Raised Beds Crop Spacings

[andyp]

Hello All

Just wanted to start this thread to get a few opnions on spacing within
raised beds. I have been trying to do a bit of research on spacing within raised beds. Often books and magazine articles are keen to point out you can plant more intensively in raised beds.

What exactly does more intensively actually relate to ? in plant space and
crop size terms. I have thumbs a few allotment books and back issue mag's in search of the answer and can find none.

The seed packet gives recommended spacing for rows and between plants, but make no reference to the type of bed the seed is planted in.

Is anybody else has confused about this as me ?

Rgds Andy

[Matt.]

I think you just use the space between plants on the same row all round. This should equate to one plant's width (half from plant #1 plus half from plant #2). In a raised bed you don't need to walk between rows so plant the same distance between rows. It should look like a block.

If in doubt rule of thumb I use is sow more then thin out

[SarzWix]

I just ignore the "space between rows" bit, and use the "space between plants" bit as the correct distance because that relates to how big the plants are likely to get. Although, if you plant in staggered rows, the distance between plants can be measured diagonally and you can squeeze a bit more in!!

[stormin97]

I agree with Sarzwix. As you are growing in a more confined space, you have the opportunity of growing in very rich, well maintained soil so you can fit more in. This is my first year growing exclusively in raised beds and am going to try the square foot growing system as described by Mel Bartholomew in his book 'ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING'. If you do a google search on square foot gardening, Mel Bartholomew has a good web site.

[carlseawolf]

hi andy, i use raised beds of 12' by 4' and generally plant in blocks for most things here are some distances or amount i put in a bed.

swiss chard / ballheaded cabbage / swede - i planted 3 rows of 8 making a total of 24 to the bed

garlic / onions / beetroot - planted blockl for 8" both ways

parsnips / chinese cabbages - 3 rows 8" apart

carrots - 3 rows but sows as a long row and thin or add spring onion seed to the carrot seed if you don't want to thin

beans / peas - do the same spacing as open ground

pots - put then in open ground

[pigletwillie]

Your generous Carl,

one of our plots is all down to raised beds, either 8 x 4 or 12 x 4 in diameter. Leeks for example are planted 4" apart, the bigger beds will hold about 24 cabbage, carrots are grown in rows across the width and are sown 6" between rows. Garlic and onions are planted 4" apart as are beetroot and clumps of spring onion.

When planting into traditional beds we use traditional spacings.

[carlseawolf]

thank's PW ,
Yes you are right the spacing is generous and that 's what i used last year for my veg and got something to eat and that is the idea , my beds where new last year and i didn't have the organic matter to add that makes this kind of growing special so i went with a safe distance to start and as they get older and more organic matter can be found then distances may be reduced.
As you have pointed out they can be planted closer together and many books/ forums will say the same and there never is a right way or wrong just diffrent and as a new member i gave him the safe advice so he gets as a result as it was not mentioned whether the beds are estabalished or new so i took it as new with just soil and a general fertiliser.
p.s never been called generous before

[pigletwillie]

I have been called worse Carl, your right though, there are no wrongs in gardening, just different ideas.

[kentvegplot]

I too am using the 'space between plants' and ignoring the 'space between rows' - might not work out for beans in raised beds,if you need to get in to the bed to pick them!

We'll see.....

[Snadger]

My beds are 4 foot wide and the principal is that the rows are planted ACROSS the beds not along. The reason for me doing this is that when hoeing or working on the bed, you will be standing on the paths and hoeing across the beds which is easier than twisting and hoeing along the beds. It also makes it easier to hand weed as you don't have to reach over the top of a crop that is planted longtitudinally (is there such a word?)
My spacings are similar to PW's and sometimes to increase crop density, and minimise individual size of veg, I plant up with plugs of multiple seedlings like leeks, onions,beetroot,swedes etc all equally spaced at about 6"!

[chuffa]

Thanks for that Snadger, i was going to plant mine length ways but it seems more sense to plant width ways this will save me a lot of time as well. As i will be putting up barriers to stop the pesky carrot fly, i wo'nt need so much. I am dedicating two of my beds to spuds which will be planted length ways and closer than normal beds.

[Flummery]

I'm just starting a bed system on my new half lottie and I'm going with 4 ft beds. I intended from the off to grow in short rows across rather than along. Mainly because there are only 2 of us and I don't want huge lots of anything. I like to be able to have one or two short rows of something and then sow again later on for succession. I have beds in the veg garden at home but more of a parterre type of thing so not so narrow. In these beds I also put closer spacings. I think you can assume that moisture, nutrients etc are still available to the plants from the area of the path - roots can go a long way!

[zazen999]

My beds are square, and I sow from the middle to the outside, so that I can crop the taller stuff over the shorter stuff at the edges. I also put long growing crops like onions, snoops, to mark out the separate little beds. there's no such thing as a row in my patch yet. this will change on the lottie - if I ever get that sorted. There I'll be using long beds and growing in Snadger fashion by the sounds of it.

[matthew2riches]

Seed Packet Has Information - Not Always Correct But Most Of The Time It Is!

[SuzieP]

I read somewhere that for raised beds you add the distance between plants and the distance between rows together then divide by 2 to get a planting distance eg 6" apart with rows 18" apart would be 6+18=24 divided by 2 = 12 so plant at 12" apart in offset position.