“Smart” beds for the most advanced gardeners will help make the life of a gardener easier, increase the productivity of crops and turn worries about the harvest into relaxation. Lazy bed technologies will prevent seedlings from going to waste and allow the harvest to meet your expectations.
Do you want your vegetable garden to become your pride? Read our article on how to do this.
Vegetable garden layout
With the right approach, a vegetable garden can become not just a place for growing vegetables, but also turn into a stylish landscape design object. Experts in this field have developed many recommendations in this regard.
How to design beautiful beds for the lazy, tall and smart beds - this is what a gardener needs to know.
- When planning a garden arrangement, pay attention to the fertility and illumination of the area for the beds.
- Prioritize the quality of the beds, not their quantity. A few neat garden beds will look much better than a large garden overgrown with weeds.
- To save space, use multi-level designs.
- Framing the edges will help improve the harvest and give the beds an aesthetic appearance. Stone, paving stones, colored slate, and plastic fences are perfect for this purpose.
- The optimal width of paths between beds is considered to be 70 cm.
- To ensure that plants do not obscure each other, place them from north to south on a flat area, and on an area with a slope - perpendicular to it. At the same time, the southern slope is preferable for vegetable crops, and the northern one for garden crops.
- Don't limit yourself to rectangular shapes. The beds can be made in an arc or in the form of various geometric shapes, arranged in groups or create a single composition.
Summer residents grow many crops that have similar cultivation characteristics or, conversely, contradict each other.
See also: Layout of a plot of 12 acres. Scheme, options.
Neighborhood Rules
Planning a garden in a small area will help to compactly place plants and get a high yield. If you choose the right neighbors in the garden bed in landscape design, then joint cultivation will be beneficial. Successful companions are able to minimize damage from pests and insects.
Bush beans repel Colorado beetles from eggplants and flea beetles from cabbage. It is better to place beans around beds with cucumbers, potatoes and corn. Small islands of weaving crops improve the nitrogen supply of the garden. Peas are the perfect companion for carrots and turnips. The taste of the wormwood and marigold family spoils the taste.
Correct layout of the vegetable garden Source www.benimmulku.com/view.htm
Potatoes are safe to grow in mixed beds. Horseradish, tansy and nasturtium repel insects. The combination with spinach and beans drives away Colorado potato beetles. Celery inhibits root growth and is therefore prohibited for joint cultivation.
Parsley between rows of strawberries will repel slugs. Garden berries in the garden harmoniously coexist with all vegetables. Sage and borage improve the taste of the harvest. Garlic gets along without problems in a garden bed with strawberries, but will not survive next to grapes. Peas are recommended for turnips, but mustard and knotweed are prohibited. Tomatoes may die near kohlrabi.
Table of successful neighbors in garden beds Source eda-land.ru
Corn is very demanding of its surroundings and will not tolerate all types. Beets and celery are also contraindicated. At home, in Latin America, the plant is grown together with pumpkin and beans. Companions support each other throughout the entire development period. Pepper gets along perfectly with basil, but will die in alliance with fennel.
Neighbors in the garden Source www.pinterest.com
Materials for beds
By zoning a site using beds, you can separate incompatible plant species or combine those that have the same care system.
| Material | Advantages | Flaws |
| Tree | Easy to create, mobile, easy to disassemble and transport | Prone to rot |
| Straw | Originality | Fragility |
| Stone | Durability, effectiveness | High price |
| Plastic | Easy to install and maintain, resistant to sun, cold, and moisture | Doesn’t always fit into the overall style of the site |
| Metal | Durability | Requires additional precautions |
See also: Do-it-yourself landscape design of a summer cottage, photo.
Principles of constructing lazy beds
The basic principle of the new approach to garden care is that you can dig and weed the soil only during preparation and planting, otherwise it will dry out quickly and will not be able to provide the crops with moisture. Only surface loosening is allowed.
A lazy bed is a completely new approach to gardening, which will allow seedlings to grow on their own and produce several times more yield.
You need to start preparing the beds in advance. Collect straw, sawdust or pine cones and cover the surface with them to make it difficult for weeds to grow in this area. This procedure is called soil mulching. It is thanks to her that the beds will no longer have to be weeded.
The rule says that you cannot dig or weed the soil, except for its preparation and planting itself.
Progressive summer residents have long appreciated the beauty of an automatic irrigation system, which allows them to save their time without damaging the crop. With the press of a button, you can start the watering process, and your beds will remain lush and green without much effort on your part.
Even though constant weeding can remove weeds and fluff up the soil, sooner or later it will dry out and will not be able to provide sufficient moisture for crops.
