Many people create vegetable gardens as separate part summer cottage: without paths and ornamental plants.
But you can also turn your garden into a real decorative vegetable garden.
Back in the XVI-XVII centuries. Such “kitchen” gardens were created in England and France.
After all, vegetables are not only tasty and healthy, but also beautiful!
It is better to place such a garden closer to the fence, hedge, fruit trees, as if limiting it. To make it easier to care for the plants, make a square plot as large as possible with beds 1.5 m wide.
Like any garden, paths and beds here are created for several years with a change of vegetable crops.
Paths must be created with minimal maintenance costs.
Gravel requires regular maintenance to remove weeds and sticks to your feet in bad weather. Grassy paths require mowing, so it is easier to create paths from scrap materials left over from construction work(usually this is old brick, cement blocks, beautiful pebbles).
Their width should not be large in order to save total space. Therefore, the main paths can be made 70 cm wide (convenient for a wheelbarrow to pass), and the secondary paths can be no wider than 45 cm.
Path planning solutions can be very diverse.
The simplest option is to divide it into rectangular beds with an emphasis on the central bed.
Another option - a square layout - makes it possible to further enhance decorative effect from the central squares.
Another solution - diagonal-square-circular placement of paths - will allow you to diversify the rectangular planning network with a circular line.
If space allows, you can implement several options for planning solutions at once.
No less important than paths is the selection of ornamental plants that would attract attention from different parts of the garden and combine the vegetable garden with the fruit garden.
These could be pyramidal or framed apple trees, small “balls” of ornamental plants that could be planted at the intersections of paths.
To emphasize the line of paths, you can plant borders of lavender, hosta or boxwood along them, which do not lose their decorative effect for a long time.
The main purpose of such a vegetable garden is to obtain a harvest. Therefore, to grow high-quality vegetable products, we can recommend the following crop rotation scheme.
In the first year, they are planted in a certain area leguminous plants, after harvesting which nitrogen-fixing roots remain in the ground.
After them, cabbage is planted in the second year. In the third year, the soil becomes cultivable for tuber crops.
But such alternation of plants can be carried out within one year.
For example, beans are planted in the spring, and when they grow, onions are planted between them.
Once the beans are ripe, they are harvested, the roots are left in the soil as nitrogen fixers, and the beds are filled with small broccoli, cabbage, or other types of cabbage plants.
The combination of vegetables is determined by both growth rate, ripening time, and aesthetic features.
Onions, dill, and parsley are planted closer to the paths, because they most often have to be thinned out.
Of course, for such intensively cultivated soil, it is necessary to use fertilizers in the form of garden compost or well-rotted mullein every year.
Numerous varieties of lettuce allow you to create decorative groups with curly, shaggy, flat and lacy leaves of various colors and varying heights.
Therefore, it is necessary to allocate a larger area for salads.
Zucchini can be sown between the rows of early lettuces.
They will reach full sizes just in time for the salads to be harvested.
Different varieties of cabbage can be taken as the basis for the composition - they have a longer decorative period.
In such a vegetable garden you will certainly receive both aesthetic and practical pleasure.
See more different variants placement of beds:
.
Apr 12, 2016 Galinka
The goal of every gardener is to get the richest, high-quality harvest possible, using every square meter of plot. But these indicators do not always depend on the area of land being sown. It is much more important to properly organize the available space so that the harvests are pleasing and work in the garden is not so exhausting. And during the summer season, experience aesthetic pleasure from contemplating your own work. Properly laid out beds are not just strips of land with vegetables or herbs. The dimensions of the beds - length, height, width - provide maximum comfortable conditions for each crop, ease of site maintenance, plant care, harvesting.
Standard bed sizes vary within the following limits:
| With access from one side | With access from both sides | Path between the beds | |
| Width(cm) | 50–60 | 70–100 | 20–50 |
| Length (m) | 5–10 | 5–10 | |
| Height (cm) | 15–20 | 15–20 |
When choosing one size or another, they are guided by the requirements of the planting scheme (the distance between rows and between plants in a row).
Agricultural technicians and amateur gardeners, summarizing the experience of cultivating crops in different regions, are looking for optimal options for organizing beds. Therefore, beginning gardeners have a wide choice. Taking into account your own needs, climatic conditions and the characteristics of a particular site, each summer resident will determine what type of planting site he needs.
