[I Love Spuds]

Hello All,
I am soon to be moving house and will have a 150ft rear south facing garden (the reason for moving!). The problem is I am not sure how to layout the patches! My current ones are big square in the the front & back gardens, as big as I could fit in the space available. However I will soon have a blank canvas.

Is it best to have lots of narrower long beds, a few big square ones or maybe even a few very long & narrow? I'm guessing the anyone with an allotment has had to think about layout. What to you guys do on you allotments? I keep flitting between various options and I am going in circles. 

Any advice is much appreciated,
Mike.

PS - I am also getting a large greenhouse probably 18-20 ft lg by 8w.

[8doubles]

Myself i would go for beds no wider than you can reach from the paths each side, about 2 metres.
A friend is anti paths as he reckons it is a waste of growing space.

Easy v Maximum yield.

[Robster]

I'm wit 8Doubles.  Permanent paths and beds that you can reach to the middle.  I then avoid walking on the beds.

[snowdrops]

Yes I agree that's what I've done with my allotment. Permanent paths mean like today I hoed from both sides of 2 beds without stepping on the soil. You can plant closer together & still get good yields. Only thing is don't make them too long or you are tempted to walk across tonsavea long walk round, but I get round that by putting a temporary path in between crops, say a paving slab or decking board. If you makeall beds the same width & maybe length then any netting or weed suppressant membrane can be used on any bed easily. My beds are abut 5ft wide, slightly n the big side for me but it works for getting the rotovator in. I've got recycled slabs as paths, just an easy brush down when I've finshed

[I Love Spuds]

All very good advice and logical really, thank you. Narrow and not too long seems the way forward. As it will be in the garden I can make them really tidy, edging the bed etc. I could make the paths a decorative feature as well (fancy slabs woodchips etc.)

Any further advice welcome though 

[snowdrops]

If they were slabbed paths it would be easier to sweep clear with no edging, but if wood chipper paths the beds would be better with an edge to stop soil falling on to the woodchip. All depends on how much work & money you are prepared to outlay. It might be worth doing a less permanent path in the first instance to see how it works out for you & then replace with a more permanent solution as time progresses. I started with membrane paths & as I collected more slabs(free) I replaced them. Havea look at my diary. I've not updated the pictures to the more recent slabs but will try to soon

[jaydig]

My allotment is 62' wide by 65' long, and last year I swapped over to a bed system. I have a central path running front to back of the plot, so each side is 30' wide. I made the beds approx. 4' wide x 30' long, with a 1'5 - 2' permanent path between each bed.  I have found this so much easier to manage because the beds are easily accessed from both sides, and because I am walking on a permanent path between them, the soil doesn't get compacted and is really easy to dig over.  I thought I'd lose some growing space doing this, but, in fact, I have more, and life is a lot easier.
Crop rotation is easier to manage too.

[snowdrops]

My allotment is 62' wide by 65' long, and last year I swapped over to a bed system. I have a central path running front to back of the plot, so each side is 30' wide. I made the beds approx. 4' wide x 30' long, with a 1'5 - 2' permanent path between each bed.  I have found this so much easier to manage because the beds are easily accessed from both sides, and because I am walking on a permanent path between them, the soil doesn't get compacted and is really easy to dig over.  I thought I'd lose some growing space doing this, but, in fact, I have more, and life is a lot easier.
Crop rotation is easier to manage too.

That sounds similar to mine & you've found the same advantages😊 As yet (10 years) I've not found any disadvantages

[Blewit]

Same here, most of our 500 square metre plot is split into one metre wide beds which works for us.

[I Love Spuds]

Thanks everyone, really good advice all round. 
Snowdrop - your diary illustrates the idea perfectly 

[snowdrops]

I'll try to update photos with the slabs in place, they are only laid on top of the membrane with sand or soil to level. I'm sure in your garden you would most likely want a more professional finish. Block paving goes well & is relatively cheap, sometimes you can get used paving on gumtree etc. I just waited for free slabs to become available & in fact have another load waiting to go down, hubby is 'delighted'😄

[juvenal]

Anywhere on any bed should be reachable with a push hoe from a path.