See also: Beautiful garden plot with your own hands.
May. Work in the garden at the end of spring
Planting pepper seedlings in open ground
In most of the temperate climate, return frosts are almost never observed in May, and the temperature rises to +18-20°C during the day and rarely drops below +12°C at night.
This means that, starting from about mid-May, it is possible to plant almost all crops in open ground, transplant seedlings and open greenhouses and hotbeds. Work in May is less varied than activities in early spring, since it mostly comes down to planting and caring for plants. Garden care in May has completely different specifics than at other times of the year.
Most crops bloom and their fruit ovaries form in May. In order to support the plants during this period, the active use of fertilizers begins.
Planting plants and transplanting seedlings
Planting potatoes in open ground
To obtain abundant harvests, it is not enough to simply grow seedlings. Most crops for which seedling cultivation was used need to be transplanted into open ground in May.
Such crops include:
- tomatoes;
- pepper;
- cucumbers;
- eggplant;
- cabbage
As a rule, most of the listed crops have already passed the stage of picking into separate containers. They are planted in the ground together with a lump of earth, completely removed from the container, otherwise the delicate root hairs of the plant can be damaged. This will cause the plant to have problems obtaining nutrients from the soil.
Watering seedlings when planting in open ground is always accompanied by abundant watering. Often, when planting, pegs are installed to which young plants are tied.
Planting cabbage
The following crops are planted directly in open ground in May:
- potato;
- cabbage;
- late carrots;
- beets;
- greens (parsley, dill, celery, lettuce, sorrel);
- onion sets;
- zucchini, squash, zucchini;
- radish.
The following ornamental crops can be distinguished:
- gladioli;
- dahlias;
- alyssum;
- clematis;
- hosts;
- bells;
- nasturtiums;
- marigold;
- asters;
- begonias;
- cornflowers.
Feeding in May
Adding compost to the beds
Since in May almost all plants enter the flowering phase (and some even manage to complete it), it is recommended to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to strengthen them. It is better to fertilize ornamental crops with specialized complex fertilizers. Superphosphate is best suited for vegetable beds.
At this time, it is better not to use nitrogen fertilizers, or use them in limited quantities, as they cause the growth of the green part of the plant. In some cases, this will suppress the process of budding and flower formation on the plant, causing flowering to not be as abundant as planned.
Often during the flowering process and after its completion, not only superphosphate, but also potassium sulfate is used. The most useful organic fertilizers are:
- compost;
- peat;
- bird droppings;
- wood ash.
As a rule, the second generation of green manure for the season is planted in May. They are used as fertilizer to grow later crops: various pumpkins, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes.
Gardening in March
Work in the garden and vegetable garden in the spring (March, April and May): basic and preventive | (Photo & Video) + Reviews
Gardening in April
Work in the garden and vegetable garden in the spring (March, April and May): basic and preventive | (Photo & Video) + Reviews
DIY lazy bed
Homemade fencing is an easy way to build a foundation for your garden bed.
- Determine the desired height of the sides.
- Connect the boards using a screwdriver and remove the clamps.
- Turn the bed over and set it in place. Make sure that the light here is sufficient for seedlings to germinate.
- Bury the corner beams 12-15 cm into the ground.
- Adjust the sides using a building level. This is necessary for the proper operation of the irrigation system.
- Install plastic tubes from the inside to prevent the walls from collapsing due to bad weather.
- Level the area and cover it with anti-mole netting.
- Fill in the soil.
- Secure the irrigation system.
- Plant the seedlings.
- Install an awning if necessary.
In this approach, preparation for future planting is very important - it is advisable to do this in the fall.
See also Conifers in the landscape design of a summer cottage
Raised beds
Bad climate and low yields will become a forgotten problem for you thanks to the high construction of the beds. Their creation is quite labor-intensive, but the result will pleasantly surprise you.
Even though this is a very labor-intensive process at first - building the frame itself and watering the beds, it will allow you to forget about the bad climate and low yields.
The advantages of such beds.
- Good soil heating due to the proximity of the sun. They can be planted as early as April.
- The bottom mesh will protect the crop from moles and rodents.
- The frame, about 1.5 m wide, will ensure convenient watering, since it can be approached from both sides.
- By dividing it into two parts, you can easily organize a greenhouse with your own hands.
- The harvest on high beds appears earlier than on ordinary ones.
A high bed is always exposed to the sun, which helps to warm up the soil layer, so it can be planted as early as April without fear of freezing.
However, one drawback of this design can be identified - the need for frequent watering due to the fact that moisture quickly goes down.
The most popular materials for making raised beds are:
- Aluminum barrels;
- Stone;
- Brick;
- Logs.
