How to best arrange my veg ?

[Tom Goode]

I`ve just reclaimed some more land to plant a few more veggies in , over the last couple of days i`ve removed the old rusted swings and layers of fabric and bark chippings and dug over the soil ready to be cultivated asap.
It is a big rush as i wish i had done it a few months earlier but i`m still hoping things will do o.k
The soil isn`t the best but i have got plenty of well rotted manure at hand .

I really wanted to know the best way to arrange everything, btw the wall you see is south facing and gets lots of sun.

I`ve ordered these seeds to get me going

Spinach
Cauliflower
Parsnips
Sweetcorn
Sprouts
Broccoli
Swede
Turnips
Celeriac

i thought about planting in rows east to west with the tallest plants at the back , the size is just over 5.2m x 2.7m .

[chris]

You really want to go N-S, as when the sun rises, the east side gets sunlight, then the tops, then the west during setting.. tallest crops north side so they don't shade the others. That said, not every can/does plant in north-south rows.

Personally, I like what the eden project do (two secs, shall upload a piccy), it's funky, and fun, much less informal, and I plan to do the same at home

[chris]

Pics:





Kind of in a swirl, which leads into a oval/circle. Probably not practical, but looks good at least. It'd be fine for smallish root veg and salad crops, with perhaps some onions etc as a "border".

[womble]

I would go as you say, east to west, tallest at the back. No double rows though, all single, otherwise the back row of the same height will get no sun.

[Jardiniere]

ooh chrismarks ... i thought that was your garden and i was going to get all congratulational and then i realised that it was the eden project...having said that maybe your garden is like that (with a tea room)

[solway cropper]

I'd go north-south and you'll be pushing it to get a crop of parsnips and celeriac if you sow now. they both have a long growing season.

[ugley_matt]

You could give Square Foot gardening a go to maximize the space.

[Tom Goode]

Thanks for the helpful replies, i think i`ll go with the north to south way, i`m not expecting a brilliant outcome from everything that goes in due it`s getting later in the spring and i`ve had no time to really improve the soil ,but we`ll see what happens .
Is there anything i can be doing to help the soil before i cultivate it ?

[chris]

ooh chrismarks ... i thought that was your garden and i was going to get all congratulational and then i realised that it was the eden project...having said that maybe your garden is like that (with a tea room)

Wouldn't mind having a garden like that, I'd host grape stock in my tea room then

[Snadger]

I try to grow my stuff ornamentally in pockets (mini Eden project style) within 4 foot wide beds. That way I can tend my 'pockets' without stepping on the growing area.

The planting scheme shown at the Eden project looks fun for now, but will be a bugger to weed and tend and harvest once the plants are more mature?

The other downside is once you start harvesting it spoils the patterns!