nersm Prograam

Colorado Maaster Garden

C
C
Colorado Garrdener Certiificate Train
ning
C
Colorado S
State Univ
versity Exttension

G
GMG Gard
denNotes #713
Block
B k Style
e Layout in
n
R ed Bed
Raise d Veg
getabble Ga
ardens
Outline: Block style garden
g layoutt, page 1
Suggestted spacing, page
p 2
Raised bed gardens, pag ge 4
Construuction of a raissed bed garde
en, page 5
Gardeniing with raised beds, page e7

B
Block Stylee Garden Layout
L

Block sttyle garden laayout (also caalled close-roww or wide-roww plantings) increase
i
yields fiive fold comppared to the trraditional row
w-style gardenn layout, 15 foold for the
smaller kitchen gardeen vegetabless. The compaact design reduces weedingg and is
ideal forr raised bed gardening.
g

The basic technique used

u in close--row, block planting
p is to eliminate
e unnnecessary
walkwayys by plantingg vegetables in rectangularr-shaped bedss or blocks innstead of
long sinngle rows. Foor example, pllant a block ofo carrots nextt to a block off beets,
followedd with a blockk of lettuce annd so forth doown the bed area.
a

Plant croops with an equal-distance

e e spacing
betweenn neighboringg plants in botth directions.
For exam mple, space a carrot patch on 3 inch by
3-inch centers.
c It maay be easier too visualize
this plannt layout as ruunning rows spaced
s 3
inches apart
a across thhe bed, and thhinning the
carrots within
w the roww to 3 inches.. A 24-foot
long “traditional” row w of carrots will
w fit into a
3 foot byy 2-foot bed. [Figure 1]

Design the
t planting beds
b to be 3 too 4 feet wide
and anyy desired lengtth. This widtth makes it
easy to reach
r into thee growing bedd from Figure 1. Carrots planted
p on
walkwayys for plantinng, weeding and
a harvestingg. 3-inch cente
ers

Limitingg foot traffic to

t the establisshed walkwayys between pllanting beds reduces
r
soil com
mpaction. Design walkwayys to 18-24 innches wide. Mulch
M walkwaays with
dry grasss clippings, wood
w chips, or
o other organnic mulch.

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 As the vegetable
v foliage grows toggether, the shhade cast supppresses weed
germinaation.

After haarvesting a row

w of radishess, beets, lettucce, or spinachh, replant for continual
c
summerr production.

Due to the
t higher pllant density, block plantiings require a weed-free, fertile,
well-draained soil thaat is rich in organic
o mattter. Give extrra attention too watering
and freqquent, light feertilization to nourish the dense
d plant poopulation. Avvoid over-
crowdinng vegetables;; the reduced air circulation can increasse disease problems.

Figure 2.. Kitchen garde en in block-style layout with (top

to bottom m) spinach, asssorted lettuce varieties)
v and
Swiss ch hard. Note thatt rows run acrooss the four-fooot
wide bed d. As a row of lettuce is harveested, it is
replanted d for continual production or neighboring
n cro
ops
fills in the
e space.

Figure 3.. Sample layou arden vegetables.

ut of kitchen ga

Suggeested Spacin
ng
Suggestted spacing forf kitchen gaarden
vegetab
bles: (Start wiith the wider spacings,
s
reducingg spacing witth experience and as soil
improvees in fertility and
a tilth.)

o Beets: 4-6”” by 4-6"

o Carrots: 2--3" by 2-3"
o Celery: 7-99" by 7-9"
o Garlic: 4-66” by 4-6"
o Kohlrabi: 7-9"
7 by 7-9"
o Leeks: 4-6” by 4-6"
o Lettuce, heead: l0-l2” byy 10-12"
o Lettuce, leaf: 7-9" by 7--9"
o Onions, buunching” 2-3"" by 2-3"
o Onions, drry: 4-6" by 4-66”
o Parsnips: 5-6”
5 by 5-6"
o Radishes: 2-3"
2 by 2-3"
o Spinach: 4-6” by 4-6”
o Swiss charrd: 7-9” by 7-9”
o Turnips: 4--6”by 4-6"

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Other vegetables
v su
uited to
block planting

Cole croops (broccolii, cabbage,

Bruussels sproutss and
cauuliflower) – Spaced
S at
18''' by 18'', or thhree plants
acrross a four-foot bed.