It is worth noting that it is the high beds that provide the earliest harvest of first salads and then fastidious vegetables.
They are made in the form of combs or trapezoids. They are created for one season, since under the snow in winter they noticeably settle. They are used mainly for melons and melons – cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini. Sometimes potatoes are planted in them.
See also: DIY country decor from scrap materials
Green manure
A gardener has two global tasks: maintaining or improving soil fertility and fighting weeds. There is one method that will immediately solve both problems - the use of green manure. These are plants that grow quickly and form dense greenery that suppresses the development of weeds. They are sown after or before the main sowing/planting, then the greens are cut off, leaving the roots to rot in the ground. By rotting, they enrich the soil and also make it looser. And some of the green manures also kill diseases. So this agricultural technique is really very important.
This is not out of stupidity. This is an agricultural technology to improve soil fertility
Rules of application
Several basic techniques for using green manure. They are sown immediately after harvesting in a continuous carpet (lupine, rapeseed, phacelia). Or in early spring before planting the main crops. Scatter the seeds over the surface, then cover them with a rake. Two to three weeks before planting the main plants, green manure is mowed. Greens can be used for mulching. You need to cut it before the seeds appear, otherwise you will get a new type of weed.
Growing seedlings using green manure
When planting seedlings, green manure does not need to be mowed. We just make the hole larger, plant the seedlings, and mulch the soil. If green manure covers the sun, they can be trimmed, but in general, they even out temperature fluctuations. When the seedlings have taken root, you can cut off the green manure and mulch the soil with leaves.
What types of green manure plants are there and their choice
Many plants are suitable for improving soil health. When choosing green manure, take into account what you will plant after it.
- They enrich with nitrogen almost like adding manure: alfalfa, clover, sweet clover, china, lentils, peas, beans, etc. They also kill the nematode.
- General improvement of the condition of the upper layers of the soil and the fight against nematodes: winter rye and wheat, spring oats and barley, Sudan grass, millet, fescue. Dense greens do not rot very well, but make excellent mulch. Suitable for all types of soils, including acidified ones.
Green manure plants have different properties, but they all improve soil condition
- Soil enrichment (not suitable for acidified soils): rapeseed, mustard, rapeseed, radish. The greens are soft and rot well, but they need to be mowed before the “arrows” are pasted. After green manure from this group, you cannot plant cruciferous vegetables - cabbage, radishes, radishes, spinach, arugula.
- Phacelia, mallow, amaranth, flax, calendula, tagetes (marigolds) are also good for increasing soil fertility. It is necessary to mow before the buds appear.
To suppress weeds, green manure can be sown not only in spring or autumn—row spacing can also be sown in summer. Just remember to mow on time. The greens will be used as mulch. For regions with hot climates, green manure can be planted after the main plants have taken root. In this case, dense greenery will keep the soil from overheating.
If you plant oats/barley and legumes, or flax and calendula between the potato rows, there will be fewer Colorado potato beetles and nematodes. And phacelia and mustard will help get rid of wireworms. Plant sweet clover and lupine between the tomato bushes - they will prevent horse rot and late blight from developing.
Smart beds
The main principle in smart beds remains the same as in lazy ones, but the emphasis is on fertilizers. The quantity of the harvest and how carefully it will be necessary to care for it directly depend on their quality.
Smart beds only need to be dug up once. They do not need weeding - mulch will prevent weeds from sprouting.
The soil in them is compost, consisting of straw, leaves and sawdust containing nutrients. A thin layer of soil is laid on top of it, and after a couple of weeks the bed can be planted.
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Warm beds
The principle of constructing warm beds is based on multi-layering and the placement of fresh manure in their lower layers. In winter, the main processes begin, and by spring it begins to decompose. As the manure rots, it releases heat, and the bed becomes ready for planting early.
Many gardeners have been convinced more than once that high-quality fertilizer produces a large harvest that does not require much effort from its owner.
This method is suitable for radishes, cucumbers and other crops with shallow roots.
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Do-it-yourself warm bed
Having previously sampled 40-50 cm of soil, we lay the layers in the following sequence.
Such a bed uses not ordinary soil as soil, but compost, to which straw, leaves and sawdust are added, which as a result provides even more useful substances for future plants.
- Large wood
- Small wood
- Earth
- Organic - waste
- Sprinkle EM-Bokashi, spill EM-A
- Earth again
- Organic - waste
- Sprinkle EM-Bokashi, spill EM-A
- Humus
- Mulch (5-8 cm)
The service life of such a bed is 6-8 years.
