Summer cottage - this simple and capacious word has a deep meaning. Those people who have a summer cottage lead a completely different way of life: with the arrival of spring and until late autumn they try to do everything to collect good harvest and utilize every inch of fertile soil. So that the work is not in vain, and the work brings joy, you need to know how to arrange the beds on the site.
Not every one of us, even experienced gardener knows how best to arrange garden beds. What shape and width they should be, and what crops should be planted in the center, and what crops should be planted along the edge of the plot.
Is the shape of the beds important?
There is always a lot of controversy and disagreement on this topic, because the old-school summer residents believe that the beds must certainly be even and long, and there are people who do not want to put up with simple geometry and bring zest even to summer cottage... For example, the beds in the summer cottage can be round, square, rectangular and even curly. It all depends on the imagination of the owner of the site.
By the way, in addition to the shape, it is worth thinking about the height of the beds - they can be low or, on the contrary, high. V recent times unusual beds are gaining popularity, made in the form of rhombuses, squares or rectangles, they rise above the site. Such a bed can be made without a fence, but best of all - with protection on the sides, so that the earth does not sink, and the bed itself keeps its shape.
Why are these beds popular? The fact is that if you make the bed multi-layer, with several layers natural fertilizer it will be much warmer than normal.
What's the secret:
- the first layer on a tall bed is materials that decompose quickly (fast compost). It can be rags, paper and branches;
- the next layer is materials that decompose a little more slowly: again, paper, dry leaves, grass (but only without seeds, so that there are no foreign plants on the site);
- each layer of materials is tightly packed and watered with water;
- after watering, you need to cover everything with a layer of earth.
The process of forming the bed is short-lived, so you can immediately start planting garden crops... What are the advantages: when the decay process of the 1st and 2nd layers begins, the materials release heat, which contributes to rapid maturation planting material... High beds the sun's rays warm up faster than ordinary beds, but you need to remember that watering should be frequent. By the way, you can grow 2 crops at once on such a bed in 1 season: before sowing seeds or planting seedlings of the main crop, you can grow early crops - lettuce or radishes.
Small secrets of forming tall beds:
- if you lay a mesh under the first layer (you can use plaster), then large pests will not ruin the crop;
- there is no need to dig high beds, they need to be formed once;
- you can use a grid or old boards as a support;
- the width of the tall bed may vary depending on the size of your plot. But on average, the optimal bed width is from 60 to 100 cm, because it will be easier to care for such a mini-garden than for wide beds. You can make any length of the bed, there are no restrictions.
Thinking over the design of the garden bed, you should carefully study all the recommendations of specialists. Consider the Meatlider method - the scientist proposes to make narrow beds on his site, and, on the contrary, leave the passages between them large - 90 cm wide. The length of one narrow bed can be up to 10 m.
Such beds are easy to maintain, and you can grow any garden crops on them. Land when laying out beds into personal plot will be used to the maximum. This method even allows you to plan the amount of harvest, it all depends on the size of the plot. Can be grown in a small area with such narrow beds from 10 to 50 kg of yield.
The advantage of the scientist's method is that the large space between the plantings does not allow weeds to get close to the plants and greatly facilitates the fight against weeds. Narrow beds can be made already in early spring, as soon as the snow melts and pull the film on top - you get a mini-greenhouse.
By the way, narrow beds can be not only ordinary, but also high. When more crops need to be harvested and improved on poor soil. You will still have to water high beds, but since they do not standard size, with large passages, this way you can reduce the water consumption. This is very important, especially if the watering at the summer cottage is not adjusted and you have to carry water in buckets.
Garden beds on the site. Photo
Making garden beds on the site
To grow garden crops on your site and collect a good harvest, you need to properly plan the beds in the garden:
- in order to proceed with the arrangement of the beds on the site, it is necessary to take into account the yield of each planted crop per 1m 2 of the site. This is the only way to find out useful area for planting each crop;
- we take into account the compatibility of plants: if the rule is not observed, then it is impossible to predict what the final result will be;
- if your site is not located on level ground, but with a slight or strong slope, then you need to make supports - terraces in order to install high beds on them (we build boxes from wooden boards);
- we plan to plant crops so that tall plants are in the north, then low varieties of plants will have enough light.
The advantage of any size and shape of beds, as long as they are tall, is that the plants will be well blown from all sides. And the plants will also receive more warmth and light, and even if the summer turned out to be cloudy and not hot, you can still grow whatever you want on your site. This method allows you to grow cucumbers, eggplants, cabbage, peppers and even tomatoes in high beds of any shape.
