Beds for the lazy: photos and recommendations for creating a vegetable garden
Beds for the lazy: photos and recommendations for creating a vegetable garden
This article discusses beds for the lazy: photos of the easiest structures to make for those who want to get a neat vegetable garden, while making a minimum of effort, the most common materials and technologies for creating structures based on them. The reader will learn how to combine vegetable crops in one garden and prepare the soil for planting cucumbers. The article contains practical recommendations for novice summer residents.
Proper organization of beds in the garden will help save time and effort during planting and harvesting
Beds for the lazy: photos and basic information for novice summer residents
Designing the right beds in the garden will be the solution to many problems and will open up new opportunities for the owner of the suburban area:
- protection against soil erosion in the garden when a large amount of precipitation falls or watering plants. The sides of the bed will keep the nutritious soil in place, preventing it from leaching onto the tracks. In addition, the passages between the structures themselves will remain clean, no dirty puddles and drips;
Neat beds will make the garden more attractive and organized
- the possibility of forming the basis for the creation of a temporary greenhouse for the spring period. By installing high sides as fences, a multi-layered bed can be organized inside the structure, which can be used as a greenhouse. To do this, it is enough to install special arcs and pull the film. The result will be a neat greenhouse house;
- improving the appearance of the garden due to orderly and smooth plantings with a beautiful frame;
- creating borders that prevent the spread of weeds.
By planting the plants correctly, you can avoid the growth of weeds on beds and paths
Making beds with your own hands from boards and other materials allows you to clearly limit the planting area, thanks to this, weeds and harmful plants do not have the opportunity to spread widely. If the fence of the garden is dug to a great depth, the level of protection increases and perennial weeds that are unable to overcome this barrier can no longer penetrate the garden bed.
Pay attention! With the help of beds with well-buried fences, the spread of plants such as reeds and wheatgrass is effectively blocked. Their root system is able to cover long distances underground, if it is not limited.
High warm beds made of high-quality materials can serve the owners for many years
Varieties of beds in the garden: how to properly prepare for construction
For the organization of the garden , several varieties of beds are used:
- standard;
- high;
- narrow.
Wide paths and the optimal size of the beds will allow you not to step on the ground when working with plants
Standard beds are on the same level with the vegetable garden, they do not go deep into the ground and do not protrude above it. At the same time, the owner of the territory can independently choose the width, length and nature of the arrangement of the beds in the suburban area, photos of interesting design options can be seen in this article. As a rule, plantings are placed at a distance of no more than 0.5 m from each other, so that it is easier to take care of the plants. To mark the territory, it is recommended to use a rope stretched between the pegs. It is allowed to use a special garden marker.
Paths can be sown with lawn grass, but it is necessary to monitor the clear outlines of the beds
Before you start making beds with a narrow design, you should make sure that the building area has a flat surface and a sufficient level of lighting. This type of products is characterized by an increased row spacing. This parameter can sometimes reach 1 m. At the same time, the beds themselves do not exceed 0.45 m in width . The designs of narrow beds rise slightly above the soil level. The difference between the height of the vegetable garden and the surface of the plot is 0.2 m.
Many gardeners note the convenience when working with narrow beds
In the area where the construction of beds is planned, it is necessary to dig up the soil and apply fertilizers. At the same time, you should not waste nutritional supplements on row spacing, you only need to process the planting site. Dolomite flour or a special complex consisting of minerals can be used as fertilizers.
Interesting fact! Narrow structures are also called Mittlider beds (in honor of the person who invented the technology of their manufacture). According to the agronomist, the vegetable garden will bring a good harvest if regular watering of plants is carried out and nutrient mixtures of industrial production are introduced. And he, on the contrary, did not recommend using compost and manure.
Narrow beds according to the Mittlider method, due to the large amount of light received, give a good harvest
Creating beds with your own hands from improvised materials: photos of tall structures
Any summer resident first of all decides what to make beds in the garden, and only then proceeds to further planning and construction, since the technology of their creation depends on the physical and operational characteristics of the material. Regardless of its choice, the mechanism of manufacturing structures is almost always the same. Construction begins with the installation of the frame. The standard size of such structures is 0.9 m (width) and 1.2 m (length). After that, the product is filled with fertile land.