The most common type of domestic beds with standard sizes is a ten-meter strip of land, the width of which can reach 2 m. Up to 40 cm are allocated for the paths between them. The construction of such beds does not contain any intricacies: when digging the site, the earth is thrown back from the strips, which will become paths. They are trampled down and the planting area is leveled with a rake. The disadvantage of traditional ridges is the impossibility of high-quality cultivation of plants in the center of a wide strip of land; these crops receive less sunlight and often do not have enough space.
Large planting areas are allocated for potatoes, beans, pumpkins and zucchini, which do not require regular care and careful weeding. initial stages growth. The width and length of such a garden bed are determined by the required volume of crops, but total area exceeds 12–15 m2.
A mounded bed for vegetables is similar to tall warm ones: rotting organic matter, placed in large quantities at the base of the hill, increases the soil temperature by several degrees relative to ordinary beds. For the device, a strip 1.90–2.0 m wide is measured, and the length depends on the choice of the landowner. The turf layer of soil is removed from the selected area, fertile soil is removed up to 30 cm deep. On the bottom - in a strip up to 0.6 m - boards, branches, twigs, stalks of corn and sunflower are laid. Sod and a large volume of organic matter are laid on this ventilation and drainage layer: leaves, weeds, rotted sawdust. This layer should be at least 20 cm.
Next, a mixture of immature compost, humus, peat, and straw is formed. 20 cm fertile land, mixed with compost, complete the construction of a hill, the height of which varies from 0.8 to 1.0 m and is considered the optimal size. The hill is prepared in the fall so that all layers settle and become compacted. As soon as the sun begins to warm up and the snow melts, cover black film, so that all layers warm up faster and the mechanism of decomposition of organic matter starts, which will result in internal heating of the earth.
Before sowing crops, a small groove is made in the center of the hill to collect and retain moisture. Any vegetables grow well in mounded beds. If there is a desire to combine crops, then tall crops are planted at the very top, and those that do not grow tall are planted below. This way all plants will have enough light. At the end of the season, the mound is mulched with a good layer of organic matter.
Over 5 years of service, the vegetable mound bed will settle, and completely rotted organic matter will become a source the most fertile soil with a high humus content.
Raised beds are most in demand in regions with harsh climates, where spring is late and autumn comes early. A high planting can extend the summer season by almost a month. And in regions where flooding is possible on the site, this is the only option to cultivate garden crops without the risk of losing the entire harvest.
Everyone determines the optimal size of a high garden bed in accordance with their needs, but the ideal parameters for the combination of width and height are: width up to 150 cm, height – about half a meter. The width of the passage between the high beds should allow you to move freely with buckets and other equipment, freely mow the grass with a trimmer, place a bench for weeding in a comfortable sitting position, that is, the paths should be made at least half a meter wide.
The material for production can be very different: boards, slate, corrugated sheets, PVC panels, brick, natural or decorative stone. High beds are filled according to the same principle as mounded beds - in layers.
Planting vegetables, strawberries, and herbs in deep beds is effective in regions with dry, hot summers, where moisture does not linger in the area and the soil erodes. The principle of organization is the same as for tall ones, only the layers are laid not in a box of boards, but in a trench.
The optimal width of deep ridges is 0.9 - 1.0 m, and the distance between them should be at least half a meter. This width of the paths between the trenches allows each plant to receive maximum illumination and enough space for development, because in the final version the height of the beds is at ground level.
More and more theorists and practitioners from vegetable growing agree that the size of the beds is of fundamental importance not only for the ease of their maintenance, but also for the efficiency of use. If it was ever believed that, than larger size beds and narrower paths, the more effective area. Experience shows that the correct bed is high and narrow (the width of such a bed in the garden is up to 110 cm) with optimal row spacing of about half a meter.
Plants planted along the edges in a checkerboard pattern receive maximum light and do not compete with neighbors for space. The root systems of plants do not compete in obtaining moisture and nutrition, and the summer resident does not break his back and bushes trying to reach the plants, because with such an organization the width of the beds is very convenient.
