Does using a raised bed mean..

**markwcel** · 04-05-2009, 06:57 PM

nopes lol....plant closer together and you get smaller plants.....

**Snadger** · 04-05-2009, 07:02 PM

Paths are around the bed and everything is done from the paths so this means there's no need to leave path widths within the beds giving you more plants for a given area!

**cornish crabber** · 04-05-2009, 07:06 PM

I would say Yes!
You can't necessarily plant closer together in the row, but you don't need to be able to walk down between rows to hoe and weed. So where the seed packet advises e.g. 10cm apart and 30cm between rows, you can sow 10cm apart and 10cm between rows: i.e you are planting on a grid system and get more plants per sq metre

**TonyF** · 04-05-2009, 07:08 PM

Good old Joy Larkcom says that there's no reason why you can't plant any veggies closer together, just expect smaller plants. Raised beds don't make any difference really.

Try to do the 6" in each direction rule, that works for me on raised beds and on normal beds.

**Lottieval** · 04-05-2009, 07:38 PM

I certainly plant the rows closer together, and I'm not looking to grow enormous veggies anyway. With a lot of them when you thin a row by picking some to eat young you give them more space, I put my runner and climbing french beans closer than specified and I still get masses so long as the weather is good.

**zazen999** · 04-05-2009, 07:40 PM

Also, you can harvest alternate crops smaller and leave the rest to get bigger.

**Alice** · 04-05-2009, 08:26 PM

I agree with Cornish Crabber. Who wants monster cabbages anyway so it doesn't matter if you get smaller vegetables.
I plant at the recommended spacing betwween plants and leave the same space between the rows. Works for me. I don't need to be able to walk between rows to harvest and weed. I only need space to put my hand in.

**COMPOST CORNER** · 04-05-2009, 09:11 PM

Thanks folks, it was the space between rows I was thinking of (should have been more specific with my question). I have some carrot seeds that suggest 10" between rows. as a row in my bed is only 3'(width of the bed), and the bed is only 6'6" long, that seemed excessive.

**sweetiepea** · 04-05-2009, 09:16 PM

The beauty of raised beds should be that you don't have to walk on, just around them. As I can reach anywhere within the bed, I plant at recommended distance between plants within the row, but reduce the distance between rows.

**terrier** · 04-05-2009, 09:17 PM

I don't at the moment use raised beds, although there are various reasons I can see when they would be benificial, but I plant in beds no more than four rows wide and the spacing between the plants enough to comfortably hoe in between. If the plants require more space, I just sow less plants. I don't think there's a simple answer to your question CC, but it's a good subject to discuss!

**BFG** · 04-05-2009, 09:20 PM

Check out the square foot gardening site. You'll be amazed what you can squeeze in.

**Snadger** · 04-05-2009, 09:48 PM

My carrot rows are only 4 inches apart across the beds and it doesn't seem to alter the size of the carrots.

Some people sow carrots broadcast in the bed and still get good results!

**teakdesk** · 04-05-2009, 09:49 PM

I've never understood the reason for the extra distance between rows.

My simple brain imagines the plant's roots spreading out and so long as they don't touch each other they are far enough apart - in any direction !!

I plant "in diagonal squares" using the "within row" spacing for the "between row" spacing as well but offset them and just make sure they have enough feed and water.

So yes, I do put more in a raised bed than the seed packets say !!

**snohare** · 04-05-2009, 09:53 PM

If you thin progressively as the plants grow bigger, then you can not only plant more plants closer together, because you are planting in blocks and not rows, but you can also end up with the same number of large plants that you would normally ! I can tell you this because I have a friend who does this, and it works beautifully. He has done it for years, no problems at all. As long as you can reach the plants by hand from the side, there is no need to create extra wide spaces anywhere.

I am currently reading a book called "The Lazy Kitchen Gardener" by John Yeoman, (a very funny, inventive book) in which he recommends creating an octagonal planting template made of plywood. Plant at each corner, then bung one in the middle, as they grow the plants will outcompete the weeds and use all the available light etc. Thin as necessary as they grow.
I suppose you would need to have different sized templates for different spacings, but it is certainly the same sort of idea as my friend uses, and staggering the plants does seem to help suppress the weeds a bit.

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