Beds made of high-quality wood are more environmentally friendly in comparison with concrete or asbestos cement
Designs of self-made beds from improvised materials can be created on the basis of:
Gabion can also be used to organize a warm bed
How to arrange the beds in the garden: photos and recommendations for choosing a place
Of no small importance in obtaining a rich harvest is the right choice of a place for the construction of beds and the scheme of their placement. It is desirable that the area chosen for the organization of the garden was flat and maximally illuminated by the sun throughout the day.
Pay attention! Most plants need a lot of sunlight. In the afternoon, a little darkening will be useful.
To make the right choice of a place for the organization of a vegetable garden, it is recommended to spend some time on the site and observe the distribution of light throughout the day. In addition, special attention should be paid to the placement of trees, both on your site and on the territory of neighbors. This is necessary in order to determine the size of the shadow and where it falls. It should be borne in mind that the area flooded with the sun in winter can be shaded in summer, because in the warm season dense foliage appears on bushes and trees.
Related article:
Beautiful beds in the country with your own hands: photo examples and unusual solutions
Photos of interesting designs of beds, recommendations for their creation. Tips for designing an unusual landscape design on the site.
The best place is the zone where the sun is present throughout the day. It is allowed to install beds where shade is present in the morning or in the afternoon. If the proposed construction area is darkened throughout the day, you should not use this place to arrange a vegetable garden.
How best to make beds in the garden: choosing the optimal design
The choice of the design of the beds is carried out at an early stage of planning, when a place for a vegetable garden has already been selected.
Each type of beds has certain advantages:
- raised or high beds are the most effective structures that are best suited for growing vegetable crops. Building materials for their creation are not expensive, while the soil does not need digging. The width and height of the structures depends on how much effort and time it will take to build them. Most often, summer residents prefer wooden beds made of boards. On the web, you can find photos of bulk beds with your own hands, such structures do not have fencing. They also belong to the category of raised structures;
Container beds are very convenient, because if desired, they can be moved to another convenient location
- container beds – will be beneficial in cases where the site space is limited. For the organization of such beds, pots of small, large and medium size are suitable. Garlic, pepper, lettuce and herbs feel especially good in containers. Mobility is another advantage of container beds, which can be moved to any place if desired;
- beds in the open ground are the oldest way of growing crops that are planted directly into the ground. In such conditions, it is more difficult to get a good harvest, so the technology of joint planting of vegetables in the garden is often used.
Annual plants can be grown in large plastic bottles and placed in a convenient place for the site
Useful advice! If it is planned to plant crops in the open ground, it is recommended to determine the quality of the soil, fertilize it and check the compatibility of vegetables in the garden according to the table.
How to make beds from boards with your own hands: useful tips
Most often, raised beds are made of wood. This material is considered the most practical and eco-friendly in comparison with others. Similar designs look very aesthetically pleasing in the photo. Beds made of boards with their own hands have other advantages:
- a simple maintenance system involving easy weeding, harvesting and watering of plants;
- the possibility of growing vegetable crops even where the soil is completely unsuitable for these purposes. On the basis of the boards, a frame is made, which is subsequently filled with fertile soil bought in the store, so there is no binding to the quality of the land and its composition. Thanks to this, plants can be grown even in areas with a rocky surface;
Durable wooden beds can be made independently or purchased at the garden center
- corob structures allow you to keep the soil inside the bed. In addition, the presence of sides simplifies the process of installing arcs to form a greenhouse. Fixing these elements on the fence is much easier than digging them into the soil;
- even without knowing how to properly make beds in the garden, any summer resident will cope with the manufacture of wooden structures-boxes. The boards are easy to process, and expensive tools are not required for the construction and assembly of the frame;
- there is no chance that plants planted near the sides will get burned in the summer heat. Wood, unlike metal, is not prone to overheating.
In order to avoid leaching of soil from high beds, it is necessary to pay special attention to the joints when assembling the box
Pay attention! The ecological purity of the material allows you not to worry about harmful substances getting into the ground. Wood is much safer than asbestos cement sheets (slate). The exception is boards treated with chemicals designed to double the service life of the material.
Making practical beds from boards: how to make the right choice of material
Summer residents most often create wooden structures based on blanks that are found on the farm. For the manufacture of beds, timber, roundwood, humpback, lining can be used.