Maintenance of plantings in high narrow ridges is minimal, since it does not require digging. After harvesting, a rich layer is poured into the box organic mulch, and in the spring - compost. Charged according to the basic principle raised beds, they are ready for sowing much earlier than standard ones.
An American farmer, developer of his own bed system, Mittlider is a supporter of narrow beds in the garden. Correct sizes according to Mittlider - this is a maximum of 50 cm of planting area in width, earthen sides from 10 cm and above, and paths of 0.9–1.1 m. The length is not of fundamental importance, but the author advises to make all the beds the same length to make the work as easy as possible and width. To effectively implement the methodology, it is important to take into account the specific location of the site:
In areas with a slope, if it is impossible to level the ground level, a vegetable garden-terrace is arranged, placing the beds in boxes made of boards in a “ladder” pattern. According to Mittlider, vegetables with a voluminous above-ground part - cauliflower and cabbage - are planted in a checkerboard pattern, and root vegetables in two rows.
The standard of beds in greenhouses is 3x6 – width 60 cm, height up to 40 cm, paths from 40 cm: this results in three beds with two row spacings. The central bed is surrounded by a path on all sides. This arrangement, in compliance with the specified dimensions, is most convenient for caring for plants and maintaining the land. Taking into account all the features of the area: climate, topography, wind rose, seasonal rains or drought, it is not difficult to choose the appropriate type of beds or combination of varieties so that working on the land will be a joy.
An ordinary vegetable garden is amazing place, a special plot of land, which, through the efforts of the owners, turns into an almost inexhaustible source of not only vitamins and fresh vegetables, but also a whole range of “by-products” - health, excellent well-being and vigor.
According to experienced summer residents, working in your own garden successfully replaces working out in the gym and brings a lot of pleasure and benefit. In addition, vegetables grown on your own plot differ in taste from those purchased in a store or market, and, of course, for the better.
Spring work on a plot of land begins with an important task - planning a vegetable garden. It would seem that my plot, I plant whatever I want, and the choice is not too great - on the standard six hundred square meters you won’t be able to do much. And yet, the harvest largely depends on the choice of place for a certain variety of vegetables, so planning a garden should be approached with all responsibility.
What factors should you pay attention to when planning your garden? What vegetables are best to plant and where?
Working in the garden is not necessarily hard work and daily hassle. Gardening brings a lot of pleasure and benefits
So, you have already prepared the seeds and even grown seedlings at home. All that remains is to decide where exactly to plant all the plants by choosing optimal place on your site for certain types of vegetables. You can start planning your garden in early spring, when the snow has completely cleared from the area and the soil has dried well.
In general, plot planning, which is carried out by a summer resident with many years of experience in gardening, looks like this - the owner simply walks along already equipped paths, leaving sticks and pegs in the ground and muttering to himself: “Here are two beds of peppers,” “And here there will be tomatoes.” . In fact, only many years of experience working on the site allows summer residents to approach garden planning in such a simple way. Less for experienced gardeners It’s worth listening to the advice of professionals and approaching the process of planning vegetable planting scientifically.
An ideal vegetable garden looks like this - even rows of green, healthy plants that promise a high yield.
If you decide to plant a vegetable garden on a newly acquired plot of land for the first time, you will have to take into account several main factors:
If in the area where you plan to plant a vegetable garden, previously only weeds grew and there was an ordinary lawn, the owners have two options: remove upper layer completely remove the soil with weed roots from the site and add peat, rotted manure and, if necessary, sand to the soil; or simply dig up the area and plant potatoes here in the first year. The first option is too labor-intensive and expensive, so it is not popular among gardeners. In the second case, in the first year the potato harvest will be low, but most of the weeds will disappear and the next season you can plant any, even the most finicky vegetables.
When starting to plan a vegetable garden for the first time, it is worth taking into account the characteristics of the soil and the location of the beds relative to the cardinal directions.
When planning a vegetable garden, you need to pay attention Special attention irrigation system. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplants in central regions with fairly dry summers have to be watered regularly - literally every three to four days. Therefore, for vegetables, it is better to choose areas that can be watered without special costs and problems.
The minimum program is that hoses from an outdoor tap must reach the beds. If your plot of land is too large, and the tap is located next to the house, then in remote areas it is better to lay out a garden or plant especially resistant plants that do not need additional watering. In this case, it is better to move the garden closer to the water source.