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Principles of crop rotation
To have a harvest every year, change the areas for planting plants of the same type. For example, don't plant tomatoes in the same place every year. Pests and diseases of a specific type accumulate in the soil. By changing plants and sowing disinfectant plants, you destroy pests.
Tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes are all nightshades and have the same pests.
So when selecting plants, it is also worth looking at the classification of species. To make it easier to navigate, we present a table of sequence/combination of crops.
| Culture for planting | Good predecessors | Valid predecessors | Bad Predecessors |
| Medium and late varieties of cabbage | Peas, beans, beans, cucumber, carrots, early potatoes | Beetroot, cabbage | |
| Early varieties of cabbage, cauliflower | Onions, cucumbers, beans, peas, beans, sederats. | Carrots, tomatoes. | Root vegetables, cabbage |
| Beet | Potatoes, cucumbers, greens, green manure. | Tomatoes, onions, carrots, cauliflower and early cabbage, | Beetroot, late and mid-season cabbage |
| Cucumbers, zucchini, squash, zucchini | All legumes, onions, garlic, cabbage, except late cabbage. | Potatoes, beets, greens | Tomatoes, carrots, late cabbage. |
| Tomatoes | Cucumbers, turnips, cauliflower, greens, green manure. | Onions, beets, cabbage of medium and late varieties. | Tomatoes, potatoes |
| Onion garlic | Legumes, potatoes, cucumbers, cauliflower and early cabbage | Beets, tomatoes, late cabbage | Greens, carrots |
| Potato | Legumes, green manure, cucumbers, cauliflower and early cabbage | Beets, carrots, mid and late cabbage, greens | Tomatoes, potatoes |
| Greenery | Legumes, onions, cauliflower and early cabbage, cucumbers, green manure | Potatoes, beets, greens, tomatoes | Carrots, late cabbage |
| Legumes | Potatoes, onions, garlic, whole cabbage, cucumbers | Root vegetables, green manure, greens, tomatoes | Legumes |
How to “change” vegetables in the garden beds
If you change places for planting plants according to the table above, it is most convenient to divide the garden into 4 parts. For the first time, plant plants that have the same requirements for soil and fertilizers in a certain area. For example:
- Responsive to the addition of organic matter: pumpkin, cucumbers, squash, cabbage.
- Less demanding soil qualities: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants.
- Root vegetables (carrots, beets, turnips, turnips, rutabaga).
- Potato.
Next year we are moving everything forward. In the fall, we add humus to the area where the potatoes were. We plant plants of the first group there. Plants from the second group move to 1 plot, etc. Schematically, the first option for crop rotation for a vegetable garden is shown in the left figure below.
Correct crop rotation in the garden - what to plant next
Sometimes potatoes and tomatoes take up half the area. In this case, we divide the second half into three sections, where we place the plants of the remaining groups. Every year, potatoes/tomatoes move from one half to the other, and the vegetables in the second half also alternate with each other. This crop rotation is shown schematically in the right figure.
Unusual solutions
A vegetable garden does not have to be boring, because there is easily room for imagination and originality.
See alsoWhat is needed for a site landscape design project
Hanging beds
You can create unusual beds that will give your garden an original look and save space on your site with your own hands. You can make them from bags or plastic pipes cut in half. Plant strawberries, herbs or small vegetables in them.
Your site will be filled with meaning and you can give it individuality.
Another advantage of this design is that you can plant seedlings in them in advance and take them outside when it gets warmer.
See alsoDesign of a country house plot with an area of 15 acres
Vertical beds
Another way to save space is vertical multi-tiered beds. Wooden boards, boxes and plastic pipes will be excellent materials for creating such structures with your own hands.
The arrangement and shape of the beds depends on your imagination and the convenience of getting around them.
See alsoInterior of a summer cottage: ergonomic rules
Beds made from scrap materials
The most common things can be adapted into containers for planting vegetables:
- Baskets;
- Boxes;
- Watering cans;
- Old chest of drawers;
- Dishes;
- Car tires;
- Unnecessary boots and boots;
- Wooden barrels;
- Bath;
- Bike.
Framing beds is not only the key to a good harvest.
You can even build a flower bed from a pair of old jeans. And by decorating tires, you can create the most unexpected compositions in the form of animals, flowers and favorite cartoon characters.
Paths
The paths between the beds should not be overgrown with weeds and take a lot of time to weed; it is better to cover them. There are various options for equipping paths - turfing with lawn grass that is resistant to trampling, covering with tiles, gravel, and broken bricks.
To prevent weeds from growing through them, first you need to lay geotextiles or roofing felt that does not transmit light on the paths, and then crushed stone, gravel, stone chips, and other material on top of it.
