Is my bed big enough??

[Kevstir]

Hi Guys

Iv got a raised bed (6" high) that i built last year, i filled it will free sived compost from our local dump, just grew flowers last year which went well, had to water constantly as the compost dryed out very quickly.

Now this year i plan to use one section to grow some veg, the section is 12ft x 2ft that runs along the fence and gets the sun all day, iv added 3 bags of J Arthur Bower's blended farm yard manure which i feel a tad robbed by,i would say it was about 50% wood chips, i mixed that into my bed along with 3 bags of clay soil, all this to help it hold water, seems to have helped mind you.

thats a wee bit of history for you lol, im looking to grow Pea - early onward and greenshaft, Runner beans - Scarlet Emperor, spring oinions and Courgette - All Green Bush , will my bed be big enough ?? if so what kind of spacing would i need?

Iv read that pea greenshaft grows higher that early onward , was thinking i could put the greeshaft at the back , good idea or should i plant in sections.

sorry for all the questions on my first real post , just want to get it right, the wife's expecting good things lol

Kev

[Two_Sheds]

Hi and welcome.

Your seed packets will give spacing instructions.

I grew Greenshaft last year and it was fairly short: but then everything on my plot is because it is so exposed and windy

You're right to be adding some guts to your raised bed (MPC dries out too quickly & is too fluffy for veg): try and make your own garden compost to add to it. Humus is what it needs

[ginger ninger]

Hello kev and welcome to the vine.
If you visualise your raised bed as 4 x 3' blocks it should make things much easier, I'd make 2 wigwam's, 1 for ya runners and a smaller 1 for ya peas one at each end of the bed, courgette in the middle then use the space down ether side for the rest of your veg that your growing, The courgette have BIG leaves so you'll have to give it space to spread. Hope this helps...and we like photo's

[organic]

Another option would be to plant it up using the "square foot gardening" method. It's great for small spaces and since your bed is only 2 feet deep and against a wall it's about the right size too.
You can get an overview of the method by looking at the preview on Google Books:
Square Foot Gardening: A New Way to ... - Google Books

As for spacing, personally I use the "between plants" spacing specified on the packets and ignore the "between rows" one entirely. That way of thinking has also come from the square foot system.

Personally I'd be inclined to follow Ginger Ninger's suggestion for the layout but use the square foot system to pack in as much as possible.

Growing courgettes will reduce the amount of other things you can grow (though you'll be able to grow some fast growing crops around the courgette before it gets too big and shades them out) but even then a 12' x 2' section should be able to provide you with plenty of food if you use the space well.

All the best!

[Bigmallly]

If you visualise your raised bed as 4 x 3' blocks it should make things much easier,

I'm visualising but as it's only 2' wide I'm having difficulty.........You do make me smile GN...........