Beds for the lazy: photos and recommendations for creating a vegetable garden. Important nuances: the correct location of the beds on the site on the cardinal points The location of the beds on a small plot

Now is a good time to finally make at least a couple of small permanent beds.

To make or not to make permanent beds is no longer a question today. For those who set out to significantly reduce labor costs while simultaneously increasing the yield and fertility of the soil, the question necessarily arises: where to turn the shafts, how to arrange the beds - from north to south, from east to west, perpendicular to the fence or in the direction, sorry, toilet?

Theoretically, when the beds are oriented from north to south, the plants are evenly illuminated by the sun from morning to evening, which at first glance is good.

But if a “nuclear summer” happens (and it has become more frequent for many), then you have to look for ways to reduce the amount of merciless sun through agrofibre, shading nets and corn coulisses.

As well as the orientation of the beds from east to west - to reduce insolation.

A long time ago, in my first organic season, I faced this situation:

According to the BTI plan, it turned out that the north was on top, and the beds should have been done something like this:

To which my relatives resolutely objected in the style of "What the neighbors will say."
I had to do "parallel to the road."

Has it affected productivity?

Perhaps long-term painstaking observations would show that the orientation "north - south" gives an increase in yield compared to "west - east" at the level of 1.74%, or 174 g per 10 kg of crop, and compared to "parallel to the road" by 0.88%. Or in some other way. Or maybe not;) Still, shading by trees must be taken into account, and the number of cloudy days, which is not the same in different years.

And here is how to properly orient?

This is not a flower bed. That is, a flower bed, of course, but not just a flower, but a flower-medicinal and also spicy-tasting.

Where is north here?

(I recommend reading and praising the author).

And I thought: but if the orientation to the cardinal points matters for the harvest, then in classical agronomy there should have been an answer long ago. And I called (well, that is, like an old one ... I mean, we have been friends for a long time, but he’s still quite;) part-time teacher of the Poltava Agricultural Academy, head of the Poltava Club of Organic Farming and consultant of one large organic farm.

And what, I say - corn, sunflower and other potatoes are sown on thousands of hectares from north to south, or from west to east, or in accordance with the Hartman grid?

To which was the answer: according to everyone they sow. This is so good, but those like this, and some even according to Hartman. Everything is in strict accordance with the theory of the quantum observer;)

The moral of this fable is this: if you live in a region where "June is not yet summer, and July is no longer summer," then you definitely need to catch every ray of sunshine and every degree.

The rest - don't bother. Agricultural technology has a much more noticeable and understandable effect on productivity than the orientation of the beds to the cardinal points.
Grapes, say, do not care at all - it will turn the leaves towards the sun. And for cucumbers, if not on a trellis, but spread out - what difference does it make where the north is? Etc.

The goal of every gardener is to get the richest quality crop using every square meter of the plot. But these indicators do not always depend on the area of sown land. It is much more important to properly organize the available space so that the crops are pleasing, and working in the garden is not so exhausting. And during the summer season, experience the aesthetic pleasure of contemplating one's own work. Competently broken beds are not just strips of land with vegetables or herbs. The dimensions of the beds - length, height, width - provide the most comfortable conditions for each crop, ease of site maintenance, plant care, harvesting.

Standard garden bed sizes for different crops

Standard sizes of beds vary within the following limits:

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	One side access	Accessible from both sides	Path between beds
Width (cm)	50–60	70–100	20–50
Length (m)	5–10	5–10
Height (cm)	15–20	15–20

When choosing one or another size, they are guided by the requirements of the planting scheme (the distance between rows and between plants in a row).

Types of beds and their sizes

Agricultural technicians and amateur gardeners, summarizing the experience of cultivating crops in different regions, are looking for the best options for organizing beds. Therefore, beginner gardeners have a wide choice. Taking into account their own needs, climatic conditions and the characteristics of a particular site, each summer resident will determine what type of landing site he needs.

