epitman
Chillin' In The Garden
I am wanting to build a raised bed garden approx 16'x8' and im wanting to plant 340 plants so any help would be appricated. Post pics please!!! 
Raised bed pics
- Thread starter epitman
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wsmoak
Deeply Rooted
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- May 14, 2010
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- Location
- A little north of Columbus, GA
I think you''ll find that 8' is too wide -- you won't be able to reach into the middle of it. Mine are 4' wide and that seems to work well.
It's too early to do the math, but that sounds like an awful lot of plants for that amount of area. What are you planning to grow?
It's too early to do the math, but that sounds like an awful lot of plants for that amount of area. What are you planning to grow?
Kim_NC
Attractive To Bees
Agreed. Ours are 4' wide.
In the past we've had 3' (too narrow) and 5' (a bit of a stretch)....we settled on 4' as the optimum width.
In the past we've had 3' (too narrow) and 5' (a bit of a stretch)....we settled on 4' as the optimum width.
Chickie'sMomaInNH
Garden Master
i've been using a free planting bed mapping program on one of the seed and supplier sites. http://www.gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html
i do companion planting so this helps me figure out how many plants per square foot while pre-planning where everything should go!
i do companion planting so this helps me figure out how many plants per square foot while pre-planning where everything should go!
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epitman
Chillin' In The Garden
Thank you for all the advise I was thinking that a big rectangle would do the trick this will be my first time with a raised bed. I am use to a big 1 acre garden with lots of rows of each plant. I guessing that you dont walk between the rows in a raised bed so I may make (2) 4'x16' raised beds with a 3' walk way in between them.
Ok I am wanting to plant= onions, lettice,mustard greens, green beans, potatos, spinich, okra, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, cabbage, peas, and tomatos. Is this possible in a raised bed garden??? :tools
Ok I am wanting to plant= onions, lettice,mustard greens, green beans, potatos, spinich, okra, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, cabbage, peas, and tomatos. Is this possible in a raised bed garden??? :tools
Chickie'sMomaInNH
Garden Master
if you're going to grow in a raised bed like that you might want to make shorter squares or rectangles and just have multiple ones for different crops or companion crop combinations. that way you can do any work or harvesting all around the bed easier.
there are a lot of different threads going on right now with people asking about doing raised beds. you don't even have to do raised beds, but a sort of raised row with the same dimensions. raised beds have some of the same issues as raised rows, but there are some other benifits. you might want to tell us why you want to do raised beds so we know a little more about your situation? do you have clay instead of dirt or sand? will you need to amend the soil with compost? do you have an easy way to get some compost if you need it?
you may also want to look into companion planting. some veggies don't grow well beside other veggies-one may inhibit the growth of the other or attract a bad bug that will damage the plants.
a good example of companion planting is: cukes should not be grown near potatoes because it can cause the potatoes to get phytophthora blight. you can use the cukes instead around corn to keep raccoons away, since the raccoons don't like the cukes.
there are a lot of different threads going on right now with people asking about doing raised beds. you don't even have to do raised beds, but a sort of raised row with the same dimensions. raised beds have some of the same issues as raised rows, but there are some other benifits. you might want to tell us why you want to do raised beds so we know a little more about your situation? do you have clay instead of dirt or sand? will you need to amend the soil with compost? do you have an easy way to get some compost if you need it?
you may also want to look into companion planting. some veggies don't grow well beside other veggies-one may inhibit the growth of the other or attract a bad bug that will damage the plants.
a good example of companion planting is: cukes should not be grown near potatoes because it can cause the potatoes to get phytophthora blight. you can use the cukes instead around corn to keep raccoons away, since the raccoons don't like the cukes.
jojo54
Garden Ornament
Oh and btw 
and enjoy!
and enjoy!
Usc529
Chillin' In The Garden
might be a good idea to make (2) 4x8's and just lay down landscaping timbers no need for 2x6's do you have any chickens? if so mix some chicken poop into the ground plants grow real good then :tools
hangin'witthepeeps
Deeply Rooted
My tomatoes did not do good in the raised bed. They need air flow, so space them at least 2 feet apart. Squash got mildew fast in the raised bed and then got black mold and rotted. Squash needs a lot of space between plants in order to produce. I have 4 x 8 beds and I found that it was impossible to weed the middle squares without stepping in the bed, which is a no-no.
vfem
Garden Addicted
Yep, moisture in the south is a big issue! If you can create air flow, they do much better... and MULCH MULCH MULCH. Keeps bacteria from the soil off of the plant, which harbor such diseases as Blight.hangin'witthepeeps said:
I have 1 5' x 5' bed, and I also have issues reaching to the middle for larger plants and produce. It does just find for greens though...cabbage, lettuce and stuff. It also did well for onions and garlic since I could plant them closer together.
We're going to put in another garden area at 50' x 20' and its going to be a bunch of 4' x 3' beds with walking paths.
The raised beds weren't great for my squash, but my root veggies have done AMAZING!!!!!
