I’ve just put together a 4x8 raised bed in central South Carolina, USA. It’s about 12 in deep. I filled it first with branches and larger limbs, then a layer of dead leaves, and finally a mixture of compost, manure, topsoil, and garden soil. I’m planning to start planting this next weekend. I’m trying to put together a plan for what to plant. The picture above shows kind of a first shot at putting it all together on the veg plotter tool.
I’ve got marigolds on the corners with tomatoes in the back, alternating with lettuce, cucumbers on either side. I’m thinking I’ll have some carrots interspersed with some dill, garlic and basil. The rest is rounded out with yellow squash and zucchini.
So I know this is probably way too crowded, but these are all plants I’d be interested in potentially cultivating. The tomatoes and cucumbers are definites, and the herbs and marigolds are meant to be companion plants to keep away pests and attract pollinating insects.
Please tear this ridiculous amateurish diagram apart, and let me know what I should do instead 😅
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We have 4x8 foot beds too.
I would broadly group plants into four categories:
- Things that stay low to the ground and don’t spread much. Examples include carrots, onions, lettuce, etc. You can plant these fairly densely
- Things that climb (climbing beans, cucumbers, beans, squash, melons, peas, etc) or at least grow mostly vertically like indeterminate tomatoes. You can plant these somewhat densely. We tend to have one bed that has an 8’ row of carrots, an 8’ row of climbing peas and pole beans , a double/triple row of onions, an 8’ row of indeterminate tomatoes spaced every 20" or so in a Florida weave, and another 8’ row of carrots
- Things that are more bush shape, but aren’t that unwieldy. Easy examples are bell peppers, broccoli/cauliflower, cabbage, and egg plant. We will plant eight of these per 4x8 bed
- Things that sprawl. These get their own half a bed, which means we don’t grow them all that often. Examples include non-climbing squash/melon, non-climbing cucumbers, etc
There is a little opportunity for hybridization by putting something that sprawls in a bed with something that climbs where the climbing structure is on one of the sides of the bed. If you want to try a busy bed, I would avoid things that sprawl.
Do I need to add depth before going any further? I’ve only got 12 inches at most currently.
12” deep should be plenty for most veggies. But it’s not gonna be all available this year, the sticks have to break down first. So for a year or two, only use the amount of soil you put in. If it’s 6”, tomatoes and root veggies aren’t going to thrive.
If you got a dense plot, you want it deep. The roots all need their own place. So if you stuff it full, it’s gotta be able to go down instead.
What’s my best bet with this current soul depth?
I wouldn’t worry too much about soil depth. As long as you have the nutrients and water you’ll largely be ok, although some of your carrots might be stubby. It’s airflow and sunlight through the canopy that I would be more concerned about.
Our most recent beds are about 14" deep, but our first set were only 6" deep. Things grow well in both, but if you have dense soil root vegetables might not be as long as they otherwise could be. 12" should be plenty.
Chaos gardening to the max. Let it rip and see what you get. Learn from this years harvest and tweak next year
Yeah, I think I will cut back on so many things, but I do want to maximize my space and try for as much as I can. It feels like so much more space than a lot of needs I’ve seen, but I guess it’ll fill up fast.
Thanks for everyone’s advice. Here’s some pictures of my bed for reference:
So, it is a bit too cramped. You probably want at least 18" at a minimum for tomato plants, and you’ll also need space for cages.
Then you have cucumbers and gourds, which sprawl A LOT. That many in that small a space will quickly take over the entire garden bed. You can make the cucumbers climb a support of some sort, but not the squash and zucchini.
The other issue is the ground clearance between the topsoil and your drainage material. 12" isn’t very deep, so you’ll need plants that can root deep and easily move past objects. Carrots won’t do that.
I’d take one of these rows out at a minimum. Maybe do the herbs in containers, maybe the marigolds in a planter just sitting nearby. You might have enough room for one zucchini on the edge of the bed, but definitely not the squash.
Another thing to consider: do you have rabbits and squirrels in the area?
Yeah, I have both squirrels and rabbits. The chain link fence around the back yard should do for the rabbits, but how bad will the squirrels be for what I’m growing? I’ve never thought of them as potential garden pests.
So, no root veggies due to my soil depth: got it. I should be able to give them a go in a couple of years when my lower layers break down though, right?
How about three tomato plants in back with the herbs relatively close to them? Then just the cucumbers in front maybe? What kind of frame could I get them to grow on?
I’ll nix the squash entirely, both yellow and zucchini.
DW about the rodents, just mix a scorching hot hot sauce and some water together into a spray bottle and spray your plants once a week. Animals won’t touch your plants or even walk near it if you spray all around it. They don’t like their paws being covered in spices. Apply after watering or a big rain. They’ll eventually stop coming by at all after a few negative experiences.
Edit: don’t forget personal protective equipment, wear a mask and goggles!
Squirrels can get to anything they really want to get to. If they have plenty of other food in the area, they hopefully won’t rely on your garden, but they will certainly take some hunks out of tomatoes if nothing else is around. They definitely hate garlic and onion blooms though, so maybe those will help.
As far as organizing, I’d do three tomatoes along one long side, and whatever companions you want in between. Use the rest of the space for whatever, but keep in mind the sprawl of the cucumbers. Best to keep those along the edge, or try and train them up to climb something.
How many cucumber plants, do you think? Could I do one on each corner and one in the middle, since they’re supposed to be 3-4 get apart?
Well you probably want cucumber in pairs for easy pollination (if not self-pollinating). Some random blog with trellis ideas.
My other idea was that chain link fence you mentioned. Guess what loves to climb those fences? Cucumbers and gourds 😂
Do you have some room over there? I wonder if you could get away with a small cinder block grow spot over there for these climbing plants, THEN you’d have all the room in the world with your tomatoes for all the other herbs and such.
There’s a less than six inch gap between the chain link fence and the bed. Could I plant the cucumbers right at the back of the bed near the fence and train them to climb it?
I’ll take some pictures when I get a chance to give a clearer picture of my setup.
Yep, that would totally work if it’s that close.
