4.5m x 1.2m of spuds - enough for a family?

puravida · « **on:** January 04, 2009, 19:15 »

Planning the new plot at the moment and struggling for space a bit!
I've pencilled in 2 beds for spuds, one for earlies and one for mains. Each bed being 4.5m x 1.2m but wonder if I can get away with one bed.

There's just the wife and I plus our 1 year old but we do cook for friends a lot and get through quite a few spuds!!

Any advice gratefully received!

Incidentally - I am using that online veg planner and it reckons I can get 45 early plants and 26 mains into a 4.5 x 1.2 bed each.
Sounds quite a lot to me so maybe one bed between them split 1/3 earlies and 2/3 mains is the answer?

Have I just answered my own post???

DD. · « **Reply #1 on:** January 04, 2009, 19:55 »

Now unless I've got something wrong, using good old fashioned pencil and paper, in a 1.2m wide bed, you may just squeeze two rows in.

4.5m = nearly 15 feet and you may squeeze 12-13 spuds in each row at a 15" spacing.

This is only 24/26 per bed!

johnathome · « **Reply #2 on:** January 04, 2009, 19:55 »

Hi, sorry i cant answer your question but you could you give me the link for the veg planner? Sounds like a useful tool.

DIGGER · « **Reply #3 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:09 »

I'm sure its me being just a bit thick,but i can not with or without a planner, plan my allotment at home,i always used to get it wrong.

Now last year i planned it down on the plot,one step being one yard and did a plan on an old bit of paper that was found in the car and got it thereabouts spot on.

This year i might progress to a clipboard

puravida · « **Reply #4 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:17 »

Thanks for the replies.
Yes DD, actually you agree exactly with this online thingy - they reckoned 26 maincrop plants in one 4.5 x 1.2 bed and then 45 earlies in another one. Guess the earlies grow smaller?

The planner I have been using today is here:

GrowVeg.com

Takes a few mins to get into the swing of it - I recommend watching the help videos. They offer a 30 day free trial which I am using. It's £15 per year after that but I'm figuring on having everything planned out within the free trial period.

It's useful not only to plan the space but tells you how many plants you need and when to sow them etc etc.

DD. · « **Reply #5 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:24 »

Ah - I misread the post, but I reckon that only by planting right up to the edges of the plot - which you can't - you'd only get that many earlies in.

I'd say about 30ish - 15 in two rows with the spuds spaced 12" apart.

Why after all these years do we have to reply on computers to do everything? As Digger alluded to a stride & the length of a welly boot has been good enough all this time.

puravida · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:44 »

I take your point but don't think it is relying on computers, just making good use of information, databases and tools out there at our disposal.

I've been growing veg in the garden for a couple of years but only on a small scale and despite having read as many books and veg mags ( plus forums like this) as I get time to, I still feel a real novice!

Taking on a plot is quite daunting and having something that easily reckons the number of plants I need per bed and the spacing between it all saves an awful lot of research time as well as wasted plants getting it wrong.

Gives me a bit of confidence I guess. And it makes a nice pretty plan that my wife likes too

DD. · « **Reply #7 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:45 »

And someone stands to get 15 quid a time!

puravida · « **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:54 »

Yes true!
Fair play to them though - someone has put a lot of work into it!
Having said that - I think the 30-day free trial they offer is quite generous. I'll bet 99% of people that use their site just make their plan in the first few days and therefore don't have to pay anything at all for the service.

MoreWhisky · « **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2009, 20:55 »

Im actually going to use this grow veg thing for same reason puravida is also cause it think its a good guide to newbies (like me).

The wife likes it to so yeah they will be getting £15 from me :oops:

But soon DD wont need it like you

nwalch · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2009, 21:02 »

My beds are 4.8m x 1.2m and I can only get 12-13 main crop spuds in (38\40cm between plants). As your meant to have 75cm between rows it doesnt really give you much room to have more than 1 row especially as you need space to earth up.

DD. · « **Reply #11 on:** January 04, 2009, 21:05 »

Quote from: "nwalch"

My beds are 4.8m x 1.2m and I can only get 12-13 main crop spuds in (38\40cm between plants). As your meant to have 75cm between rows it doesnt really give you much room to have more than 1 row especially as you need space to earth up.

Exactly why I used the word "squeeze" in my post twice!

SalJ1980 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:02 »

Quote from: "puravida"

I'll bet 99% of people that use their site just make their plan in the first few days and therefore don't have to pay anything at all for the service.

Yup - s'what I did!

woodburner · « **Reply #13 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:09 »

Short answer is "No"

happy chick · « **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2009, 22:23 »

Quote from: "woodburner"

Short answer is "No"

totally agree! We allocate one raised bed that size each year to first earlies and we're out by september :roll:

Probably something to do with the fact that OH happens to be Irish

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