Traditional

The most familiar type of domestic beds with standard sizes is a ten-meter strip of land, the width of which can reach 2 m. Up to 40 cm are allocated to the paths between them. The arrangement of such ridges does not contain any tricks: when digging a plot, the earth leans back from the strips that will become paths. They are trampled down, the landing site is leveled with a rake. The disadvantage of traditional ridges is the impossibility of high-quality processing of plants in the center of a wide strip of land, these crops receive less sunlight, often they do not have enough space.

Big

Large planting areas are reserved for potatoes, beans, pumpkins and zucchini, which do not need regular care and thorough weeding at the initial stages of growth. The width and length of such a bed in the garden are determined by the required amount of crops, but the total area exceeds 12–15 m 2.

Kholmikovaya

A knoll vegetable bed is similar to high warm ones: overripe organic matter, laid in large quantities at the base of the hill, raises the temperature of the soil by several degrees relative to ordinary beds. For the device, a strip of 1.90–2.0 m wide is measured, and the length depends on the choice of the landowner. The sod layer of the earth is removed from the selected site, the fertile soil is taken out up to 30 cm deep. At the bottom - a strip of up to 0.6 m - is laid with boards, branches, branches, stalks of corn, sunflower. Sod and a large amount of organic matter are laid on this ventilation and drainage layer: foliage, weeds, rotted sawdust. This layer must be at least 20 cm.

Next, a mixture of immature compost, humus, peat, straw is formed. 20 cm of fertile soil mixed with compost completes the construction of the hill, which varies in height from 0.8 to 1.0 m and is considered the optimal size. The hill is prepared in autumn so that all layers settle down and become denser. As soon as the sun begins to warm up and the snow melts, they cover it with a black film so that all layers warm up faster and the organic decomposition mechanism starts, which will result in the internal heating of the earth.

Before sowing crops, a small groove is made in the center of the hill to collect and retain moisture. Any vegetables grow well on mounded beds. If there is a desire to combine crops, then tall crops are planted at the very top, and below those that do not stretch in height. Thus, all plants will have enough light. At the end of the season, the mound is mulched with a good layer of organic matter.

For 5 years of service, the vegetable mound bed will settle, and completely rotted organic matter will become a source of fertile soil with a high content of humus.

High

High beds are most in demand in regions with a harsh climate, where spring is late and autumn comes early. A high landing can extend the summer season by almost a month. And in regions where flooding is possible on the site, this is the only option to cultivate garden crops without the risk of losing the entire crop.

Everyone determines the optimal size of a high bed in the country according to their needs, but the ideal parameters for combining width and height are: width up to 150 cm, height - about half a meter. The width of the passage between the high beds should allow you to move freely with buckets and other equipment, freely mow the grass with a trimmer, put a bench for weeding in a comfortable sitting position, that is, the paths must be made at least half a meter wide.

The material for manufacturing can be very different: boards, slate, profiled sheet, PVC panels, brick, natural or decorative stone. High beds are filled according to the same principle as knolled ones - in layers.

deep

Planting vegetables, strawberries, greens in deep beds is effective in regions with dry, hot summers, where moisture does not linger on the site, and the soil is weathered. The principle of organization is the same as for high ones, only the layers are not laid in a box of boards, but in a trench.

The optimal width of deep ridges is 0.9 - 1.0 m, and the distance between them should be at least half a meter. This width of the paths between the trenches allows each plant to receive maximum illumination and enough space for development, because in the final version the height of the beds is obtained at the level of the ground surface.

narrow

More and more theorists and practitioners from vegetable growing agree that the size of the beds are of fundamental importance not only for the convenience of their maintenance, but also for the efficiency of use. If it was once believed that the larger the size of the beds and the narrower the paths, the larger the usable area. Experience shows that the correct bed is high and narrow (the width of such a bed in the garden is up to 110 cm) with optimal row spacings of about half a meter.