When it comes to buying boards in the store, you should pay special attention to the type of wood from which they are made:
- a board made of ash or oak will last a very long time. Although the cost of such products is quite high;
- the pine board remains the most advantageous in terms of price and processing. But this type of wood is highly susceptible to rotting while in the ground, so its service life is short. Due to impregnation and antiseptic agents, the life of a pine tree can be extended for a couple of years;
- boards made of cedar and larch wood are considered the most suitable material for the manufacture of boxes. Larch has a natural resin impregnation, so that the product will retain its novelty for many years without the use of additional impregnations. Cedar wood is characterized by a lower resin content, but it is not inferior to larch in terms of durability and at the same time has an affordable price;
In order for the water not to stagnate in the boxes, it is necessary to think over the drainage system before planting plants
- boards made on the basis of acacia feel good in the ground. It is worth noting that this type of wood is characterized by strength and solid structure, so the process of processing it will be more difficult. To work with acacia, you will need a powerful electric tool.
Useful advice! It is not recommended to save on the quality of the material. Boards made of bad wood are prone to rapid rotting. In a few years, holes will appear on the fences of the garden bed, through which fertile soil will be washed out during rains and watering of plants.
Bushes and small fruit trees can also be planted in wooden beds
Making beds from boards with your own hands: photos, dimensions of structures
The beds have a rectangular shape and are made of boards. The simplest design does not require special knowledge and skills, so any novice summer resident can cope with its manufacture. The main thing at the same time is to correctly calculate the dimensions of the boxes.
When planting plants, it is necessary to take into account the optimal amount of light and heat for certain crops, because the higher the bed, the faster it heats up
Recommended sizes of beds:
- height – many summer residents strive to create the highest possible sides. However, this approach is erroneous if it is not supposed to build a warm bed for cucumbers or other types of crops, where the height of fences up to 0.7 m is welcome. The technology of manufacturing such structures requires the laying of multilayer insulation. For ordinary beds, such high fences are not required, it is enough to limit yourself to 0.15-0.2 m. The excessive height of the sides is also unprofitable in economic terms, because many boards will be required for their construction. In addition, wood is susceptible to deformation changes under the influence of moisture, so there is a risk that over time high fences will swell and lose their attractive shape;
Long beds made of wood should be strengthened in several places to avoid their deformation
- width – experienced summer residents recommend choosing a width equal to half the height of the person who will take care of the beds. Most often, this parameter is in the range of 0.9-1.2 m, because in the process of work, a person should be able to reach the middle of the structure from the side of the side fence;
- length – this parameter is practically unlimited. Although excessively long structures reduce the level of rigidity of side fences, therefore it is recommended to choose a length within 4-6 m.
Useful advice! When choosing dimensional parameters for wooden beds, it should be taken into account that between them it is necessary to organize passages with a width of 0.4-0.6 m. Only after that the layout of structures on the site is considered.
Creating mixed plantings of vegetables in the garden: photo examples and optimal schemes
The method of combining cultures in practice is very effective if the companion plants are selected successfully. Therefore, the owners of the plots calculate according to a special table of the neighborhood of vegetables in the beds before planting. Some types of vegetables have a depressing effect on each other, others can improve the growth and development of neighbors, provide them with protection from pests.
When planning beds, it is worth considering that companion plants give a greater yield if they are planted nearby
The correct neighborhood of vegetables in the beds: compatibility table
Many summer residents note that due to the proximity of beans as a seal for the bed where potatoes are grown, the number of Colorado potato beetle is significantly reduced. Marigolds effectively protect cabbage from the white butterfly. Despite this, a certain balance should be maintained. After all, an excessive number of marigolds in the garden can drown out the growth of cabbage.
Table of vegetable neighbors in the garden, creating a successful tandem:
| Name of vegetable culture | Plants for a successful combination |
| strawberry | beans, spinach, marigolds, garlic, lettuce |
| kohlrabi | cucumber, lettuce, onion, beetroot |
| peas | carrot, corn, cucumber, calendula, eggplant |
| onion | tomato, celery, beetroot, savory, carrot |
| green bean | potato, cucumber, tomato, strawberry, eggplant |
| cucumber | radish, pepper, peas, cabbage, beans |
| carrot | lettuce, onion, sage, tomato, peas |
| salad | strawberry, cucumber, carrot, radish |
| pepper | salad, cucumber, beans |
| tomato | calendula, basil, beans, nasturtium, parsley |
The following pairs of plants are characterized by poor compatibility of planting vegetables in the garden:
- cabbage and strawberries;
- onions and beans;
- carrots and celery, dill, parsley;
- cucumbers and potatoes.
Even in a small area, you can get high yields by using the matching table of neighboring plants when planting
Useful advice! In addition to the main crops, it is recommended to plant spicy and ornamental herbs on the bed. Thus, the vegetable garden will not only be beautiful, but also useful.
