North-South or East-West

[Gardening with Rabbits]

How important is it to run the rows north/south? I have had both ways. I think I have more room to get in and out of the rows going east/west. I think if I put the pole beans on the north it will all work okay, but if I rotate things next year, I am not sure.

 

[journey11]

The main thought behind running your rows N/S is that each plant will get optimal exposure to the sunlight without being overshadowed by its neighbors. I always put my taller things to the East or North too, since the afternoon sun is stronger. Sometimes it's hard to make everything fit how you want it, huh.

 

[dickiebird]

I run mine E/W with tallest things to the north.
I do it this way because of a couple trees on the W side of the garden that give things some shade in the afternoon.

THANX RICH

 

[seedcorn]

Corn I run S-N. Rest of garden is E-W. Really doesn't matter because there is only so much sun going to hit the garden. Key to maximizing Sunshine is to not allow it to get to ground. If row is shaded, it will lag behind.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've heard both ways too but I think the key is to not shade plants that need sunlight. It sounds like you are planting in rows spaced out a bit, not square foot gardening. You may find that shade is not as big a problem as you imagine with things spread out a bit, even when you rotate crops later.

I don't know what you grow, but last year my corn was on the south end, right where it was not supposed to go because of the shade thing. The next thing over was sweet potatoes and squash, things that spread out. They got plenty of sunlight.