Plants planted along the edges in a checkerboard pattern receive maximum light, do not fight with neighbors for space. The root systems of plants do not compete in the extraction of moisture and nutrition, and the summer resident does not break his back and bushes, trying to reach the plants, because with such an organization the width of the beds is very convenient.

Care for plantings in high narrow ridges is minimal, since it does not require digging. After harvesting, a rich layer of organic mulch is poured into the box, and in the spring - compost. Charged according to the basic principle of high beds, they are ready for sowing much earlier than standard ones.

Beds according to the Mittlider method

An American farmer, developer of the author's system of beds, Mittlider is an adherent of narrow beds in the garden. The correct dimensions according to Mittlider are a maximum of 50 cm of the landing area in width, earthen sides from 10 cm and above, and paths of 0.9–1.1 m. The length does not matter in principle, but the author advises to make all the beds one length and width. For the effective implementation of the methodology, it is important to take into account the location of the site:

the technology will not work in low-lying places where flooding is possible;
the beds should be as horizontal as possible so that there are no problems with watering and washing out the earth.

On sloped plots, if it is impossible to level the ground level, a garden-terrace is arranged, placing the beds in boxes made of boards with a “ladder”. According to Mittlider, vegetables with a voluminous aerial part - cauliflower and cabbage - are planted in a checkerboard pattern, and root crops in two rows.

Greenhouse beds

The standard of beds in greenhouses 3 × 6 is 60 cm wide, up to 40 cm high, paths from 40 cm: three ridges with two row-spacings are obtained. The central garden is surrounded by a path on all sides. Such an arrangement, in compliance with the indicated dimensions, is most convenient for caring for plants and maintaining the land. Considering all the features of the area: climate, relief, wind rose, seasonal rains or drought, it is easy to choose the right type of beds or a combination of varieties so that work on the earth is a joy.

Gardening is a favorite hobby of many of our fellow citizens. In other years, only having your own garden plot allowed you to keep the family budget afloat, but today the garden can be considered as a source of fresh and environmentally friendly products for the family table.

But in order to get a rich harvest, it is very important to master the competent technology of tillage, because otherwise you will not be able to ensure a normal vegetative process for the crops you grow. In particular, it is very important to know how to properly make beds in the garden. This article is devoted to consideration of this issue.

Initial soil preparation

If you are going to use some area for beds, it must be processed and dug up as carefully as possible, simultaneously freeing it from debris, roots of plants and trees. If you plan to make beds on a site on which some backyard buildings previously stood, you will have to spend a lot of time cleaning it from construction debris. As a rule, in this case, a lot of glass, bunches and remnants of boards remain in the ground. All this must be removed.

In addition, after that it is desirable to bring a layer of normal soil there, from which the beds will be formed. Of course, you can try to grow plants on the remaining soil, but its fertility will be a big question.

What should be paid special attention to?

Before you properly make beds in the garden, it is very important to prepare the bottom layer of soil. The fact is that with its strong compaction, moisture will constantly linger on the beds. In dry years, this is good, but the rest of the time there will be a constant risk to plants, as their roots can simply rot.

For loosening, it is advisable to use a cultivator, since it will be very difficult to manually loosen the earth properly. Important! If this is your first time making beds in this place, it is advisable to give the soil for research: it may be too acidic or alkaline. It is better to immediately add appropriate additives to it, because otherwise it will not be possible to grow a rich harvest.

Among other things, we would recommend planting green manure on newly cultivated lands. In their quality, it is best to use alfalfa or other legumes. No need to sow rye, as it makes the soil very acidic. An exception can be made only for highly alkaline soils. Of course, in this case, all agricultural activities take much more time, but all costs are paid off.

When the issue with the soil is completely resolved, you can start marking the beds.

