direction of beds

[supermum]

I have just taken on the donkey patch and wondered, as the sun passes direct over head left to right, should I dig my beds along the same lines so they run the width of the plot, or against them.

F
xxx

[oldie]

I've always been told to have beds running North-South, but I'm not sure it makes a great difference as long as the tallest plants are positioned so that they don't shade out the smaller ones.

[Two_Sheds]

the sun goes from east to west. If your beds face north-south, they will get the benefit of sun on both sides of the row.

I always try to put my tallest plants (beans, corn) on the north side of the plot, so they don't shade out the shorter things (except lettuce, which likes a bit of shade)