Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Feef on April 08, 2008, 23:34
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New to this site and just planting my first ever raised beds. Am I right in thinking that seeds,seedlings and sets should be planted much closer together in raised beds than in standard vegetable plots......if this is correct...how much closer is best?
Also does anyone have a recommendation for a book specifically on raised bed gardening?
Many thanks Feef
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I never used a guide persay...just worked out how big the veggie should eventually be...give it a smidge more room and there you go!! ;)
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Hi
I have been growing in beds for 18mths now and i just follow the planting info the packet says i dont change it just because they are going into beds.
I have done my potatoes in beds and with them i can not set them the same apart as a none bed user but they work fine. Most veg will grow no mater what.
Good luck and have fun thats what it is al about sow and enjoy.
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It's not necessary to plant things any closer in a raised bed than is suggested on the seed packet.
The main thing is that if you have small beds that you can access without having to walk on the soil then you can plant closer together since you'll not need the extra room between rows to walk.
People with big allotments might sow lettuce 2 feet between the rows which will give them ample room to walk between the rows even though they only need to be 1 foot apart.
But don't sow or plant any closer than is recommended.
Basically just get any good veg growing book and follow their guidelines.
The vegetable and Herb expert is a good one. :D
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Just average out what it says on the seed packet about distance between seeds and rows, then sow them equidistant. Or guess, which is my preferred method.
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Thank you for that, what a joy to get such fast answers...great to know that i can get going first thing tomorrow with my seed packets and sets at the ready, also pleased to hear that I can use one of the raised beds for growing potatoes..I was a little worried about that!
Feef
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Feef
The theory says plant out at equal spacing, same distance betwwen plants in row as between rows So working from ther the planting distance is always the row distsnce on the packet. Now some people claim you can plant a lot close where it should be 18" plant at 12" roughly cut all your spacin by a third.
I've tried both in the past and come to the conclusion that planting at the correct spacing as given on the packet is best the plants have room to develop and give good crops . Another point always said about raised beds don't walk on 'em fair enought till you plant brassica especially Sprouts which just don't develop right they tend to blow instead of forming buttons.
As I say this is only my opinion but it works for me
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I agree with Celtic Eagle - when I first starting growing veg, I tried to squeeze them in a bit tighter than it said on the packet. Total disaster. These days I might go in the opposite direction and add a little extra to the recommendation :lol:
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Thank you great advice...makes sense which is , I guess, what gardening is about after all is said and done!
...Celtic Eagle ...can you clarify re Brassicas.....did you give up on them or did you firm the soil before and after planting to compensate?
Thanks Feef
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Here's another view:
Look up 'Square foot gardening' on Google or some such.
That's a method that suggests you can get a lot more produce from an area.
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No way I gave up! Like 'em too much planted in firmed soil walk over the bed that does it
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Yep I have fallen fowl of blown sprouts coz of loose soil in raised beds, also my spring cabbage have gone to seed which I think is another sympton of this problem.
One other thing worth thinking about, if the spuds are in a raised bed, think where you are gonna rake the soil up from later on, I've tried to create a deep valley with ridges each side of the bed this year.
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Yep I have fallen fowl of blown sprouts coz of loose soil in raised beds, also my spring cabbage have gone to seed which I think is another sympton of this problem.
One other thing worth thinking about, if the spuds are in a raised bed, think where you are gonna rake the soil up from later on, I've tried to create a deep valley with ridges each side of the bed this year.
I second this, I gave up on sprouts and potatoes this year. I only have the deep beds ans grow in homemade compost, not really suitable for either of these two crops. Potatoes like the heavier soil, my compost is too friable and loose the sprouts like to have a firm footing.
Cheers
:)
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Thanks for that ...I will go tramp the beds down and also check out the square foot information.....and give thought to the potatoes
The cauliflower plants are not looking too happy and I swear I already have slugs chasing the cabbages!
Thanks Feef
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Hi there, a newbie here.
Thought i could add to this rather than start a whole new thread.
You've sorted spacing, but how deep should the bed be? I am making one to sit on a patio and wondered if 12-18 inches was enough or not?
I also have brussels ready to plant, but reading this they aren't going to like it in this bed are they, any other sprout ideas for a soil-less garden?
Thanks, Tony
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Most veg have variable recommended growing depths, carrots for example can be grown in 4 inches if you like a small sweet crop. I grew some in 6 inch pots last year and they were small but tasty.
However this year I have constucted 14 inch raised beds with a further 12 inches of soil below that for a bit of extra depth. I can't say how this is going to work but other more experienced posters on this site will tell you.
I have a book on container veg and it tells you both minimum and recommended depths for planting. A google search will tell you this info.
Good luck.
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Most people say 12 inches is about right. Mine are going to be more like 20 ins but I'm experimenting a little.
You could still put sprouts into a large pot (1 per pot) and at least you could really firm the soil in that - that may work
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Have a look at this link it gives depths and numbers!! :wink:
Hi Joker !!
http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/SqFt/start_now.htm
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Feef
The theory says plant out at equal spacing, same distance betwwen plants in row as between rows So working from ther the planting distance is always the row distsnce on the packet. Now some people claim you can plant a lot close where it should be 18" plant at 12" roughly cut all your spacin by a third.
I guess I must be one of those people then ;) because it's not necessary to put the whole row spacing between plants as well. The important thing is the area per plant.
Because the distance between rows is so great to allow for the hoe and feet, plants are actually much closer within the row. The ideal distance between plants in a block is between these two. If you work out the area allowed for each plant then work out the dimensions of a square or circle with that same area, that will be the ideal spacing within a block.
Also, very often, the instructions are for growing maximum sized veg for show, if you want smaller more "kitchen sized" onions or couliflower for example you can reduce the space a bit more. Obviously it doesn't work for everything though.
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:D Thanks for the Sq foot garden page :D flowerlady
I have printed it out and read it all twice! Mine won't be exactly square but i'll use the same principal.
Thanks for the pot idea for brussels, it'll be a while but i'll take photos and let you know the results.
My gran has given me coat hangers and net curtains for protection against carrot fly, so i'll be a busy boy if the heavy rain holds off.
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Glad you liked the link Joker ... we will extect phots you know ... especially with Gran's net curtains !! :wink: :lol:
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I work on the square foot principle so I plant everything closer than suggested. I am interested in getting the maximum from each bit of soil and don't mind if the individual veggies are smaller :D I cram it all in veg and flowers to keep the beasties away
This post has a picture of one of my beds last yearSquare foot (http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=14240&view=next)
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It was no use trying to delay the construction! :lol:
I has taken just under a week, but the work is done and i have taken some pictures for you to marvel at :wink:
Flickr Lotty Photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8380866@N08/)
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This is really aimed at purplebean or flowerlady with your square foot gardening. Reading the numbers of runner beans they tell you can be planted in a sq ft its 9. What would you recommend for a trough that measures 22" by 10" and 10"deep. Thanks.
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The way sq foot gardening works is by the block of space a plant needs - so if the recommendation for runners is 9 per sq ft, then they need 4 inch blocks - there are nine 4 inch blocks in a sq ft (3 x 3).
so if we work on 4 inch blocks then in your 22 inch length - you can have 5 plants. In the 10 inch width you can fit 2. With a couple of inches left over.
This means 10 runner plants in your bed. The depth should be fine.
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Thanks bear. That does seem an awful lot. I was only going to plant 4 in each one. lol Better get some more seeds on the go. Thats great thank you. :D