Plant Spacing In Raised Beds

Hi there,

I am not new to gardening, but this is the first time I've really been able to get something permanent going.

I have built several raised beds to grow vegetables in....they are of various sizes, but all of them are approximately 24 inches deep.

I have raised seedlings of various plants and have also directly planted some rows.

I am confused about spacing the plants. My other gardening experience was gained on 'open ground'.
I have read in many places that plants can be placed much closer together in raised beds, but I cannot find any guidance on how much I can reduce the spacings down to.

If I keep to the spacings advised on the seed packs then I'm not going to be able to grow half as much as I'd like.

Can anyone here please guide me on what is practical and achievable regarding plant spacings in these types of bed?

Seeds directly planted: beetroot, carrots, kohl rabi, scarzonera
Seedlings in conservatory: sprouts, cabbage, leeks

Many thanks in advance

 

First thing, in my mind, is that the "outer" row of plants are hanging over the edge, and the path, so they have all the space they need (on that side at least).

The Vegetable Growers Almanac site has a useful resource of planting distances (both Row x Plant spacings, and also Raised bed spacings). You have to choose the vegetable type from the Select List, and then its details are displayed.

Just looking at that Sprouts are 1M x 1M with either system (Seems a lot to me!!)

Summer Cabbage is 45cm x 45cm in Rows, and 35cm x 35cm in raised beds

Leeks are 30cm x 10cm compared to 20cm x 20cm

My raised beds are 4' wide. I planted my Sprouts, last year, with a plant on each edge, and then one diagnoally place in the middle - so 3 rows with the middle row staggered. I suppose there was about 2' between the plants along-the-bed. They cropped very well.

The other thing you could research is what is known as "Square foot gardening" which is a high density planting method of growing veg

http://www.thevga.co.uk/the_shed/sindex.cgi

 

Many thanks for the excellent information Kristen.

 

Thanks for the thanks, but it doesn't seem to get your Sprouts any closer together, does it? :(

 

I am surprised at the sprout spacing:cnfs:

I think your method of a sprout per corner is good and will certainly save some space.

I do need to remove and replace some plants now having read through some of that information though......thank goodness I haven't planted a lot out yet.

ATB

 

My Bedford Fillbasket (which is a great name, because if last year's crop is anything to go by that is EXACTLY what they do!!) says 75cm each way ... and there is no way that the leaves were touching last year. I reckon they were 36" (91cm) across the bed, and then 25" (63cm) on the diagonal (if my Pythagorus calculation is to reliable all these years after Skool!)

 

Good point John. I planted my Sprouts closer together last year (actually, I think they were closer than I calculated above), I've put them further apart this year after reading the packet. (Last year I got plants from the garden centre so didn't read anything! just stuck them in at a couple-of-trowel-widths apart)

I'll keep notes this year and modify what I do next year accordingly.

We had MASSES of Sprouts from last years plants, so I don't think they were bothered at all - so on reflection I can't see how a 1M spacing would be any benefit (no doubt depends on variety, and the Bedford Fillbasket I had last year grew with a narrow habit). Anyways, as I said above, I have grown them from seed this year and the packet is right in front of me - it says 75cm / 30" between plants - which is less than a metre as recommended generically for Sprouts, but I reckon wider than I planted them last year.

Dr Hessayon says 2.5' between plants, Joy Larkcom says 2'-2.5' for dwarf types, and 3' for tall types and "provided they are not cramped" to put cut-and-come-again (Lettuce etc.) between them.

I'm regretting being generous with the spacing I have used now ... shall I dig them up and replant them more cosily?

 

Now you sit down and be quiet at the back, otherwise I'll upload a photograph of my plot!

Whilst spacing them out "more than last year" I did have the thought that not everything was going to fit in the one bed (they are 4' wide by about 15M) - which as you say is fine, because I have other beds that I can spill-over into. However, that then makes the crop rotation more complicated.

I realise that no-one grows exactly the same area of Brassicas, Roots and Beans - let alone Spuds! and I could certainly overspill the Brassicas into a Plot 2 that was rotated with Spuds and Sweet corn (and even Gladioli and Sweet peas if necessary), but it would be nice not to have to ...

 

I was planting out last weekend and had a thought. All my veg plants are grown in pots, so I grow what I need, avoid the trials and tribulations of sowing outside, and so on.

Thus I had Cabbages, Cauliflowers ... and also Lettuce and Leaf Beet to plant.

If I honoured the recommended spacing for Brassicas, but put a Lettuce in each direction between the plants, I reckon the outcome would be about right. What I actually did was to plant the Brassicas at raised-bed spacing (generally a bit closer than Row / Plant spacings), and I think I used up more space planting Brassicas in one bed, and Lettuce in another, than I would have used inter-cropping the lettuce.

I need to make some checks on how quickly the Lettuce grow, compared to the Brassicas, and if that seems to work I can consider it next year.

 

Hi chums. Whilst on the subject of sprouts, last year I grew 'Evesham Special' which I understand are a 'regular' type. Growing them in raised beds I spaced at 2ft intervals and apart from the fact I didn't get a single sprout (due to caterpillars and 'blown' sprouts :( ) the spacing looked pretty good to me. Ok, they were touching, but it didn't stop them putting on vigorous growth. 8 plants in all, in an 8ft x 4ft raised bed. This year I'm growing 'Cromwell' which are supposed to be more compact, again, 8 plants. Nothing wrong I guess with 'Evesham Specials', but I had to remove the netting (Enviromesh) to allow for growth, which is when the cabbage whites got in Cheers...freddy.

 

I've thought some more about this. Intercropping with Brassica plants will obviously fit in with the rotation. I need to see how quickly my plants get really "wide", and would thus steal the light from an intercrop, but it strikes me that with a bit of planning the Sprouts could be miles apart, and the ground between well used.

Putting in sticks for the location of the sprout plants and planting the intercrop much earlier might work, or a really fast crop.

Chinese Cabbage is 10 weeks, but if sown on 1st June won't be ready until mid August ... I expect it would be possible to bring that forward by sowing (in transplant pots) a month earlier?

Alternatively cut-and-come-again Brassicas - the open chinese cabbage, or Pak Choi. They will be ready in about 4-5 weeks, and could also be raised in transplant pots, so sown mid May maybe?

As it happens I've got a dozen Pak Choi that were sown then ... I might try them between the brassicas as an experiement.