Of course, the creation of beds always begins with delineating the boundaries and digging, but it is important to remember that high crop yields can largely depend on other factors. Before you properly make beds in the garden, it is also important to choose their location in relation to the cardinal points. This issue should not be approached lightly, since the yield of plants depends on the correct choice of location.

Let's give some generally accepted rules that should be followed when creating sites for growing various crops. So, ridges for vegetables are located in the direction from north to south. It is best to make them rectangular. It is believed that it is more convenient to process the ridges if they have a width of 1.2 m. The length can be any, it all depends on your preferences and the size of the site.

They make at least 40 cm wide, but it is preferable to provide even wider passages, since in this case it is possible to strengthen the edges of the ridges with boards or slate.

Approximately the same requirements apply to the breakdown of flower beds or rabatok. Of course, it is much better to make their corners rounded, since those look much better. Before you properly make beds in the garden, it is best to outline their future boundaries with twine and a few pegs. Don't forget to indent as otherwise you won't have room for aisles.

What to do if you arrange a bed in a former meadow?

Important. In this case, it is necessary to carefully remove the sod. Make it into compost: this fertilizer contains a huge amount of nutrients that contribute to a significant increase. Here's how to make a good bed that will give you a great harvest!

Digging up the soil should start from the edge of the string stretched along the border. The shovel must be worked in such a way that a neat and well-defined line is obtained. In this way, we dig the entire border of the garden. Be sure to pay attention to how dense the earth is at the depth of the shovel bayonet. If there is a lot of clay there, you will have to dig two or three bayonets of a shovel deep into. Or use a cultivator or even a tractor.

We use a chopper or a hoe!

After removing the layer of sod, you will find that there is quite decent, but still somewhat dense soil under it. If the soil is too compact, it is preferable to work it with a hoe, as in this case you tear the roots of the plants, and the structure of the soil becomes much better. Since making a garden bed with your own hands can be difficult, you need to purchase all the necessary tools for tillage in advance.

In a word, the creation of beds is a rather troublesome and time-consuming business. Therefore, it is worth taking care of preserving the results of your work, strengthening the resulting ridges. The easiest way to use the boards is to hammer in pegs to support them. But much more durable is the blind area made of bricks or natural stone. Besides, she looks much prettier.

When making a garden with your own hands (including beds), do not forget about the accuracy of your work. Such a personal plot will give you a lot of positive emotions!

And how to make beds in the garden, if you want to get a harvest from them as early as possible, starting from April-May?

We make warm beds

In order to get a rich harvest and cucumbers in our middle zone, the natural growing season is not enough, because the earth warms up too late and freezes quickly. Since it is not difficult to make a warm bed, you can correct this annoying misunderstanding without spending money on building a greenhouse or even a greenhouse.

By the way, what is it? In this case, before starting the development of the site, it is necessary to dig a ditch 40-50 cm deep, which completely repeats the contours of the future bed. Layers of manure are laid there, which must be alternated with the remains of tops, rotten wood and similar organic residues. You can also use kitchen waste.

Before you make a warm bed, you can also purchase it. It heats up best. Having thrown a layer of waste flush with the edges of the ditch, we lay fertile soil on top of them, and the thickness of its layer should be at least 40 cm, otherwise the roots of the plants may burn out.

Further actions

After that, we cover the finished bed with a film and leave it for a couple of days. When the ground warms up noticeably, you can plant seedlings. It is better to combine this method with the installation of a film shelter. In this case, planting can begin almost immediately after the snow melts and the strong morning frosts disappear.

Here's how to make beds in the garden. There are some difficulties with this, but as a result you will get an excellent harvest of your own vegetables.

How to properly arrange the beds on the site for high yields

Over time, the owners of summer cottages notice that certain crops give a greater yield when planted in a certain place in the garden. But it is possible to get a bountiful harvest on a regular basis if careful planning of the land is carried out.

Land preparation

Initially, the site that you have chosen for the beds, you need to process, dig up and remove plant debris. If earlier there was a building at the chosen place that you demolished, you need to remove all construction debris, and there will be a lot of it: glass, chips and nails.