There are various ready-made slabs for garden paths on sale - rubber, plastic, or special roll coverings. Another option is a covering made from plastic bottle caps, which can also serve as a massage mat.
DIY multi-tiered bed
Making a classic square three-level garden bed with your own hands is quite simple. Preliminarily outline its location and draw up a plan on paper, taking into account the characteristics of the planned vegetables, the number of tiers, the size and topography of the site.
Combining certain crops in one bed will create an amazing plant design.
- Level and mark the surface.
- Treat the boards with antiseptic impregnation.
- Install sides with a height of at least 15 cm, maintaining right angles. Remember that the next levels will be lower in height. Therefore, it is better to choose the height with a margin.
- Connect the boards into panels using bars with sides of 50 cm.
- Lay polyethylene or metal mesh on the ground, cover with drainage, then soil, and then compost.
- The second level is installed on top. It should occupy 2/3 of the lower tier. The layers are stacked similarly to the previous one.
- The third level is made even smaller: it occupies 1/3 of the first tier.
- At the final stage, paint the outer walls of the bed with wood paint.
The composition can consist not only of vegetables, but also of herbs and flowers. Some plant species are able to provide vegetable crops with protection from pests and diseases.
Tips for a summer resident
The space between the beds can be filled with pebbles or separated by small paths.
| Task | Solution |
| Pick up inventory | Don't skimp on tools. Cheap equipment will quickly become unusable, and you will need to buy a new one. Therefore, it is better to immediately choose quality things. |
| Organize storage |
|
| Effectively combine cultures with each other | Play with contrasts and shapes. Combine climbing plants with large squashes and watermelons, or use the same crops but in different colors. |
| Lay paths between the beds | Lay them out with pebbles, concrete tiles, lawn grass or wood cuts. |
| Treat wooden fences | The most economical way: use copper sulfate on the inside and lime on the outside. The most durable: decking board. |
| Create a spectacular vegetable garden design | Choose a consistent style. Perfect for the garden: Mediterranean, Japanese, country. Choose matching borders, bed patterns and garden figurines. |
Garden decor
Decorative elements are something without which it is impossible to imagine a stylish vegetable garden. A small mill, a figurine of a garden gnome or a figurine in the shape of an animal, like a accidentally forgotten watering can or cart wheel - all these little things will complement the design of your site, and it will sparkle with fresh colors.
The design of beds can be very diverse, it all depends on your imagination.
Nobody forbids combining vegetables with garden plants. Flower beds, arches, trellises and “huts” entwined with climbing flowers will fit perfectly here.
To diversify the appearance of plantings, you can add flowers to vegetable crops, for example, marigolds.
French charm
Would you like to have something similar to the design of the royal Versailles from the time of the Sun King? Then you’ll have to start arranging your site in the French style!
It should be remembered that you will have to determine the central part of the composition, from which triangular beds will extend, forming a hemisphere or semicircle. Symmetry must be observed when designing each element.
More detailed information on how to plan an exquisite vegetable garden can be easily found on the Internet. We will list those elements that will decorate a suburban area in general, and a vegetable garden in particular:
- decorative borders of paved paths;
- miniature fountain;
- curly (topiary) bush trimming;
- garden sculptures.
Important! Low-growing shrubs are suitable for such a garden. They should not “obstruct” the view, and from time to time they “demand” a fashionable “hairstyle”.
Note!
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Single style
We bring to your attention the most popular solutions for vegetable garden design in a general style.
Choose plants that are contrasting in shape and color, don’t be afraid to experiment!
| Style | Colors | Materials | Peculiarities |
| Mediterranean | Pastel shades, terracotta, ocher | Natural stone, paving slabs, wood flooring, brick |
|
| Country | Variegated natural shades | Natural wood, stone, willow twig |
|
| Japanese | Green palette | Small crushed stone, pebbles, boulders |
|
| French | Delicate natural colors | Almost any: wood, stone, brick, slate, concrete |
|
A stylish vegetable garden with a unique design will become the pride of any summer resident, and smart technologies, high beds and the right choice of soil will help increase productivity and save effort and money spent on maintenance.
Watering
When creating a decorative vegetable garden, it is necessary to properly consider watering methods, which is very important especially in dry seasons.
The most popular method is watering from a hose with a sprayer. You can use various containers (for example, plastic bottles) that are dug into the soil; from small holes, water will seep directly to the roots.
Another method is drip. A pipe with small holes is laid in the box as the box itself is laid, then connected to the main hose or pipe. Drip irrigation greatly saves time, effort and water consumption. Nowadays, special stores sell ready-made kits for drip irrigation.