Remember that experts do not recommend watering the beds with water directly from the tap. The best option is water that has already been settled and warmed up in the sun, or even better - collected rainwater, or water from a local pond or river. If you want to listen to the advice of professionals, you will need to install a large enough container next to the beds for water - rainwater or regular water from the tap. Even an old cast iron or steel bath, capacious, specially ordered metal vat or large plastic barrel. In addition, you will also need a water pump, which will lower into the container and provide excellent pressure when watering. You can, of course, water the beds with a watering can, but this is too long a process.
Another great option for an irrigation system is drip irrigation. If your site already has such a system, then the planting of vegetables will have to be “tied” precisely to the plots already provided with water.
Don’t want to spend a lot of time watering vegetables manually with a watering can or stand for hours in the garden with a hose in your hands? Take care of the system drip irrigation, which will save both time and money on paying for water supply
Have you figured out the cardinal directions, lighting and watering? All that remains is to find out all the nuances regarding the compatibility of individual varieties of vegetables and their rotation in your garden. Every experienced summer resident knows that if last year, for example, potatoes grew in this area, then this year it is worth planting some other vegetables.
Thus, all vegetable crops are usually divided into:
In order to correctly draw up a plan for planting seeds and seedlings, the garden should be divided into four sections:
After a year, particularly fastidious plants need to be planted in the area where undemanding plants grew, moderately demanding ones - in a plot where the crop of demanding ones has already been harvested, and undemanding plants, accordingly, are sent to the area where averagely demanding cultivated plants grew last year.
This rotation is carried out every year and allows the soil to rest a little and get a higher yield.
Plants with different levels of nutrient requirements must be alternated with each other when planting a vegetable garden.
In addition, when planning the location of the beds, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of plants. The compatibility of cultures lies in the ability to grow side by side, strengthening, complementing and protecting each other.
So, it is quite possible to sow onions, garlic or radishes between the rows of tomatoes. An ideal “seal” for carrots or beets would be dill or lettuce. And rows of potatoes can be combined with planting peas, which will be harvested earlier and “provide” their roots as an excellent fertilizer for potato tubers.
Experts say that the ideal predecessors for cabbage are nightshades, that is, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplants, as well as cucumbers, legumes or onions.
In turn, it is better to plant cucumber seedlings in the place where peppers or spinach grew last year. The optimal predecessors for carrots and beets are cucumbers, tomatoes and peas.
Another important point - different period ripening and planting of plants allows you to get two harvests of different crops in one area. For example, in early spring you can sow onions or radishes, and after harvesting, plant them in this plot melons or tomatoes. After the garlic or onion has already been harvested, winter radish or lettuce will do well in this area.
Plant compatibility - important factor when planning a vegetable garden
When planning your garden, do not forget about comfortable paths at least 30-40 centimeters wide, which will allow you to harvest tomatoes and peppers without harming flowering and fruit-bearing plants.
The optimal width of the bed is 80-100 centimeters. If the bed is wider, it will make caring for plants and watering more difficult.
If you lay not just dirt paths between the beds, but real paths made of stone or boards, then you can harvest even on the rainiest day or immediately after heavy watering, without fear of getting your shoes dirty
In addition, do not forget that cucumbers grow better, bear fruit and take up much more space. less space, if you provide them with support on which they can curl. In this case, picking cucumbers will be much more convenient. Some tomato varieties, such as the tiny, delicious cherry tomatoes, also need support. Therefore, when planning beds with such tall and fragile crops, you need to take care of a fence or trellis on which cucumbers and tall tomato seedlings can rest.
Tall tomato shoots need support, and cucumbers creeping along the ground will take up too much space. Plant them near the hedge and collect bountiful harvest It will be much more pleasant, and most importantly - easier!
And finally two more important points- firstly, in the garden you also need to leave space for a compost heap, where you will throw away the remains of shoots and leaves in the fall, which will become excellent in the future organic fertilizer. Compost pile can be located at the very end of the site, in the shade, that is, in a place that, due to its properties, is not suitable for planting useful plants.