Corn – Always plantt in a block

to facilitate
f polllination.
Fivve rows wide is
reccommended for f the best
“poollen shower'' to
maaximize kerneel set; three
rowws wide is miinimum.
Space at 12” byy 24” or four
rowws across twoo, four-foot
widde beds.

Eggplannt – Space at 18-24" by

18--24' (or two or
o three
plaants across a four-foot
f
widde bed).

Pepperss – Space at 15"

1 by 15"
(orr three plants across a
fouur-foot wide bed).
b

Potatoees – Space at 12-15" by

12--15'' (or threee plants
acrross a four-foot wide
boxx).

Figure 4.. Sample blockk-style garden

Vine Crrops (squash.. cantaloupes,, pumpkins, anda watermeloons) – Place a single

roww down the ceenter of a fouur-foot wide box.
b They maay also be plaanted in
larger blocks, seeveral rows wide.
w Place thhe winter squaash and pumppkins in
thee center of thee block and caantaloupes, watermelons,
w a summer squash
and s
aroound the edgee where they can
c be reacheed for summerr harvest.

Trellis tomatoes
t and d cucumberss to save space and make harvest
h easier.. The
inccreased air cirrculation arouund trellised toomatoes helpps suppress tom
mato
blight. Space trrellised tomatoes a minimuum of 24 inchhes apart downn a single
roww, in a block two
t to three feet
f wide. Plaant cucumberrs along a trelllis at 9-12
incch spacings.

Beans and
a peas mayy be easier to pick and are less disease-pprone if planted in
sinngle or doublee rows, rather than block sttyle planting. Space beanss 12”
bettween rows annd 4four inchhes between plants.
p Plant a double row down a
bloock two to thrree feet wide.

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 Figure 5.. Raised bed garden
g
with charrd, lettuce varieeties,
spinach, beets, and oniions.
Because e even water
distributio
on is needed fo or this
bed with a heavy plant
populatioon, the drip irrig
gation
hose is run up and dow wn the
bed four times on a 12””
spacing. The bed will be b
mulched with dry grasss
clippingss to conserve water
w
and conttrol weeds in su ummer.
Wood ch hips make an excellent
mulching g material for thhe
walkwayss.

Raised Bed
R d Gardenin
ng
Raised bed
b gardens with
w block styyle layout havve many advaantages, includding the
followinng:

Higher yields and leess area to weed – The bloock style layoout, eliminatinng
unnecessary walkways inccreases yieldss by five-foldd over the tradditional
row-path-roww garden layoout.

Reduceed soil compaaction – Estabblished walkw

ways keep fooot traffic off the
t
growing bed, reducing soiil compactionn.

Earlier planting – The

T raised bedd facilitates beetter runoff annd drainage allowing
a
soil to warm faster in the spring. Beds can be coverred with plasttic during
spring rains, allowing for early plantingg even in rainny years.

Frost prrotection – The

T block-stylle layout is eaasy to cover for
f spring andd fall frost
protection. It
I can also be shaded in thee hot summer.

Soil imp
provement – The raised bed is a clearlyy defined areaa where the gardener
g
can concentrrate on soil im
mprovement teechniques, thaat is the addittion of soil
organic matter. In situatioons where thee soil is poor, limiting plannt growth,
good planting soil may bee added to thee box.

Architeectural intereest – Raised beds

b become an
a architecturral feature of the
landscape deesign.

Accessible Gardenin ng – The raised bed is ideaal for enablingg persons witth limited
mobility to garden.
g

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Constructing a Raised Bed Garden

Size – A bed four feet wide is ideal for most vegetable crops, allowing the
gardener to reach the entire bed from the side without ever stepping on the soil in
the growing bed. Length can be whatever works for the space.