How to arrange the beds correctly?
Remember to always start gardening your garden from north to south. This is the only way to count on the fact that all plants will be evenly warmed up. And in the morning and evening hours, when the sun is not so intense, the plants will not shade each other. This applies only to a flat suburban area.
What if you got a vegetable garden with a bias? Then the rules for creating beds will be different - it is necessary to arrange the beds across the inclined plane so that the water is evenly distributed over the site during irrigation. So you can achieve high harvest without fear of flooding those crops that are planted in the lowlands.
If the site is completely inclined, then it is better to place the beds in the south, and plant garden shrubs and trees on the northern slope.
Garden design
Even in winter, every summer resident tries to think ahead and imagine how his site will look like. You can arrange the beds in the country in different ways, for example, the undulating beds in the center of the site look beautiful if you plant several garden crops. Ornamental cabbage and salad go well together different types... Plants, as they ripen, will delight you with their beauty.
See what happens when you plant several plants in stripes or waves:
Dividing an area into segments in the form of a specific shape. An area divided into several segments with a filled middle looks unusual. If you look at it from above, you will see that the beds with planted vegetable crops form the sun.
Along the edge of the site, you can plant greens or your favorite medium-sized flowers, plant low-growing crops in the center, and fill the sun's rays with any vegetable crops at your discretion.
Look at the photo of summer cottages with beds:
Now let's look at an unusual approach to the formation of beds on garden plot Is a vertical method. Surely you had to regret that there was no free space at the dacha, and there is also a desire to plant several varieties of cucumbers, beans or decorate the site with flowering plants. It is just possible to build vertical and suspended beds on the site. To create such beds, you can use the wall of a farm building or a country house.
See how beautiful vertical beds look:
And this is the construction of beds in a multi-stage way, so you can save the area of the site and plant more greens, lettuce and strawberries. Plants need to be planted in such beds with a small root system, because you will have to put the earth in bags, and then place their wooden boxes:
Here's another one unusual way formation of beds on the site - compact. From ordinary pallets, you can build whole beds and use each square meter suburban area with benefit. Tall beds can be made from pallets by placing them in a summer cottage.
How to make such a bed correctly: you need to lay it under wooden base any material that will not allow moisture to pass through, and sprinkle a layer of fertile mixture on it. We plant garden crops in fertile soil, we use to the maximum the entire usable area not only from above, but also on the sides of a high bed.
Here's what happened:
Garden bed size
What should be the size of a regular or curly garden bed? Anything - so an experienced gardener will answer you, it all depends on the area of your site. It is only worth considering when forming the beds that they should be convenient for maintenance, so that a person can effortlessly reach the middle of the mini-garden from the path. If by different reasons if you decide to use the remaining space of your summer cottage near the fence, then you need to understand how wide the garden bed should be, so that you can easily reach the edge and pull out weeds and perform other work without problems. Optimal width beds near the fence - no more than 80 cm.
By the way, standard straight beds need to be made 1 m wide and 1.5 m long.You can not adhere to these numbers, but build beds on your site at will, but so that it is convenient for you to serve all planted garden crops and harvest. By the way, the distance between the beds should be no more than half a meter and no less than 30 cm, this will be quite enough, especially if you have a small area, but you want to plant a lot of things. By the way, paths can be made of the specified size, only so that they are slightly lower than the main level of the garden by at least 30 cm, and ideally by half a meter. Then you can count on a good harvest, of course, with timely care: fertilizing and watering.
How to make a high bed yourself
To get an excellent harvest from a small summer cottage, you should think about building high beds, the structure raised above the ground stands out and looks beautiful.
First you need to choose appropriate place and you can start work. It is important that the area for growing garden crops is not in the shade of trees.
How to make a garden bed:
- we dig a hole in the selected area, the depth should be up to 40 cm;
- We do not throw the earth far away and try to put it neatly on a heap, we will need it;
- the length of the pit may be different, it all depends on your desire, the width of the future high bed will be 1 m, so it is most convenient to care for the crops;
- mark the border (along the perimeter of the garden) and set safety fence... It can be bricks, damask, logs, plywood or any other material. Fence height - 40 cm;
- we close the bottom of the pit with dense polyethylene, put a net on the bottom to perform plastering works from wire to protect the future harvest from rodents;
- first, we pour directly onto the mesh any organic matter that will decompose for a long time. Suitable paper, branches, cardboard, fabric (but not synthetic), scraps from boards. We fill the space by 1/3, sprinkle the top with a layer of earth by 2-3 cm and water it with water;
- we prepare a nutrient mixture on the surface, separately from the pit: we mix the soil that we have with compost, manure or mineral fertilizer;
- we fill our bed and water it abundantly. That's all, you can start planting plants.
