side heads. I got a dozen large heads of garlic. I got probably about 200 tomatoes (I know for sure I picked 100 one day when I was picking off all the not all the way ripe ones to bring in ahead of a frost), a lot of basil, about a dozen peppers, parsley when ever I wanted it. All that from 50 square feet.
Here's a thread I did about what I grow in 200 sq feet:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=275278&highlight=200#275278
I have one 10x5 bed I put in the middle of my front lawn, because that is the sunniest spot. It started the year with garlic, spinach and broccoli in it. Before they were done, I planted two small tomato plants behind them. By the time the tomato plants were getting big, I pulled the broccoli and spinach and planted basil, parsley, and peppers with the tomatoes. I put one squash plant in the middle (which I think would have had room and done ok, but the vine borers got it). Now the summer stuff is gone and it is back to being planted in garlic, spinach, broccoli, onions.
From that bed, I got a remarkable spinach crop, all the spinach two of us could possibly eat for several months plus some to freeze. I got 6 main heads of broccoli and some smaller side heads. I got a dozen large heads of garlic. I got probably about 200 tomatoes (I know for sure I picked 100 one day when I was picking off all the not all the way ripe ones to bring in ahead of a frost), a lot of basil, about a dozen peppers, parsley when ever I wanted it. All that from 50 square feet.