Tomatoes are well suited to a bed 24” to 36” wide, with one row of plants down
the middle. Beans and peas are easier to pick in a single or double row down a bed
rather than in the block-style planting. Here a bed 24 inches wide would be ideal.
Depth / Height – The height of the beds is generally of no consequence, assuming
that crops can root down into the soil below the bed. For most home garden
situations, the role of a raised bed is to define and separate the growing bed from
the walkway. Here a four-inch height would be adequate. Variations in heights
(4”, 6”, 8”, and 10”) among different beds may help create an appealing landscape
feature.

In situations where the soil below is not suitable for crop growth, eight to twelve
inches of soil is considered minimal. Deeper beds would make management
easier.

To accommodate gardeners with special needs, bed height may be raised to

minimize bending or to allow gardening work from a chair or wheelchair. Plan
walkway space between beds wide enough to accommodate specialized equipment
or mobility.

For ease of irrigation, beds should be reasonably level, both across and lengthwise.

Orientation – For frost protection, an east-west orientation has a slight advantage

of collecting heat. For summer crop growth, a north-south orientation has a slight
advantage of sunlight on both sides of the plant row each day. Because there is no
clear advantage, orient the beds in whatever direction work best for the landscape
design. Often beds are best arranged to be an appealing landscape feature of the
property.

Construction materials – A simple way to construct a raised bed garden is to use

construction lumber (2 by 4s, 2 by 6s, 2 by 8s, and 2 by 10s). Untreated lumber
will last for several years, except in high salt areas or wet sites. Simply cut two
pieces the width of the bed (typically four feet) and two others to the desired bed
length. Using three and one-half to four inch decking screws, screw the corners
together to make a four-sided box. Place the box-like frame on the soil and fill.

Various landscaping timbers may also be used in like fashion. Cooper treated
lumber is safe for garden boxes. However, do not use railroad ties (creosote cancer
concerns) or CCA pressure treated lumber (removed from the market several years
ago due to arsenic concerns). Brick or other building materials may also be
suitable.

Raised beds may also be made without sides. Here, organic matter is mixed as the
garden is tilled. Walkways are dug down with the soil thrown up on the bed. Beds
are four feet wide at the base and three feet wide at the top. The entire bed is
covered with organic mulch like dry grass clippings to prevent soil erosion and
reduce compaction from rain and sprinkler irrigation. [Figure 6]

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 Figure 6. Raissed bed
garden withou ut sides. Beds
are four foot wide
w at the
base and three e foot wide at
the top. Walkss were dug
down with soil placed on
the beds.

Addingg soil – In the typical gardeen setting wheere crop rootss will spread down
d into
the soil below the bedd, it is best too use similar soils.
s b beneficial to
It may be
double-ddig the beds. In double-diigging, the topp six inches of o soil is movved from
one sidee of the bed too the other sidde of the bed. Mix organicc matter into the
t soil
below thhe excavated side. Return the soil to thhe top, mixingg in organic matter.
m
Then reppeat the proceess for the othher side of thee bed.

When addding soil, avvoid creating a situation whhere one typee of soil ends and
another begins. Thiss creates a linee between soiil types that im mpedes waterr and air
infiltratiion and slowss, or even stopps, root penettration. If thee soil being addded to the
bed is different from the soil below w, mix some of the two toggether beforee adding
the remaainder to avoiid a distinct liine of changee.

In situattions where thhe entire rootiing zone will be in the raissed bed, a soill on the
sandy siide with 4-5%% organic mattter would be preferred.

When purchasing soiil, be aware thhat there is noo legal definittion of topsoill or
plantingg soil. Just beecause it is coommercially available
a in buulk or sold in bags,
does nott necessarily mean
m that it is
i good for gaardening. Maany bagged annd bulk
soils andd soil amendm ments are preppared with coompost made with manure and may
be high in salts.

Figure 7. A re ecently
planted raised d bed
garden. Corn boxes
to left, kitchen
garden in centter,
strawberry pattch on
right, tomato patch
p
in back with bllack
plastic mulch.
Growing beds are
mulched with grass
g
clippings; woo od
chips were use ed
between bedss.

