Raised Bed Layout Design for Small Garden
With our less-than-massive backyard, I’ve been working on the perfect raised bed layout design. This year, I swore I was just going to throw some seeds in the earth and let Mother Nature take over. However, the gardening bug kicked in right around February. (Honestly.) So I’ve been devoting more time to prep & soil work while waiting for the weather to warm up. As a result, ladies and gentlemen, we have raised beds.
I’m very picky about which plants I bother to grow now, so my raised bed layout design needs to have the following traits.
Garden Bed Layout Requirements
- Accommodate large vines like squash
- Squash will keep for a long time in the cellar, so we will have less waste.
- Maximize growing space
- Accommodate trellises & minimize dead space.
- Allow for easy workability
- Most years, I overcrowd my garden beds. But not always. I always enjoy working in the spacious garden beds the most.
- Keeping beds close together (but not too close) will reduce the chance that I miss areas to tend
- Make the best use of available sun & shade
- Maintain plenty of running room for the dogs
- Not only do we want them to still be able to enjoy the backyard, but we know they will just run through our veggies if the raised bed layout design is poor.
Two Separate Raised Bed Designs
Below are two ideas for raised bed layout design in sunny locations. I always opt to utilize the square foot gardening technique. This allows for maximizing space and organization.
East Facing Raised Garden Beds
South Facing Garden Beds
The raised bed layout design for the south facing garden beds is a little more basic. Over here, I’m pretty much just planning to grow melons & acorn squash.
Trellis to Maximize Raised Bed Layout Design
This is our first year using a trellis, but I know that we will have to hammock the melons to prevent them from dropping to the ground. The first 3/4 of the bed are under open sky with full sun. While there is plenty of space on either sides of the garden bed, we are using a trellis so that the crazy mutts don’t trample the vines on the ground. Plus, I’ve read that climbing vines tend to have less disease and stronger stems than when they’re on the ground. Sounds like a win-win to me!
I was really tempted to fill up the empty spaces with plants. I might throw more kale in the south facing garden beds, which gets mixed light on the end because of a tree overhead. However, I always end up finding new & fun varieties at Stein’s in Milwaukee. I think I’d rather leave it open-ended so that I can throw in extras as they call my name.
Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.