Secondly, most likely you will be building a greenhouse or greenhouse for early vegetables and seedlings. For such a structure it is also necessary to allocate a suitable place in the sun.
Approach planning your garden thoughtfully and seriously, try to place crops with good compatibility nearby, alternate different families of vegetables in the same area, try to plant both early and early vegetables in the same bed. late varieties vegetables to get two harvests a year - and even a small garden will provide your whole family with fresh herbs during the warm season, and the pantry in the fall will be filled with jars of home-made preserves.
Country geography: how to properly place beds.How to properly place beds and fruit trees on your site
The harvest has long been harvested, and it is snowing outside the window. It would seem that it’s time to take a break from dacha troubles, but the thoughts of many gardeners are already devoted to the future dacha season: what to plant and where, what fertilizers and seeds to buy, how much and what kind of film is needed for greenhouses and greenhouses...
And there seems to be nothing complicated here - just place potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, onions and garlic, green crops on your acres, because everything else: trees, shrubs, raspberries and strawberries have long had their rightful places.
But in practice, everything turns out to be more complicated - you have to compare a lot of different factors in order to accept, sometimes, only one single correct solution. Moreover, for this it is not enough to know which crops are light-loving and which are shade-tolerant - you also need to take into account the fertility of a particular area, which crops grew here in the past, and preferably, not only in the past year, and which crops will grow nearby peacefully and without conflicts.
Therefore, truly passionate gardeners and gardeners have to plan and record their gardens no less painstakingly than accountants do their reporting. For example, my grandfather had a huge ledger with detailed plans gardening over several decades, starting from the 50s. In fact, information for so many years is not needed - in most cases it is enough to have data for 3-4 years, but here the grandfather’s truly accounting nature affected.
Everything is simpler for me, fortunately I have a computer at hand, and it’s enough for me to simply record the year on a plan once drawn in the appropriate program and note where and what crops I grew. But the majority probably still have to draw such a plan by hand - in this case, it is more reasonable to draw a plan once indicating trees, shrubs, greenhouses, greenhouses and permanent ridges, then make a dozen photocopies, and on each one mark the crops planted in this or that year - it will be much faster.
How to reconcile all the pros and cons
Even with all the necessary information Finding the right solution can be difficult. You start placing it, and it seems like you managed to plan almost everything, but at the last stage it turns out that, for example, for cabbage there remains a bed in which this same cabbage grew the year before last and at the same time suffered from clubroot. This means that you can’t plant her here, and everything starts all over again. Again we have to redo the plan, look for a new solution and draw it again.
If you are familiar similar situation and you give yourself headaches every year planning and re-moving crops around the garden, then try interesting solution, which I recently read about (I don’t need it, since I do everything on the computer, but most gardeners will probably find it very useful). True, to use this approach, you must have rectangular beds that are similar in size, and each vegetable must be planted on its own bed (that is, not in company with others).
In this case, you can plan like this: take last year’s site plan (or better yet, plans for 3-4 years) and a blank sheet of paper. Draw this sheet into identical rectangles and write on them: potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, etc., listing everything you plan to plant. Moreover, if you always occupy two ridges with garlic, then, accordingly, there should be two rectangles with the name “garlic”, etc. Cut the paper into separate rectangles and begin to assemble a puzzle called “entertaining vegetable garden” on your plan, placing rectangular ridges in the desired way in your favorite places on your plan. It's not scary to make a mistake here, because... It’s easy to fix everything by moving the “wrong” rectangle to a new place. Try it, and this method will turn out to be much simpler than playing out all the situations in your head and repeatedly and painstakingly redrawing your plan.
What factors need to be considered when planning a vegetable garden?
First, all vegetables love a sunny place. Only green crops, which include onion on the feather, and perennial onions like chives and slime, partially tolerate partial shade. This means that in the small shade of a house, fence, trees and bushes you can sow and plant onions and some herbs. Although you won’t get much harvest in this case, you still won’t be able to grow anything else in these places.
The second is the compatibility of vegetables: who is good with whom or, conversely, bad. Cabbage cannot live with tomatoes and beans. Cucumber - with potatoes. Tomatoes - with fennel. Potatoes - with tomatoes and pumpkin. Onions and garlic are very unpleasant for peas and beans, and hyssop for radishes. Only carrots get along with everyone, although from the point of view of protection from carrot flies, it is preferable to sow them in company with onions. This was about bad neighbors.
