Clever person needed

[Greenleaves]

I am about to start laying out the beds on the new plot and want them in line. The first row will be my datum point so need to get it right.

I want to string it it out to start with and seem to remember there being a formula to use using two tape measures or am I dreaming?

[Dalrimple]

GL if you want it to be square or a rectangle use the 3.4.5. method to get your corners 90 degrees ,
i.e. measure the first line 3mtrs along the short side then measure 4mtrs at roughly a rightangle from the point of the 3mtr ,then measure between the end of the 4mtr point back to the other end of the 3 mtr and it should work out at 5 mtrs ! it can 3.4.5 inches ,feet ,yards , try it out on paper ,it's a triangle,

I aint that clever Dal

[Jungle Jane]

I just gooogled this. There's two tape measures & they make a rectangle for a fence,but it's the same method to get a perfect right angle.
How to Measure and Square a Fence Layout

[Snadger]

An Indian Cheif had three wives who were all pregnant. He asked each what animal skin they wanted to give birth on.
First wife wnated a lions skin so Chief wrestled a lion and skineed it for her to have her baby on.

Second wife wanted a Buffalo skin, so once again chief wrested a buffalo, skinned it and gave it to her.

Third wife wanted a Hippopotamus skin, so to keep her happy, chief wrestled a Hippopotamus, and gave her its skin to have her child on.

First wife had a boy, second wife had a girl and third wife had a boy and girl twins.

Which just goes to prove:-

THE SQUAW ON THE HIPPOPOTAMUS IS EQUAL TO THE SUM OF THE SQUAWS ON THE OTHER TWO HIDES!

[Greenleaves]

^^..Oh.........

[planetologist]

The way it's described in the link will work, but you need a tape measure that is the length across your bed. If you don't have a long enough one, you can get a rectangular bed by using just a piece of string that is at least as long as the short plus the long side and six stakes (or branches):
1) put stake 1 where you want the first corner, tie the end of the string to it
2) put stake 2 where you want the second corner, pull the string to that corner and tie it to the stake
3) put stake 3 approximately where you think the third corner should be, pull the string to that corner and tie it to the stake
4) put another stake right next to each of stakes 1, 2 and 3
5) pull up stake 1, 2 and 3, put stake 1 where stake 3 was (which you can see because there's a stake without string right next to where it should go
6) put stake 3 where stake 1 was
7) pull stake 2 to the 4th corner
8) remove the string from stakes 2 and 3
9) take the string to stake 3 and pull it taut from stake 1, hold on to the string there as a measure of the distance across
10) move stake 1 to the second corner and try to pull taut to stake 2
11) if needed move stake 2 in such a way that it's distance to stake 3 remains the same (i.e. in an arc) until it's distance to stake 1 is the distance across
12) move stake 1 back to where it was in step 5 and check that the distance across to stake 3 is still what it should be, if not move stake 3 keeping it's distance to stake 2 the same
13) check that both short sides and long sides are the same (if not you've misjudged how to move stakes in an arc. You can get around this with a second piece of string between stake 2 and 3 that is the same length as the opposite side, now go through steps 9-12 again keeping this second piece of string taut.)

[KevinM67]

What the ..... ????

[Snadger]

3,4,5's or there deivatives are ok if you have a squarish plot but for a long plot you are better off using 5,12,13's or their derivtives to square it off. You only need square off one corner as the two squared lines become your datums for each direction.

PS I aint clever either.

[Dalrimple]

The way it's described in the link will work, but you need a tape measure that is the length across your bed. If you don't have a long enough one, you can get a rectangular bed by using just a piece of string that is at least as long as the short plus the long side and six stakes (or branches):
1) put stake 1 where you want the first corner, tie the end of the string to it
2) put stake 2 where you want the second corner, pull the string to that corner and tie it to the stake
3) put stake 3 approximately where you think the third corner should be, pull the string to that corner and tie it to the stake
4) put another stake right next to each of stakes 1, 2 and 3
5) pull up stake 1, 2 and 3, put stake 1 where stake 3 was (which you can see because there's a stake without string right next to where it should go
6) put stake 3 where stake 1 was
7) pull stake 2 to the 4th corner
8) remove the string from stakes 2 and 3
9) take the string to stake 3 and pull it taut from stake 1, hold on to the string there as a measure of the distance across
10) move stake 1 to the second corner and try to pull taut to stake 2
11) if needed move stake 2 in such a way that it's distance to stake 3 remains the same (i.e. in an arc) until it's distance to stake 1 is the distance across
12) move stake 1 back to where it was in step 5 and check that the distance across to stake 3 is still what it should be, if not move stake 3 keeping it's distance to stake 2 the same
13) check that both short sides and long sides are the same (if not you've misjudged how to move stakes in an arc. You can get around this with a second piece of string between stake 2 and 3 that is the same length as the opposite side, now go through steps 9-12 again keeping this second piece of string taut.)

LOL. I aint as clever as I fought der.

[burnie]

I grow seeds and plants in blocks or drifts by scattering, I get more into the same space, as straight lines are a tad wasteful on space. Each to their own, but straight lines don't do it for me.

[BUFFS]

3,4,5's or there deivatives are ok if you have a squarish plot but for a long plot you are better off using 5,12,13's or their derivtives to square it off. You only need square off one corner as the two squared lines become your datums for each direction.

PS I aint clever either.

all these figures are doing me head in, I just fold some large card to give a right angle, tack it onto the first post and work off those two lines..... I must say I loved your equation , if only school was that good...

[Greenleaves]

All marked out now. Thanks for all your input even Snadgers joke

[fishpond]

Bit late now,but I was going to suggest you got someone else to do it.