Raised Beds and Spacings

[mogs]

Hi Everyone

I keep reading that if you have raised beds you can grow more intensively and reduce the spacings between crops. As all books seem to give spacings for a traditional plot, i.e without raised beds, I wondered to what extent you can reduce spacings. Also when they say raised beds, do they mean very raised beds or like mine which are probably edged off and filled by around four inch high wooden boards.

I'm a bit greedy and of course want the most I can get from the space, but don't want to get nothing as a result of squeezing them in too snugly and on the other hand wouldn't like to see space go to waste unneccessarily! Does anyone know if there is any information 'out there' in terms of recommended spacings when growing on raised beds versus traditional flat bed spacings?

[bazzaboy]

hi Mogs

Personally I think use your own best guesswork on the simple basis that smaller plants need less space, bigger plants more… If you find stuff outgrowing it’s allotted space you can usually take some out and use as mini-veg.

If you like definite distances the University of Tennessee (!) website has an article on this subject at:
http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publi...es/SP291-N.pdf

and suggests the following:

Recommended Spacings Between Plant Centers For Raised Beds*
(* Gardeners new to raised bed gardening should use the wider spacings. More experienced raised bed gardeners can use the closer spacings.)

Vegetables:

Inches Between Plant Centers

beans, bush 4-6
beets 2-6
broccoli 10-15
cabbage 15-18
carrots 2-4
cauliflower 15-18
collards 8-15
eggplant 18-24
kale 8-15
kohlrabi 5-8
lettuce, leaf 6-10
okra [well it is Tennessee!] 10-18
onions 3-5
potato, Irish 9-12
potato, Sweet 18-24 [don't try this at home!]
radish 2-4
spinach 4-6
squash, summer 18-24
Swiss chard 6-10
Tomato 18-24
Turnips 4-6
-

Interesting that cauliflowers are allowed so much space... I've never grown them successfully, perhaps that's the reason why...

Happy days...

b.

[Snadger]

Space your veg staggered in beds

And you'll get more in and still keep the spacing between plants the same!

On traditional you have to use rows then trampled paths which can be wasteful of space!

[mogs]

....Oooh I knew you wouldn't let me down! I just lurve the science bit, despite not always understanding it - us anoraks need to stick together, especially in this cold weather! Thanks :-))

[kitchengardner]

Hi Everyone

I keep reading that if you have raised beds you can grow more intensively and reduce the spacings between crops. As all books seem to give spacings for a traditional plot, i.e without raised beds, I wondered to what extent you can reduce spacings. Also when they say raised beds, do they mean very raised beds or like mine which are probably edged off and filled by around four inch high wooden boards.

I'm a bit greedy and of course want the most I can get from the space, but don't want to get nothing as a result of squeezing them in too snugly and on the other hand wouldn't like to see space go to waste unneccessarily! Does anyone know if there is any information 'out there' in terms of recommended spacings when growing on raised beds versus traditional flat bed spacings?

simple rule of thumb for raised beds (height does not matter) is to take the average of the space between plants and between the rows list ed on the seed pack and plant at his distance in all directions ie in a staggered block fashion as Snadger described

Regards

Kitchen Gardener