Remember that next year you will have to pay attention to these beds again and fill up the top layer, as it will sag a little. We'll have to take care of the fertile soil in advance.
You will get this beauty:
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WITH There is an opinion that plants do not care which garden bed they grow on. This statement is fundamentally wrong, and it belongs to people far from agriculture. The moisture content, the intensity of gas exchange and the species composition of microorganisms living in the upper centimeters of the soil depend on the shape of the beds. All these factors determine the quality of the substrate, and hence the yield. How to apply a scientific approach and build beautiful, photos and descriptions of processes - in this article.
Garden beds
The principles of the device beds
Many crops are grown in the garden, the agricultural technology of which is not only different, but diametrically opposite. To get the possibility of differentiation, the site is divided into zones, and zones into beds. A bed is a small, relatively isolated area of soil where you can provide individual care, feeding and humidity regime for a specific type of plant.
- slate, boards or pieces of plastic of such a size that at least 20 cm remains above the ground and at least 30 cm goes deeper into the soil;
- pegs made of wood or metal for securing fences;
- non-woven fabric for the bottom lining.
In a bed on top of a non-woven fabric, layers will need to be laid:
- sawdust or straw with a layer of 10 cm;
- dry foliage harvested in autumn - 10 cm;
- a mixture of one part of compost and two parts of soil - 10 cm or more;
- layer of earth - at least 10 cm.
Related article:
The process of creating beds
The preparation of the beds takes place in the spring, when the soil is dry enough to be suitable for digging. The temperature does not matter. The stages of creating a bed-box:
- Marking - it is done using pegs with a stretched cord. The length and width should be comfortable for handling. The narrower the bed, the faster it will dry out.
- Preparation (cutting) of fences and fastening stakes. The stakes and sides can be twisted in advance with self-tapping screws, making a structure in the form of a shield. Such fences are reusable, easy to install and can be removed for the winter if it is decided to move the garden bed.
- Installation of fences.
The beds are such a simple summer cottage construction, and they also need our close attention. Indeed, not only the yield of garden crops depends on their location, height, content and shape, but also appearance the site where we not only work, but also have a rest. And we, of course, would like to see our summer cottage oasis beautiful and well-groomed.
The beds should be located from north to south: this way the soil warms up better, and vegetables receive more sun. If your site is located on a gentle slope, build beds across it, and if the slope is already very steep, organize terraces (also across) and build boxes-beds there. This will prevent the soil from being washed out by flood waters and rains. Details of the implementation of the idea in life will tell the material.
Raised bed
To get early and more bountiful harvest(and just for beauty) it makes sense to do it.
To do this, in the place you have chosen, dig a hole 40 cm deep, and put the selected soil aside for now. Choose the length of the pit arbitrarily, but make the width 1-1.2 m, so that later it would be convenient for you to care for the plants. Along the perimeter of the pit, install a frame made of stones, bricks, logs or other material at a height of 40-50 cm.Close it from the inside plastic wrap, and at the bottom of the pit put a net from steel wire(this will protect the crop from harmful ones).
Fill in the first layer with long-decomposing organic material: board trimmings, shavings, fabric ( not synthetics!), branches, paper, cardboard and so on. Fill the garden with these "goodies" by about 1/3, sprinkle it a little with earth and spill it well with water. Next, fill the bed to the top with soil mixed with manure, compost, mineral fertilizers and sprinkle again with water. That's all the wisdom. Just keep in mind that next year the earth will settle by 15-20 cm and the top layer will need to be updated, so prepare the fertile land in advance.
Also see the material about raised or high beds:
How to arrange the beds in a small area
If you have a small area, and you want to organize as many beds as possible, in addition to the usual arrangement, use any horizontal surfaces and overhead structures.
You can combine the recreation area with decoratively decorated beds using multi-tiered, spiral structures and other options.
When arranging the garden, do not forget that its surface should be strictly horizontal: in order to avoid the accumulation of moisture in an elevated place and waterlogging - in an underestimated one.
