Offset spacings in beds

[TomatoDon]

I have the beds ready, and in fact added six this year for a total of 26. 12 in town, 16 in the country. My standard size is 4 X 12, but I added some 5 X 12 this year for corn.

In a couple of weeks it will be planting time. I decided not to use my usual 6 per bed, side by side, planting since it seemed to be a little crowded. I am considering trying 4 planted right down the middle also.

The one method I haven't tried is offset spacings. I know some of you use this method very successfully and I'm wondering if you figured up just how much extra space each plant gets, especially concerning aeration and space between the foliage of each indivudual plant.

I stuck 6 cages in one bed today, placed them offset, and it looks like the crowding problem would be solved this way. That would be 6 plants in 48 square feet, or 8 sq. ft. per plant, which seems more than enough. I know that's enough dirt, but in the past, planting side by side, the foliage got pretty crowded.

Comments?

Thanks!

Don

[RonnyWil]

Here's how I do mine. It worked well for me last year.
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This is done with 16' cattle panels in a 3'x16' raised bed. The Vs are panel cut to 16" but can be cut wider to 24" since the openings on the panels are 8" wide. The whole thing is mounted 12" from the ground on three tee posts.

I added top line and bottom line, being the edge of the bed, because every time I tried to post this it would take away the spaces between the bottom Vs. Just ignore them.

[TomatoDon]

Thanks, and great diagram. The offset configuration I tried today with the cages is identical to your set up.

I'm up in Collierville a good bit. I remember when it was rural and lots of cattle and bird dog country. Much of that is in apartments, condos, malls, etc. as you well know.

Maybe we can meet at Barnes and Nobles at the shopping center off 385 one day this spring for tomato talk. My family is from over around Moscow, LaGrange, etc. Actually, Early Grove near Rossville.

Thanks again!

Don
South of Oxford

[bryanccfshr]

In a 4x14 bed I am able to grow 9 plants at a 3' spacing in that pattern. Which is what I am doing in 1 of my beds.

[BVGardener]

Don,

Another benefit to offset planting is that you decrease the shade effect from plants in the previous row. As an example, suppose you have 3' wide rows with 1' spacing between each row and that you place the plant in rows where they all line up with each other. That would equate to 4' spacing between plants from one row to the next. But if you offset the plants, you increase that to 8' and so you have less shade time cast on tomato plants from the previous row.

Jay

[TomatoDon]

Yes, I agree BV. I come from a farm family and just guess I developed an eye for wanting things to be proportional and symetrical, straight rows and plantings, matching rows, etc. I don't think that works as well with tomatoes in raised beds as does the offset spacing.

Suze here has 3' wide beds and does the offset spacing. I think my beds have more square feet than hers, but she gets as many, or more, plants in them. I experimented a little positioning the cages in the beds yesterday and can see that I could get more plants, more areation, less shade, etc. than the spacings I have been using. I had decided to just go with one row of four down the center, but that left a lot of the bed out of production. Going to offset spacing lets be add back the two plants, and in essence increase the productivity of the bed by 33%. Can't wait to try it.

Thanks BV!

Don

[feldon30]

I put 16 plants in my 4' x 16' bed. It will probably be a jungle, but it is accessible from all sides, and I may do some trimming (not pruning) to keep some open airflow.

[gssgarden]

In one of my beds last year I put 14 side by side. WAY too many. Staggering nine per bed with the thought of getting MUCH better air flow and production. Two weeks to go!!.

Greg

[the999bbq]

I'm going for 45 x 90 cm (1.5ft x 3ft approximatelly)

[TomatoDon]

Greg, what size is your bed?

I don't know why I was so stubborn in always wanting the beds and plantings symetrical, but the offset is gaining favor with my plans, especially now that I've positioned the cages to see what it would look like and the flexibility it offers.

It will also help solve the "crop rotation"of tomatoes since I can alternate the offset from year to year and each year plant in soil that didn't have a plant directly in it the year before. Plus, I also dig a pretty good size hole and use fresh mix each season so that should be double insurance.

After adding the three beds in town I can now have 48 plants in the first 8 beds. This leaves 16 more beds in the country. But 48's more than enough. Now I can branch out into more corn, melons, and strawberies.

Thanks!

Don

[tumbleweed]

In my 4X12 raised beds, I have 6 indet tomatoes supported by CRW cages in zig-zag patterns, and one 4X12 bed with 8 eggplants also zig-zag

[TomatoDon]

No crowding? Satisfied with the spacing and results?

D

[Ruth_10]

I offset my tomatoes. Don't think I could make my way in and around the tomato patch late in the season if I didn't. I also plant brassicas, peppers, corn, and just about everything else that way.

[robin303]

No matter how you stagger it as long they are 32" to 36" apart. I do mine like Ronney and Don as some good feed back too.

[Earl]

In my 4 wide beds I offset too. 7 plants in a 4 by 16 bed.