What about the good ones? Here are other examples. All vegetables of the celery family (carrots, parsnips, parsley, celery) go well with the onion family: onions, garlic, leeks, shallots. White and black radishes work well with other vegetables. Radishes grow very well between rows of bush beans - they become very large, tasty and not worm-free. Potatoes are not interfered with by beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish and onions. But each individually, because... There are several irreconcilable couples in this group.
Compatible with cabbage are onions, celery, potatoes, dill and lettuce. Tomatoes can be planted next to green and cabbage crops, asparagus and beans. Peas can coexist with carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, radishes, and corn. And so on.
The third rule is no less important - you need to take into account that the phytoncides secreted by some plants repel pests of other crops or prevent the development of some diseases. For example, onion phytoncides repel carrot fly, and carrot phytoncides - onion. Dill protects cucumbers from diseases, and onions and garlic protect tomatoes. If you plant strong-smelling plants near the cabbage, such as celery, thyme or sage, they will muffle the smell of the cabbage and make it less attractive to pests. It’s a good idea to plant basil near beans to protect against bean weevils, garlic near roses to protect against aphids, and parsley near asparagus.
When planning, you also need to take into account predecessors, that is, whether a suitable vegetable grew last season in the place where you will plant another one in the spring. And here again there are numerous schemes! And the most important thing to learn is that you cannot plant the same crop in the same place. And, in addition, cabbage should not be placed after any cabbage or beets. Beets - after beets, cabbage and tomatoes. Tomatoes - after all the nightshades and peas.
The fifth thing that has to be taken into account is long-term crop rotation, a 3-4 year perspective. It's even more difficult here. Agronomy teaches you to alternate vegetables taking into account their needs in nutrients, in particular, in organic matter. Conventionally, in the first year (i.e. on fresh organic matter) they grow cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, mid- and late-ripening cabbage, leeks, etc., that is, those crops for which a lot of organic matter needs to be added. In the second year they are replaced by onions, peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes. The third comes the turn of root vegetables (carrots, beets, radishes, etc.), which have to add a fair amount of mineral fertilizers.
Features of garden planning
With a garden it’s even more difficult, because we plant vegetables every year, and if one year your planning was unsuccessful, then perhaps the next year everything will be much better.
We place trees and shrubs in permanent places for a long time, and once planted apple trees will supply you with fruit for the rest of your life. Therefore, when drawing up a garden plan, it is imperative to allocate separate permanent places for each type of tree, for vegetables, for flowers, and correctly calculate in advance where and what will grow in 10-20 years. And there are a lot of rules here too.
The first rule is that each group of crops (fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetable and ornamental crops) permanent place. A common mistake is the combined arrangement of crops, when vegetables, strawberries, and berry bushes are placed among young apple and pear trees. At first everything turns out well: the trees do not take up much space, there is enough light and nutrition for other plants. But over time, the trees grow, and then the catch crops fall into the shade and their yield becomes low. Therefore, the first rule of site planning is to allocate a separate permanent place for every culture. Of course, you can temporarily grow berry bushes, strawberries and vegetables among vigorous tree species, but then, when severe darkness sets in, they will have to be removed and moved somewhere else, which needs to be thought about in advance.
The second rule is to provide for the possibility of renewing strawberries, plantings of berry bushes, cherry and plum trees. Let's say strawberries bear fruit well in one place for 2-3 years. In the fourth or, at least, the fifth year of fruiting, it must be completely eliminated. Therefore, one bed is cleared every year in order to grow vegetables here the next year, and the vegetable bed is planted with strawberries.
Therefore, it is more convenient to place strawberries not in the garden, but in the vegetable garden and replace strawberry beds with vegetable beds. Currant, gooseberry and raspberry bushes can theoretically bear fruit in one place for a very long time, and it all depends on proper care. It is more profitable (from the point of view of saving your own time) to take good care of these crops and regularly prune and spray them, then in one place, subject to rejuvenating pruning, they can bear fruit for 10, 15 years or more. And everything will be fine. And if you take care of it poorly, then they will not last long, the bushes will weaken from diseases, pests, improper nutrition and thickening, and you will have to look for another place for them and start growing and shaping them again.