Read also about a small garden plot:
Features of tillage in the beds
The land in the beds is usually dug up twice (in spring and), adding the necessary mineral and. When digging in the fall, it is better to leave the earth blocky in order to keep as much moisture as possible in the beds. In addition, with such digging, the larvae and eggs of soil pests almost completely freeze out. Can be replaced autumn digging: cover the soil with a thick layer of peat, sawdust, rotted compost, etc. In the spring, remove the not rotted layer with a rake and dig up the ground. Digging on a shovel bayonet for a garden bed with vegetables or flowers is quite enough. And if the soil on your site is light and crumbly, spring digging can be replaced by loosening.How to make beautiful bumpers for garden beds
Of course, not all summer residents are concerned beautiful design sides for the beds. Many use dividing paths, some simply knock down the boards with a square or perimeter, and install these structures on a horizontal surface. But we want to arrange everything beautifully, right? Therefore, I present to you several photos, where you can clearly see how you can beautifully decorate the sides of the beds with simple improvised or purchased material.Here are used ready-made plastic bumpers purchased in the store. 
The sides of these beds are lined with white bricks. 
Here the sides are lined with paving stones. 
This bed is decorated with colored slate bumpers.
On these raised beds, the bumpers are made of ordinary plastic boxes... There are doubts about their strength, but, undoubtedly, the beds look original)) 
To decorate the sides of the bed, you can use any available material: boards, large stones, bricks, cut pieces of slate, vine,
How to arrange beautiful beds for the lazy, the beds are tall and smart - this is what a gardener needs to know, who wants to make his life as independent of garden worries as possible. If you wish, you just need to master the design method lazy beds, which you can see in the following photos. A garden bed of this type will allow you to enjoy a well-deserved rest in the country and will not require weeding every time. In addition, it is not only convenient, but also increases the productivity of crops.
Everyone knows how much time and effort you need to devote to each planted crop, which, however, sometimes do not even justify the result: the seedlings may not germinate or do not end up with a normal amount of harvest. In this case, you should pay attention to the technology of lazy beds on your site!
Nice and comfortable
Lazy bed - completely new approach to caring for the garden, which will allow the seedlings to grow by themselves and give several times more yield. It is based on the rule that it is impossible to dig and weed the ground, except for its preparation and planting itself. Even though it is possible to remove weeds and fluff the soil with constant weeding, sooner or later it will dry out and will not be able to provide sufficient moisture for crops.
In this approach, the very preparation for future planting is very important - it is advisable to do this even in the fall, when you can collect material for mulching the soil (you need to cover it with straw, sawdust, cones, etc.), which, in turn, will prevent weeds germinate in an area with such a cover.
- Install yourself a watering system. You don't have to choose the most expensive systems available in stores. In the case of such gardens, those from which you just need to press a button are quite suitable - and there will be no need to water with your own hands. Watering will allow you to make beautiful beds: green and lush. It is also worth noting: watering can be carried out infrequently, but abundantly, giving the plants the necessary moisture until your next visit.
- A tool for working in the garden is the key to saving time. Therefore, it is worth choosing one inventory for many years. It can include not only the usual shovel and buckets, but also various little things that will make your work easier. Also find a place for the inventory in advance.
- At the beginning of the planting season, dig up the ground once, prepare it for future seedlings or seeds. Plant some plants and don't disturb the ground any more: mulching will do its job and keep weeds out. All that remains for you until the harvest is to water the beds in the country on time.
It's interesting and effective method, which is suitable for both lazy gardeners and experienced gardeners who know their business. A bed of this type will justify the efforts made and can bring a lot of amenities.
A high bed as a way to get an intensive harvest
Even if this is a very time-consuming process at first - the construction of the frame itself and watering the beds, but it is she who will allow you to forget about the bad climate and low yields.
The high bed is always under the rays of the sun, which contributes to the warming up of the soil layer, so it can be planted in April without fear of freezing, and the lower mesh will prevent the invasion of moles and mice. A not too wide frame (within 150 cm) will allow you to care for the garden from both sides. If you divide it into two strips 80 cm wide, you can even do it yourself greenhouse by passing the film over both landings. It is worth noting that it is the high beds that give the most early harvest first salads, and then finicky vegetables. The only problem is more frequent watering, since water does not stay in such land for a long time.
Despite all the difficulties at the beginning, the planting justifies the efforts put into it and serves for a long time, without bringing much trouble, and the bed looks beautiful.
Digging smart bed for fragrant herbs, you need only once, before planting seedlings. Then she requires a minimum of attention and care.
In this article we will talk about how to decorate the garden beds from a practical and aesthetic point of view.
The topic of the article is of considerable interest, since correct location vegetable gardening guarantees a number of obvious advantages, including:
- saving space on the site;
- sufficient illumination of all plants;
- ease of watering;
- free access to plants during harvest;
- the aesthetic appeal of the beds, which, with the right approach to decoration, can look like flower beds.
