'Optima(?)l' raised bed shape: Square or Rectangle?

[veggiechicken]

I have been considering L shapes - just for fun

[Newton]

You might find it difficult cultivating the L bit........the reach will be more than 4feet on a 4ft bed....might not be "fun"

Be careful.....

[veggiechicken]

The back of my envelope says that I could still reach in 2' from any position on the L. I'd probably make them narrower anyway as I have short arms

[Bigmallly]

East/west would have given you lots of shorter beds - yes? so not as space efficient.
North'south would suit me better too.

6 & 2x3's VC..............the area is approx 30ft x 30ft

[Thelma Sanders]

To save on wood make them as long a possible but put a stepping stone where you might need to get over to t'other side

[Newton]

Not quite VC......if you are tending from the inside corner you will not be able to access all of the big square .......near enough but I remembered you only had short arms!! Awkward rather than impossible.

[veggiechicken]

First - Apologies to Samuel as I don't want to detract from your question - but this is relevant to shape and positioning of beds - honest
If I put raised beds on the lawn, I'll probably start with just one or two and expand if they're a success. So I need to get the first ones in the right position to start with. With a garden that slopes gently to the south and the house on the west side and big trees on the east I could either run them east to west, with each bed to the south lower than those to the north , OR
Run them all north to south, in parallel with the house and the trees..
Confused ? You betcha!!

[Samuel1988]

Thanks for the advice everyone

I will take all this into account when I draw up my plan - very excited

[RedThorn]

For me the optimal size needs to be wide enough that my arms can reach just past the middle from both sides, nd also standard enough that I can move cold frame covers from one to the other and not have to make a bespoke cover(cold frame or netting frame) for each bed. If you make it to suit off the shelf gear it's even easier

[Linzy]

I would go for rectangles myself, just cause i would imagine that squares means more paths less growing space. The best things to remember is dont make them to wide, you should be able to easily access the centre of the bed from the side. And dont make them too long, as you are more likely to be tempted to take a shortcut across the top.