Source: Depositphotos

Planning a site is easy if you have a compass or accurate landmarks of the cardinal points

Ideally, of course, bring new land to such a site, because there is a possibility that the soil is no longer fertile.

The most important thing is to prepare the bottom layer of soil. If it is dense, then moisture will accumulate on it all the time, due to which the rhizomes of plants can rot. In order to loosen the soil, it is better to use a cultivator - it will be difficult to do it manually. And give some soil for research, so you know the level of acidity, because there is a chance that the land is not suitable for growing crops.

How to arrange the beds on the site

The correct location of all crops on the land will not only increase their productivity, but also significantly reduce the number of diseased and dead plants. It will also make it possible to reduce watering, and the ripening of vegetables, fruits and berries will occur much earlier. Many gardeners have also noticed that crops grown in the right area last much longer.

For proper land zoning, it is important:

1. Draw up a schematic plan of the garden with the designation of all the buildings, shrubs and trees on it.
2. Write down all types of crops intended for planting, and determine, according to their soil and climate requirements, the best place to plant.
3. Consider the admissibility and priority of the neighborhood of different cultures.
4. Schematically indicate on the plan the size of the beds and the plants that will be planted there.

Such work seems difficult to perform. For her, you can hire a specialist in the field of landscape design, who can easily draw up the desired project. But it is not difficult to carry out such calculations on your own. And having done it once, you can forget what a bad harvest is.

How to arrange the beds on the cardinal points

When deciding to arrange the beds correctly, taking into account the cardinal points, the first question arises in which direction to make their length - from west to east or from north to south. Here it is important to consider the region in which the land is located:

In the central and northern regions, the landing should be carried out in the direction from north to south. So for all plants there will be enough light;
In the southern regions, the direction of planting crops should be from west to east. This will allow the plants to create a little shade for each other and prevent the soil from overheating.

But placing beds on the plot, oriented to the cardinal points, is not always advisable. For example, north-south beds work well for low plants and a horizontal plot. In this case, there will be enough light, and the water will not stagnate.

If these are tall plants, then the most suitable option would be an arrangement from west to east, so that the morning and evening rays of the sun can freely penetrate into the rows of plants and illuminate each of them.

Source: Depositphotos

Is your garden located in a zone of regular occurrence of strong winds? Landing must be carried out across the movement of air currents

When the site has significant irregularities, the beds in these places should be located exclusively across the slope. At the same time, the south side will be ideal for growing vegetables.

What to consider when planning

You have completed the first stage, but in order to go further and plan the location of the beds, you need to take into account some factors.

Lighting

Most cultures love the sun and well-lit areas. Only some plants can grow in partial shade, such as onions. That is, on the bed on which the shadow from the fence, house or other buildings falls, you can plant it and some types of herbs. The harvest, of course, will be small, but other crops are unlikely to give at least anything in a shaded place.

Culture Compatibility

By planting a cucumber next to beets, you will get a good harvest of these vegetables. But cucumbers do not get along next to tomatoes - they have different preferences for the level of soil moisture. Dill prolongs the fruiting period of cucumbers, and garlic and onions protect against pests. Legumes stimulate the growth of cucumbers. But there is a snag here too. Beans also stimulate the growth of potatoes, spinach, corn, radishes, radishes and basil. By the way, basil also helps legumes and fights grains.

Good neighbors for a tomato are onions, celery, lettuce, corn, radishes, garlic, radishes and spinach. And if you plant tomatoes next to cabbage, then the cabbage butterfly will stop spoiling the crop, because it does not tolerate the smell of tomato tops.

Cabbage grows well with other crops, but the best neighbors for it are onions and potatoes. Also lettuce and celery: they drive away the earthen flea from cabbage, and dill - aphids.