Choosing the right shape and size
What is the first thing you need to know when arranging the beds in the country? Of course, first of all, you need to decide on the shape and size, because it is these parameters that determine both aesthetics and the convenience of using the garden.
Important: Given the fact that they are being built everywhere country houses from block containers and other not the most presentable materials, a properly adjoining site - this is a real opportunity to give the building a more attractive look.
The choice of the shape of the beds, first of all, is determined by your imagination and aesthetic perception.
In the photo - the beds of the traditional square shape
The shape can be square, rectangular, round, oval, etc. The main thing is that the result obtained seems to you externally attractive and convenient from a practical point of view.
The statistics for the design of summer cottages indicates that it is not at all necessary to build the beds of the correct geometric shape. The garden bed can be shaped like an animal, tree, stream, sun rays, etc. Again, the shape can be chosen in accordance with the relief of the site so that the plantings emphasize the advantages of the relief and hide the disadvantages.
There are also no special requirements for the choice of the size of the beds - the main thing is that the selected dimensions make it possible to reach with a stream of water from a hose during irrigation to all plants without exception. In addition, the choice of standard sizes must be carried out in such a way that when you stand on the track, you can not stretch out too much and reach any point of the garden.
So the width an ordinary garden bed should be no more than 1 meter, while the width of the wall planting should not exceed 50 cm. The length of the beds should be no more than 1.5 meters. In this case, it will be possible to equip the system automatic watering, which will reach every single plant.
For the convenience of walking between plants, paths should be about half a meter wide. And finally, the difference between the surface of the bed and a nearby passing path should be no more than 20 cm and no less than 10 cm.
Now that we have decided on the features of the selection of sizes and shapes, we will consider effective recommendations, with which the organization and design of the beds in the country with our own hands will be much easier.
You can arrange garden plantings based on personal preferences, but there are a number of recommendations, adherence to which will allow you to achieve optimal results.
- The arrangement of a vegetable garden in low-lying areas is of particular difficulty, since the plantings lack sunlight.
In damp lowlands, it is advisable to organize the beds, starting in autumn. We dig up the soil, loosen it and make heights in the form of beds at a distance of half a meter from each other. The soil level should be about 30 cm above the level of the tracks left.
Thanks to this solution, the snow will come off the hills faster and the ground in this area will warm up faster, and therefore it will be possible to start sowing work faster. - You can organize neat beds in the country with poor depleted soils as follows.
From boards, the price of which is low, we knock boxes in the shape of the future planting of certain plants. Since autumn, we put soil in the boxes mixed with compost or purchased fertilizers. During the winter, under the snow, the soil will dry out and become safe for planting.
If desired, with the arrival of spring wooden boxes can be disassembled and the soil backfill will retain its original shape. For greater effect, instead of unattractive boards, you can lay out beautiful borders from natural stone.
Tip: In order not to fight weeds between the beds, you can lay out old unnecessary carpet paths directly on the ground.
Such a solution will not impede the penetration of water into the soil, but it will also prevent weeds from germinating.
- You can protect garden plantings from rodents by raising the level of the beds 30 -40 cm above the level of the paths, as was previously recommended. At the bottom of the improvised box, you need to lay a galvanized metal mesh with a cell side of about 5 mm.
Such a mesh will allow water to pass through, but will not let moles from below, moreover, the mesh used in this way will retain its integrity for more than 5 years.
Features of the location of the beds in small areas
Many owners country house interested in what arrangement of the beds in the summer cottage is more expedient, taking into account the fact that the dimensions of the site are small.
The experience of organizing vegetable gardens in small areas shows that if you really want to make more beds, you will have to use all possible means. For example, in addition to planting plants on horizontal surfaces, you can arrange vertical beds.
Having installed asbestos pipes in the middle of the site large diameter filled with earth, you can organize vertical beds for growing greenery. To do this, with a perforator with a drill, equipped with a nozzle in the form of a round cutter with a diameter of 5 cm, we drill holes along the entire pipe at a distance of 20 cm from each other. We plant seedlings in the holes made.
By the way, vertical beds of this type in landscape design are actively used for growing climbing plants.
Another effective solution for small areas, the use of high-bay shelving with boxes filled with earth is a good idea. The only problem in this case is the organization of high-quality solar lighting... It is necessary to plan everything so that, due to some boxes, the plants located below do not suffer from the lack of sun.