Wide Row Raised Bed Gardening (Dave’s Garden)

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http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/618/?utm_source=nl_2008-01-28&utm_medium=email

Wide Row Raised Bed Gardening-The perfect plan for the lazy gardener

By Catherine Smith (doccat5)Rather than plant single straight rows in your garden, try planting wide rows. Several advantages are listed below along with some general instructions for creating wide rows. You’ll get more yield in less space, and your garden will require less maintenance.

This method is very similar to using Square Foot Gardening, except the area is larger and the planting not so particularly spaced.

Wide Row Gardening

Rather than plant single straight rows in your garden, try planting wide rows. Several advantages are listed below along with some general instructions for creating wide rows. You’ll get more yield in less space, and your garden will require less maintenance. You can make your rows as long as you need and have the space.

The advantages of using wide rows vs single row planting:
More space in your garden can and will be used to grow plants. You will see an increased production per square foot. You are creating and controlling a micro climate. You can add amendments selectively if necessary. If you are gardening in limited space this method allows you to get much more production per square foot than many other methods.

You save time because you have fewer weeds and properly monitored, less watering is necessary. You only need to mulch heavily between the rows. The shade provided by the growing plants eliminates the need for heavy mulching in the rows.
Harvesting is much easier, you will be able to pick more produce from a single location. You can control the height of your beds making picking much easier on your back. Many of the cool weather crops will produce longer with less bolt if inter planted among taller plants.

Companion planting is much easier. By inter planting root crops such as carrots, beets and radishes with other plants, you cultivate and aerate the remaining plants as you harvest the root crops.
Your plants stay cleaner and healthier. Heavy rain is less likely to splash mud on your growing vegetables.

Creating wide rows:

We have found 3 foot wide rows work best for us. It is easier to reach the middle of the row from either side.
Take extra time to properly till or spade the soil to a depth of six to 12 inches. Mix in ample amounts of compost, if available, processed manure, well-rotted manure and if the others are not available an all-purpose vegetable garden fertilizer, like 10-10-10. After mixing these soil additives with the existing soil, rake the area level to eliminate low spots where water night collect and keep the soil cool. By mounding the planting area you will find the soil dries out and warms up sooner and crops reach maturity at an earlier date.

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