Whether you are breaking ground for a new garden, renovating or enlarging an old one, or maybe considering raised beds there are a few things you should consider. What kind of sun exposure do you have? Is your proposed garden level, or sloping, and in which direction? Are you going to have a fence to keep the deer out? What materials do you want to use, or have access to on your property? Let’s dig deeper into each of these areas.
Maximize sun exposure
Sunlight is the number one factor in a successful garden, as you can’t really change that once you’ve dug your beds. Most vegetables and flowers do best with at least 8 hours of full sun each day. Some can do OK with less, and may benefit from a little afternoon shade during the hottest months. Avoid trees, for the shade they cast (which can change over the course of the season), and also the roots that compete for nutrients and water. If possible, it’s best orient your beds east-west, which will maximize the amount of sunlight each row receives.
Sun and slope were key considerations in this garden bed design.
Fencing options
Do you have a deer problem in your yard? We sure do, and it’s been getting worse with time. To keep them out, use a 60” (5’) welded wire fencing around the perimeter of your garden, with one or more gates to allow access to your beds. This fencing comes in 50’ rolls, and costs roughly $1/’. Inside, consider beds of two sizes, depending on where they are in relation to the fencing.
A 2’ wide bed along the fence allows you to reach all the way across without stepping in the bed itself, and allows plants that like/need support access to the fence itself. Pole beans, peas and cucumbers all benefit from the support. Away from the fence and small beds, consider 4-5’ wide beds. The goal is to be able to reach the center of the bed easily from either side. Pathway areas between the beds should be at least 3’ wide so you can use your wheelbarrow or garden cart between the beds.
Slope considerations
Is your garden area level, or does it have some slope? A lot of places in Central Virginia are hilly, so slope is often an important consideration. On the plus side, it will improve your overall drainage, and if your garden slopes southward more sunlight will reach each bed. Northward slopes, though not ideal, are still workable. Increase the size of your pathways to prevent one bed shading another, and consider raising the beds to some degree—possibly higher as you go down the slope.
Raised beds offer advantages in level areas too, as they allow for increased drainage when we have too much rain. You don’t actually have to use an edging material when you build up the raised beds, but many people use landscape timbers, cedar boards, concrete blocks or even logs to outline the beds. Consider using some soil from the pathway areas to help build up the raised beds. If you are using perimeter beds along your fence, you may also need to plan for some drain pipes to get water out of the garden during and after a heavy rain. Using short sections of 4” flexible plastic pipe under the perimeter beds can really help. This is most easily done when you’re first building the beds.
Taking a day to examine your sun exposure, and planning the layout of your beds can really get your garden started on the right foot. Happy digging!