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Gardeening in a Raised Bed

Due to the
t high plantt population, raised
r beds reequire better than
t average soils, and
more freequent irrigattion and fertilization. Conccentrate on im mproving soills with
routine applications of o organic maatter. For detaails on soil im
mprovement and
a
fertilizattion, refer to the various CMG
C GardenN Notes #711, Vegetable
V Gaarden:
Soil Maanagement an nd Fertilizattion.

Mulchin ng – Mulch beds

b to controol weeds, consserve soil moisture, and regulate soil
temperaatures. Grass clippings maake great mulcch when applied in thin layyers (up to
¼ inchees thick.) Alloow each layerr to dry betweeen applicatioons. Do not use
u
clippinggs from lawnss treated with weed killers or other pestiicides for at leeast 4
weeks after
a applicatioon. Wood/baark chips are great
g for mulcching between the
w minimizee the compacttion forces of foot traffic. However,
beds. 3-4” of chips will
do NOT T mix wood/bbark chips intoo the growingg bed; it will interfere
i with seedbed
preparattion. For addditional informmation on mulching, refer the
t to the CM MG
GardenN Notes #715, Mulches
M for the
t Vegetablle Garden.

Waterin ng a raised bed

b – Drip irrigation is welll suited to raiised bed garddening. It
is ratherr easy and ineexpensive to add
a a water taap at the end ofo each box.
Alternattively, simplyy move a gardden hose in tuurn to each boox and connecct the drip
hose. Sprinkler irrigaation is also suitable,
s but less desirable due to potenttial
disease problems. Foor details on irrigation,
i reffer the CMG GardenNotes
G #714,
Irrigatiing the Vegettable Garden n.

As a poiint of clarificaation, raised bed

b gardeningg is a water coonservation teechnique.
It does require
r more frequent irriggation due to the
t higher plaant density. However,
H
it is morre efficient reesulting in higgher yields forr the amount of water appllied
compareed to the largeer areas waterred in traditioonal row-walkkway-row cullture.
Raised beds
b become even more effficient when watered withh drip irrigatioon or
soaker hoses
h on timeers.

Frost prrotection – An
A advantage of raised bedd, block style layout is thatt the bed is
easy to cover
c for prottection from springs
s rains and frost, alloowing for earrly
plantingg.

Figure 8. Frosst
protection covvering
adds two to sixx plus
weeks to the growing
g
season.

This piccture illustratees a Quonset-type cold fram

me covering made
m of conccrete
reinforccing mesh covvered with plaastic. This styyle of frost prrotection addss two to
six plus weeks on both ends of thee growing seaason for cool season vegetaables.
Any typpe of coveringg must be opeened during thhe day to prevvent overheatiing. For
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 details on frost protection techniques, refer to the CMG GardenNotes #722, Frost
Protection and Extending the Growing Season.

Additional Information – CMG GardenNotes on vegetable gardening:

#711 Vegetable Garden: Soil Management #718 Tomato Early Blight

and Fertilization #719 Vegetable Garden Hints
#712 Sample Vegetable Garden Seed Catalogs #720 Vegetable Planting Guide
#713 Block Style Layout in Raised Bed #721 Sample Planting for Raised-Bed Garden
Vegetable Gardens #722 Frost Protection and Extending the
#714 Irrigating the Vegetable Garden Growing Season
#715 Mulches for the Vegetable Garden #723 Growing Vegetables in a Hobby Greenhouse
#716 Water Conservation in the Vegetable Garden #723 Vegetable Gardening in Containers
#717 Growing Tomatoes

Authors: David Whiting, Carol O’Meara, and Carl Wilson; Colorado State University Extension. Artwork by David
Whiting.
o Colorado Master Gardener GardenNotes are available on-line at www.cmg.colostate.edu.
o Colorado Master Gardener training is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Colorado Garden Show, Inc.
o Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating.
o Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.
o No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of
products not mentioned.
o Copyright 2003-2011. Colorado State University Extension. All Rights Reserved.
CMG GardenNotes may be reproduced, without change or additions, for non-profit
educational use.
Revised July 2011

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