Space advice

[piskieinboots]

Is this a good use of my soon-to-be 15m x 5m lottie? I have access to many pallets so plan on edging each one with said plank.

Any other advice so gratefully received

[VirginVegGrower]

It looks pretty! All I would suggest is that 2x2m is too big to reach over, so you will be walking on it or boards at some point. We built our beds big, six on a 10 x 10m allotment. We are now chopping beds into smaller areas. Looks lovely though and you can balance on scaffold boards to dig, weed, plant, etc.
Does it take into account a rotation plan? Or will you not bother too much about that?
Rotation is what gave me a four bed system with one permanent fruit and one asparagus, rhubarb, saffron beds. That made my six.

[piskieinboots]

Good point about reaching - I'm only a short 'un so reaching half way (from either side) into a 2m bed may be tricky!

I will do crop rotation but haven't yet assigned any crops to beds - as the fencing will go up 1st week of March, I have until the middle of March to get my plan sorted.

My plan does seem to have a lot of beds! So you reckon I should go for even more smaller ones? Snowdrop will love that as he will be putting in the planking

[singleseeder]

I notice that you have paths around the perimeter. Is that because you have a fence/hedge on the perimeter? Do you still need to walk around the beds or could you build up to the perimeter to gain more growing space? Particularly if you are making the beds narrower to reach across.

[zazen999]

I can only say what I'd do - and I'd pop 2 paths down the length [so they run horizontally on your plan] and 3 across the width [vertically] - and just grow in the ground in year 1 and then let it evolve.

Otherwise you end up making a load of beds and frames that you planned that just don't work for you.

[piskieinboots]

Singleseeder - there are no paths yet, in fact nothing but grass yet - so I'm hoping to sort mine in my head (at least) before the turf cutting starts

This should (hopefully) show the area we have been given - I will probably be taken at dawn and shot now

There will be 16 plots on that area.

[piskieinboots]

...2 paths down the length [so they run horizontally on your plan] and 3 across the width [vertically]

Loving this I do tend to over-complicate issues

[salome2001]

I second the bed width/ reach issue. I made beds using decking planks 2.4m x 1.2m, and my 5ft2 frame can only just reach the middle of the beds

I wonder if a fishbone layout would give you more growing space ie one central path and beds either side extending to the boundary, the paths between the beds can be thinner than the main path

[Aberdeenplotter]

No doubt that what you have planned will work. Even if you are a stumpy buttocks you should comfortably manage to reach 3ft. You are tying up rather a lot of ground in paths. If what you have left is enough to grow what you want, then brilliant but if you want to grow more, you may want to have less by way of paths.
Don't throw out your turf. Either stick it in your beds upside down or stack it upside down to create some lovely loam based compost.

[piskieinboots]

I wonder if a fishbone layout would give you more growing space ..

Sounds interesting - although I'll have to find something other than Excel to 'draw' it onto, Excel hasn't evolved passed squares yet

[piskieinboots]

Even if you are a stumpy buttocks .....
Don't throw out your turf..

I am and I wouldn't dream of it

[zazen999]

Sounds interesting - although I'll have to find something other than Excel to 'draw' it onto, Excel hasn't evolved passed squares yet

view - drawing toolbar - autoshapes - therein be triangles and all sorts.

Although I like the thought - I don't think you'd maximise your space as you still need a path that fits the distance between your knees and pointy feet; otherwise you can't kneel down.

[piskieinboots]

view - drawing toolbar - autoshapes - therein be triangles and all sorts.

Nonesuch on my Excel
*sobs

On the subject of paths - what would you use for a quick version?

[piskieinboots]

Nonesuch on my Excel
*sobs

Found it - it is on Insert on my version

[zazen999]

Nonesuch on my Excel
*sobs

On the subject of paths - what would you use for a quick version?

Grass.