The third rule of planning is respect for the rights of the neighbor. Your trees should not greatly shade the neighboring area. The distance from the tree trunk to the boundary should be at least half of the generally accepted row spacing: for tall trees 3.5-4 m, for medium-sized trees - 2.0-2.5 m. In the strip between the trees and the boundary you can plant currants, gooseberries, raspberries . And under no circumstances should you plant tall trees and shrubs 20 cm from the border, which, alas, is not uncommon.
The fourth rule of planning is to reduce the height of plants as you approach the house. To keep your home dry and bright, the shortest plants should be placed near the house - flowers, lawn grasses, some strawberries, vegetables, shrubs, and tall trees should be moved further into the plot.
The fifth rule is to take into account the characteristics of certain plants. Of the berry bushes, it is better to plant red currants and gooseberries in drier, but well-lit places, and black currants in lower, more humid (but not swampy) places. Raspberries and sea buckthorn are planted separately in specially designated areas of the site, since the first produces many root shoots, and the second develops long roots that interfere with the growth and development of other plants; Strawberries are planted in places where snow lingers well in winter. Growing strawberries between fruit trees undesirable.
Chokeberry and sea buckthorn look good when planted in groups closer to home. Schisandra and actinidia are planted near the wall of the house so that there is protection from the wind and it is possible to create reliable vertical supports for them. Barberry and lilac are planted away from all other crops (somewhere apart), because their root secretions do not give life to other plants.
The quality and quantity of the harvest, time for processing and care depend on the correct laying of the beds. When dividing plots, you should pay attention to the topography and location of the site, the climatic conditions of the region, soil characteristics, and the cardinal directions. The length of the beds is not significant, but the width of the plots must be taken into account to ensure the safety of the seedlings. There are several types of beds, each of which has its own pros and cons.
Show all
In order to optimize work in the garden, before starting sowing, you should:
Thoughtful work will eliminate unnecessary labor costs and even make it possible to allocate a corner for relaxation. small area.
To determine the planting area, you need to take into account the number of family members. According to N.I. Kurdyumov, author of the book “Encyclopedia of the Smart Summer Resident,” 90 is enough for five people square meters plantings, not including paths between beds. He prepares beds 0.5 meters wide and about a meter apart. With this arrangement, 4 acres of land are required.
Take into account some nuances when arranging the beds:
The shape of the beds can be different; you should not focus on rectangular plots. Too wide ridges are not recommended, since during processing you will have to walk between the seedlings, which is undesirable. Ideal plots are those that allow you to do weeding and maintenance while standing on the path. You can care for the bed on both sides or on one side, but across the entire width.
In small areas, vertical, multi-level plantings are recommended. This method is suitable for growing garden strawberries, strawberries, cucumbers, flowers, herbs. But vertical structures can freeze in a harsh winter. Therefore, you should take care of their safety by constructing protective coverings.
It is recommended to keep a notebook to include a site plan with the location of the beds. Allotments are numbered. On clean slate indicate the year of planting. This will help maintain crop rotation in the garden and choose the right location for plants. These indicators are important to obtain good harvest crops divide the plot into 4 parts. Plants with different requirements for soil nutrition and perennials will grow in the zones. Demanding foods include cabbage, pumpkin, garlic, and potatoes. Moderately demanding: melon, peppers, radishes, kohlrabi, spinach, onions, carrots, beets, lettuce, greens. The legume family is distinguished by its undemanding nature when it comes to soil composition. Perennials: strawberries, wild strawberries, herbs, allocate a separate place on the dacha plot.
It is important to note the location of the compost pit in the plan diagram. It can spoil the appearance of the landscape, so they install a composter. Plant residues and other waste are processed better in a composter than in a regular pile. If bacteriological additives are added to the pit, the contents decompose faster.
Mountainous terrain is not an obstacle to growing crops. A number of conditions must be met to facilitate the process of growing on a slope:
Raised or deepened and fenced beds are popular among gardeners. They are good because they are easier to process; they can be filled with special soil with a balanced composition. It is convenient to calculate the required amount of fertilizer. A fine-mesh mesh at the bottom of a raised or fenced device protects root crops from small rodents.