For example, plant onions or garlic among strawberries and you will forget about gray rot and strawberry weevil. And parsley, planted along the edges of the beds, will drive away the slugs. In general, garlic is considered a good helper against pests - because of its smell, pests will not spoil crops. Aphids react especially sharply to it: plant garlic, and it will disappear in a couple of days.

Beets, in turn, have a positive effect on the growth and development of beans, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes. And all due to the fact that its root crops secrete a liquid that has antibiotic properties. That is, beets not only stimulate growth, but also heal crops, especially carrots.

The best neighbors for carrots besides beets are tomatoes, radishes, peas, lettuce, sage, parsley, spinach and onions. The most interesting thing is that there is a carrot fly and an onion fly. But carrot does not tolerate the smell of onions, and onion - the smell of carrots.

What crops used to grow on the site

Firstly, only beans, potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries can be planted in one area for several years, but others need to be changed every year.

Secondly, consider what crops you planted that season. For example, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and legumes are recommended to be planted in the place where cabbage used to be. And you can’t put pumpkin, radish, carrots and cucumbers in its place.

Planning the beds is half the battle. In addition, it is very important to know how to rotate cultures.

Many people create vegetable gardens as a separate part of their summer cottage: without paths and ornamental plants.

But you can also turn the garden into a real decorative vegetable garden.

Even in the XVI-XVII centuries. such “kitchen” gardens were created in England and France.

After all, vegetables are not only tasty and healthy, but also beautiful!

It is better to place such a garden closer to the fence, hedges, fruit trees, as if limiting it. To make it convenient to take care of the plants, make a square plot as anyone allows an area with beds 1.5 m wide.

Like any garden, paths and beds are created here for several years with the change of vegetable crops.

Paths should be created with minimal maintenance costs.

Gravel requires regular maintenance to remove weeds and sticks to feet in bad weather. Grassy paths require mowing, so it is easier to create paths from improvised materials left over from construction work (usually old brick, cement blocks, beautiful pebbles).

Their width should not be large in order to save the total area. Therefore, the main paths can be made 70 cm wide (convenient for passing a wheelbarrow), and the secondary ones - no wider than 45 cm.

Planning solutions for paths can be very diverse.

The simplest option is a breakdown into rectangular beds with an emphasis on the central bed.

Another option - a square layout - makes it possible to further enhance the decorative effect of the central squares.

Another solution - diagonal-square-circular placement of paths - will diversify the rectangular planning network with a circular line.

If the area allows, you can implement several options for planning decisions at once.

No less than paths, it is important to select ornamental plants that would attract attention from different parts of the garden and unite a vegetable garden with a fruit garden.

These can be pyramidal or framed apple trees, small “balls” of ornamental plants that could be planted at the intersections of paths.

To emphasize the line of paths, along them you can plant borders of lavender, hosts or boxwood, which do not lose their decorative effect for a long time.

The main purpose of such a vegetable garden is to harvest. Therefore, for the cultivation of high-quality vegetable products, the following crop change scheme can be recommended.

In the first year, legumes are planted in a certain area, after harvesting which nitrogen-fixing roots remain in the ground.

After them, cabbage is planted in the second year. In the third year, the soil passes under tuberous crops.

But such alternation of plants can be carried out within one year.

For example, beans are planted in the spring, and when they grow up, onions are planted between them.

As soon as the beans are ripe, they are harvested, the roots are left in the soil as nitrogen fixers, and the beds are filled with small plants of broccoli, kale, or other types of cabbage.

The combination of vegetables is determined both by growth rate, ripening time, and aesthetic features.

Onions, dill, parsley are planted closer to the paths, because they most often have to be thinned out.

Of course, for such intensively cultivated soil, it is necessary to use top dressing in the form of garden compost or well-rotted mullein every year.

Numerous varieties of lettuce allow you to create decorative groups with curly, shaggy, flat and lacy leaves of various color shades and different heights.