bed spacing & layout

TightenUp · May 30, 2015

I'll include dimensions for those mathematically inclined folks

Fenced frame 22 x 15 feet
boxes 30 x 60 inches but with the lip(molding) closer to 33 x 63 inches

Mostly growing tomatoes and worried spacing is going to be tight

Sodak · May 30, 2015

very nice!
3 plants/box?

Fred Hempel · May 30, 2015

I think 2 plants/box would work well, and 3/box would be fine too.

GaryStPaul · May 30, 2015

A labor of love, I can see that. Beautifully done.
I myself would put two indeterminates, or three dwarfs, per box and let them go crazy.

Gary

bughunter99 · May 30, 2015

Wow, looks really really nice. I'm jealous!

AlittleSalt · May 30, 2015

That looks very nice. I'm guessing the boxes are around 30" apart in the 22' wide part?

TightenUp · May 30, 2015

I'm thinking 3 a box. My main question is layout of the boxes themselves. Thinking of moving over the left and right rows to almost touch the fence. Where they are now I doubt I'll be able to get between the fence and the outer beds anyway so why not move them?

AlittleSalt · May 30, 2015

Last year, we grew a row of tomatoes on the fence line. It worked well. Sometimes it was a little challenging to get to the tomatoes. We let the indet. tomatoes grow without trimming them though.

Just a thought, maybe 6 boxes instead of 8?

greyghost · May 30, 2015

Beautiful work!! I agree with you about moving boxes closer to fence--
you'll be able to reach though easily to pick and have more room between boxes
to walk. That'll be helpful when you carry out large boxes of tomatoes. Darlene

Carriehelene · May 30, 2015

That is a work of art. It's going to be gorgeous when all planted and growing. I concur with moving the boxes out.

feldon30 · May 30, 2015

Looks fantastic and clearly a lot of hard work went into this. I mocked this up in Illustrator, redoing the beds as 36" by 11' with 2' spacing on all sides. The end result is roughly the same, 6 plants per row or 24 plants in the entire garden area. The only way you could have increased the number of plants would be if you built 3' beds on the outside edges along the fence, and then put a 3' x 12' bed in the middle. You could squeeze 30 plants in that space, but it would be harder to reach and could turn into quite a jungle. I think you've made a good use of the space.

Misfit · May 30, 2015

WOW, nicely done... With a little more work, you can turn it into a greenhouse for the Winter months.
Happy growing!

-Jimmy

Carriehelene · May 30, 2015

Jimmy, I can totally see that! Awesome idea.

wildcat62 · May 30, 2015

That is a very nice setup. I would also move the outer boxes close to the fence & space the inner ones out evenly. You put some work into that. Congrats.

zeuspaul · May 30, 2015

I would want the center aisles slightly wider than the others. I would shift all boxes six inches or so towards the outer fence to widen the center access.

May 30, 2015	#2
Sodak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: 5a SD Posts: 253	very nice! 3 plants/box? __________________ Fight the good fight, finish the course and keep the faith

May 30, 2015	#6
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	That looks very nice. I'm guessing the boxes are around 30" apart in the 22' wide part? Last edited by AlittleSalt; May 30, 2015 at 11:54 AM.

May 30, 2015	#7
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	I'm thinking 3 a box. My main question is layout of the boxes themselves. Thinking of moving over the left and right rows to almost touch the fence. Where they are now I doubt I'll be able to get between the fence and the outer beds anyway so why not move them? __________________

May 30, 2015	#11
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Looks fantastic and clearly a lot of hard work went into this. I mocked this up in Illustrator, redoing the beds as 36" by 11' with 2' spacing on all sides. The end result is roughly the same, 6 plants per row or 24 plants in the entire garden area. The only way you could have increased the number of plants would be if you built 3' beds on the outside edges along the fence, and then put a 3' x 12' bed in the middle. You could squeeze 30 plants in that space, but it would be harder to reach and could turn into quite a jungle. I think you've made a good use of the space. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

May 30, 2015	#3
Fred Hempel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Sunol, CA Posts: 2,723	I think 2 plants/box would work well, and 3/box would be fine too.

May 30, 2015	#4
GaryStPaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St Paul, MN Posts: 158	A labor of love, I can see that. Beautifully done. I myself would put two indeterminates, or three dwarfs, per box and let them go crazy. Gary

May 30, 2015	#5
bughunter99 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: zone 5 Posts: 821	Wow, looks really really nice. I'm jealous!

May 30, 2015	#9
greyghost Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: southeastern PA Posts: 760	Beautiful work!! I agree with you about moving boxes closer to fence-- you'll be able to reach though easily to pick and have more room between boxes to walk. That'll be helpful when you carry out large boxes of tomatoes. Darlene

May 30, 2015	#10
Carriehelene Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 300	That is a work of art. It's going to be gorgeous when all planted and growing. I concur with moving the boxes out.

May 30, 2015	#12
Misfit Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Baltimore Posts: 165	WOW, nicely done... With a little more work, you can turn it into a greenhouse for the Winter months. Happy growing! -Jimmy

May 30, 2015	#14
wildcat62 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: Zone 6 Northern Kentucky Posts: 1,094	That is a very nice setup. I would also move the outer boxes close to the fence & space the inner ones out evenly. You put some work into that. Congrats.

May 30, 2015	#15
zeuspaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: North County, San Diego Posts: 419	I would want the center aisles slightly wider than the others. I would shift all boxes six inches or so towards the outer fence to widen the center access.