The advantage of the structure is its thermal insulation. In them, crops ripen 2-3 weeks earlier.
There is a method for preparing land on an unplowed virgin plot. First, the turf part of the soil is removed, but not thrown away, but sent to compost pit. The layer of soil freed from grass is dug up, adding fertile soil. Fertilize with manure or humus, peat. Add sand or lime depending on the requirements of the plants.
The edges of the beds are reinforced with sides. In the first year, it is better to plant potatoes on new land. This will reduce weeds. The potato yield should be high on rested soil. And next year you can already create beds.
Raised beds are fenced with boards pre-treated with antiseptic, concrete, plastic, metal, brick, slate. It is possible to purchase specially made borders. Equip required height sides. Branches, grass, cardboard or sawdust are placed at the bottom. Fill with organic matter and soil. In dry areas, it is more effective to push the beds deeper into the ground. The edges protect against soil spreading and prevent the spread of weeds from the path.
The width of the bed in the garden or greenhouse should be such that you can easily process the crop without entering the bed itself. In this case, it is recommended not to do them more than a meter in width. And between plots a distance of 80 to 100 centimeters is maintained. If the tops of the plants are too spreading, then you can increase the width between the beds by another 10-20 centimeters.
Narrow beds according to Mittleider are also popular. Mitlider, an American farmer, developed a system for optimal vegetable gardening. According to his system, beds are laid out no wider than 45-50 centimeters, leaving 90-centimeter paths between them. Seedlings grown using this method receive maximum sunlight and are well ventilated. In combination with proper fertilizing, the method allows you to get a high yield from the site even under unfavorable conditions. weather conditions.
The length of the beds according to Mittleider should be about 9 meters. Common sizes beds - three meters, 4.5 or 6 meters. The length doesn't matter much.
It is important that all ribbons are the same length and width. This makes caring for plants easier.
The height of the plots depends on the climatic conditions of the region, as well as on the characteristics of the soil. Sandy loam soil should not be lifted, especially in dry climates. Tall ones heat up better and dry out faster, so they require watering.
Lift heavy clay soil. This method is suitable for areas that are flooded with water, and if there is groundwater. The optimal height is considered to be 40 centimeters, but sometimes it is raised to 70 centimeters.
A stepped arrangement of beds is possible. Multi-level placement allows you to save space on the site. Low plantings are planted on the south side, the height of the beds is gradually increased, so that the located crops will not shade each other.
Advantages of a raised bed:
It is important to take into account the cardinal directions when arranging the beds, since successful orientation of plantings helps to reduce the number of diseased and underdeveloped seedlings, uniform lighting, reduce the frequency of watering, and shorten the growing season. The crop yield increases by 15-20%. Some gardeners claim that following the direction of planting allows you to store your crops longer.
In the northern and central regions, plants are planted from north to south, since in these regions there is less sunlight and heat, more cloudy days, and more moisture. Plants planted in this way will not interfere with each other.
In the southern regions, the beds should be located from west to east. This form of planting allows you to retain moisture. In drought conditions, this method allows you to get a normal harvest.
If the area suffers from drafts, then the direction of the beds should be adjusted. In this case, you need to place the bed with the crop across the direction of the air flow. Plantings lose less moisture, retaining more carbon dioxide, which promotes photosynthesis.
Experts advise creating paths to reduce the spread of weeds. These can be temporary floorings or permanent paths. Boards, fiberboard sheets, sawdust mulch, lawn grass, roofing felt, brick, stone, old linoleum, pebbles, crushed stone and more.
If the location of the beds does not change, then permanent paths are made. Concrete is more durable. Concrete passages can be monolithic, under tiles or under stone.
They post not only concrete tiles, but also rubber. Rubber ones do not slip, which allows the summer resident to move more safely. Wood cuts are often used, but weeds grow freely between them.
Having marked the paths, you should remove the turf from them. Place cardboard, thick paper, rags, plastic film or special grass material - geotextiles. Cover everything with sawdust or gravel. Sprinkle crushed stone, pebbles or broken brick. Grass will not grow on such paths.
When redeveloping, it is recommended to remove the road layer and fill the passages with fertile soil.