Examples of mixed planting of vegetables in the garden: popular schemes
A good example of the compatibility of vegetables in the garden is the combination of onions and carrots. As an independent crop, onions can yield about 2.5 kg of harvest from 1 m2 of the bed. Carrots on the same area yields about 6 kg of harvest. When these crops are grown together, 9 kg of vegetables can be obtained from 1 m2. These plants create protective barriers against pests for each other, so the efficiency of the area used increases.
Onions and carrots are great neighbors, so they are usually planted nearby
Of course, when planning joint cultivation of crops in the garden, it is necessary to group the plants taking into account their height, so that none of them blocks the light for the other. This is necessary because vegetables can not only have different heights, but also grow at different speeds. It is desirable that the seals that are planted additionally are lower in height than the main vegetables. The principle of multi-tiered neighborhood of vegetables in the beds allows you to create favorable conditions for the root system of crops, and also contributes to the rational use of solar energy.
High yields are collected from the beds where beets and late cabbage are planted. To do this, on an area of 0.8 x 0.8 m, beets (9 plants) and cabbage (4 bushes) should be planted, while not forgetting to fertilize the wells with a glass of compost and a handful of eggshells (pre-grind).
By planting marigolds near the beds, you can avoid some pests in the garden
To get an excellent result when planting beans and tomatoes, it is recommended to place the plants in a row with a step of 0.3 m. Along the row with bush beans, a drip irrigation system is installed so that each plant is at the dropper. Tomatoes are planted in the central part of the garden. As a result, the bean and tomato bushes should be staggered.
Useful advice! It is better to cut the stalks of tomatoes for the winter, and as low as possible. And beans, on the contrary, are recommended to be left untouched.
Proper planning of vegetable planting is the key to a rich harvest
Table of crop rotation of vegetables in the beds by crop groups
Crop rotation of plants can also affect the yield of beds. If the annual change of crops grown on the same bed is carried out in the right order, the vegetable garden will yield good harvests.
Advantages of proper crop rotation:
- the probability of soil fatigue on the site is excluded, since the same vegetable takes the same set of nutrients from the soil every year and it does it from the same depth;
- the spread of diseases and pests that affect plants of the same family is prevented;
- it becomes possible to use fertilizers rationally.
To increase the yield and restore the soil, sideration and crop rotation should be used
The most primitive way of organizing crop rotation in the garden involves planting plants from different families on the same area every year. The easiest way is to divide cultures into four groups:
Table of the simplest crop rotation in the garden:
| The order of disembarkation by year | Recommended crops for planting | |||
| 1st bed | 2nd bed | 3rd bed | 4th bed | |
| 1 year | fruit trees | root vegetables | legumes | leafy |
| 2 year | root vegetables | legumes | leafy | fruit trees |
| 3 year | legumes | leafy | fruit trees | root vegetables |
Arrangement of beds for cucumbers in the open ground: photos and recommendations
For growing cucumbers in the open ground, beds are usually prepared in autumn. This should be done before the onset of rains and a drop in temperature. The planting area should be thoroughly dug up and saturated with organic fertilizers. Cucumbers like a fertile light soil that has a good level of air and water permeability. If the soil on the site is heavy, to facilitate loosening, sawdust, peat or sand can be introduced into the ground.
To get a rich harvest of cucumbers, the soil for the beds must be prepared in the autumn
Useful advice! To get a rich harvest, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of superphosphate and a glass of ash per 1 m2 of area. Instead of ash, you can use dolomite flour.
The process of preparing a bed for cucumbers in spring includes a procedure for disinfecting the soil. To do this, the place of the future garden is spilled with potassium permanganate. The solution should be hot and strong. In addition, soil fertility can be increased by adding chicken manure or manure. This procedure is carried out locally, that is, the fertilizer is placed directly into the trench or hole. After that, the bed is covered with a small layer of soil, where the seeds are then planted.
How to make a bed for cucumbers: agrotechnical secrets
To get a rich harvest of cucumbers from the garden, it is necessary to adhere to the basic rules:
In order to collect clean cucumbers without land, you need to think about what you can tie up long shoots to
Cucumbers need a rich biological composition of the soil. Therefore, it is recommended to fertilize the land with organic matter, for example, grass, humus, branches, rotted manure, food waste. In the process of their decomposition, not only increases the fertility of the soil, but also releases heat that warms the soil. So that the high temperature does not damage the root system of cucumbers, experienced summer residents advise to carry out abundant watering.
