Smart Plant Placement: Get the Most out of Your Raised Bed Garden

If your weather is anything like ours, this time of year is a bit of a tease. Not only is it the month of love, February is the month of finicky weather with temperatures that fluctuate daily.

Just the other day, we received almost three inches of chilling rain. Now temperatures are predicted to reach 76 degrees this week. Crazy, right?

Whether you’re staying inside during rainy days or taking walks during the more pleasant ones, February is an excellent time to start planning out your Raised Bed Garden for the spring.    

Once you’ve set up your order to get the best soil and raised beds, you’ll want to map out your edible garden to determine the best action plan.

Shannon Hathaway offers some tips with her Raised Gardening expertise.

How Much Can I Plant In My Raised Bed Garden?

The amount you can plant really depends on the size of the raised bed and what you are planting. Once you decide what produce you like to eat and will enjoy the most throughout the summer, you can start mapping out a plan.

Our Doc’s Raised Beds are 4 ft. x 8ft. and can produce a garden that will keep you busy harvesting this summer. However, if you want to grow several varieties of vegetables, you’ll want more than one bed.

How Do I Lay Out My Plants?

Follow a few simple rules when planning your raised bed.

• Plant your climbing vegetables toward the back of the bed on a trellis. Spring and summer climbing veggies include eggplant and cucumbers. (They’re easy to Build. See our video & instructions here.)
• Think of larger vegetables going down to smaller. Tomatoes will likely be your largest and require cages once they really start growing.
• Allow for at least 18 inches of space between plants like tomatoes. Zig-zag the tomato plants to provide more airflow.
• Peppers will grow tall, but not as tall as tomatoes. Zig-zag the peppers in a similar pattern closer to the front of the bed.
• Next, add veggies that will crawl in between the tall plants and spill over the edges of your raised bed. Squash and zucchini are perfect for this. (If you’re on the “zoodle” trend, this is perfect for you!)
• Now add herbs to spice up those vegetables! Plant your herbs toward the front of the bed because they’re short. (Some herbs are companion plants to ward off pests. Read about that here!)
• Finally, feel free to add a shade-loving, creeping herb plant such as oregano between your taller tomato and pepper plants.