Interesting fact! Sometimes the decomposition of organic fertilizers is so active that the soil on the bed warms up to 80 ° C. Under the influence of such a high temperature, many pests, viruses and pathogenic fungi contained in the earth die. As a result, the soil is naturally sterilized.
The soil where cucumbers grew must be fertilized after harvesting
There are several ways to grow cucumbers in the open ground. For these purposes, you can form a long ridge bed, a hole, dig a ditch or build a tall structure.
How to make cucumber beds in the garden with a bookmark
To form a bed with a bookmark, you will need to dig a trench. The depth of the ditch should be equal to two shovels. Then branches are laid out across and sawdust is filled in. The next layer consists of straw and garden waste. You can add autumn leaves, cardboard or newspapers, compost. The thickness of the fertilizer layer should be within 5-7 cm. The bookmark is filled with warm water and covered with a mixture consisting of compost and earth.
A bed with a bookmark can effectively last for 5 years. In the second year of operation, it will not be necessary to add compost to the top layer, because during the decomposition of organic components, the bed itself will produce nutrients.
Cucumber bed with a bookmark
Advantages of a bed for growing cucumbers with a bookmark:
- convenient irrigation system;
- water stagnation is excluded;
- in spring, there is no need to dig up the soil, it is enough to loosen the soil.
On such a nutritious basis, plants can be planted much earlier than it is customary to do on ordinary beds. It is not recommended to use beds with a bookmark in low-lying areas and territories where water stagnates.
Cucumbers can be watered only from below, making sure that moisture does not stagnate at the roots
Warm surface beds for cucumbers in the open ground
This type of warm beds for growing cucumbers is built on the surface of the prepared soil. This technology will be the best option for territories that are located in the lowlands. In order to enhance the heating process, the bed is covered with a film. As a result, a greenhouse effect is formed, which has a positive effect on the growth of cucumbers, their yield.
Surface beds also include structures in the form of boxes made of brick, slate or boards. The bottom of these containers is filled with sand, then with wood waste. Next comes a layer of organic waste and straw. After laying each component, the contents are carefully compacted and filled with liquid manure. Finally, the bed is filled with a mixture consisting of compost and soil.
When making warm beds for cucumbers, it is worth following clear instructions so as not to oversaturate the soil with fertilizers
Useful advice! Vegetable and fruit skins, fallen leaves, eggshells (crushed into powder) can be used as organic waste.
The planting of cucumbers is carried out in two rows. Plants are placed along the edges of the bed-box, which ensures a sufficient level of illumination. If cucumbers are supposed to be planted in early spring, the structures can be converted into greenhouses. To do this, you will need to install plastic arcs and pull a plastic film over them. Thus, heating increases and it becomes possible to get an early harvest. Moreover, the result does not depend at all on weather conditions.
Cucumbers can be planted on insulated beds earlier than in the open ground
Raised beds for cucumbers in the open ground
Warm beds with a raised structure are used in cases when the plot is located in a region with a cold and humid climate. Due to this, there is a full-fledged warming of the soil, which allows to achieve a harvest in the early stages. If groundwater comes too close to the garden, the bed is raised high, due to which the plantings do not get wet on soil saturated with moisture. Similarly, stone trees are planted, whose roots suffer greatly from groundwater.
Various materials are used as curbs for these structures. The most popular of them are slate and wood. In rare cases, metal is used. This type of beds can be installed even in the middle of the lawn. If you frame it in the form of paving stones or tiles, a raised vegetable garden with cucumbers will become a worthy decoration of the suburban area.
From ordinary high beds, you can build mini-greenhouses that help preserve the harvest during frosts
As an alternative solution, it is possible to build a bulk hill on the territory that does not have a fence. You can take any length for such a bed, the optimal width parameter is 1 m. It is not necessary to raise the ornamental vegetable garden to a height of more than 1 m. The air that remains in the voids formed between the elements of large organic matter provides good ventilation and promotes rapid heating of the soil.
To speed up the process of decomposition of fertilizers, the soil is spilled with a solution saturated with special bacteria. The procedure is carried out twice a year. For the first time, the soil is watered with bacteria in the spring. Before planting plants after processing the beds, you should wait at least a week. The second time the soil is shed in the autumn after the harvest is harvested. When the earth has already been treated with the composition, it should be loosened so that the soil is saturated with oxygen, and the drug itself is evenly distributed.
