This is my Garden Plan for 2017. It is still (always) evolving, but I think that it’s planned enough to be shared. I have 25 Raised Beds in this section of my Garden. I call it the New Kitchen Garden Section, and more info on how I built/designed it is found here.
Below, you find links to each Raised Bed, to see detailed plans and sowing schedules for that specific Raised Bed. I will also update each Raised Bed Post as the season proceeds and I do the sowing, transplanting and harvesting.
My Planning Methods
I plan each Raised Bed carefully and enjoy making an developing my plans. I try to consider different aspects:
- Succession Planting: I want to have at least 2 and preferably 3 batches of Vegetables from each Raised Bed during a season to maximise my harvest
- Crop Rotation: I rotate my basic crops each year to eliminate diseases. I have a 4 year Crop Rotation Plan (more about my Crop Rotation Plan here.
- Companion Planting: I want each batch to consist of Plants that thrive together to get good harvest and keep plants healthy
- Continous Harvest: I want to be able to harvest from early spring to late autumn without having to preserve too much food. We prefer to eat all vegetables as fresh as possible
Plan for each Raised Bed
I usually take 3 Batches of Vegetables from each bed during one Season. The main Crop is usually the middle one, and it’s where my Planning starts. The main Crop(s) for each Garden Bed are marked with boldbelow.
Quarter 1 “Enriching with a Twist”:
- Raised Bed 1a - Sunchokes from last season, Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Corn, Autumn Spinach
- Raised Bed 1 b - Spinach,Sweet Corn, Beans, Pumpkin (=Three Sisters), Autumn Spinach
- Raised Bed 1 c - Spinach, Soybeans/Edamame Beans, Zucchini, Autumn Spinach
- Raised Bed 1 d - Beetroot, Sugar Snap Peas, Spinach
Quarter 2 “Heavy Feeders”:
- Raised Bed 2a - Swiss Chard, Garlic (for next season)
- Raised Bed 2b - Rocket Salad, Spinach, Radish, Broccoli, Red Cabbage
- Raised Bed 2c - Radish, Spinach, Rocket, Green Cabbage and more Green Cabbage
- Raised Bed 2d - Lettuce or Spinach, Pointed Cabbage, Savoy Cabbage
Quarter 3 “Needs Less”:
- Raised Bed 3a - Garlic, Spinach and Sunchokes (for next season)
- Raised Bed 3b - Lettuce, Red Onion, Winter Carrots, Lettuce, Beetroot
- Raised Bed 3c - Carrots, Radish, Yellow Onion, Winter Carrots, Mache Salad
- Raised Bed 3d - Lettuce, Rocket, Carrots, Carrots, Dill
Quarter 4 “Needs almost nothing”:
- Raised Bed 4a - Sunchokes, Beans
- Raised Bed 4b - Spinach, Potatoes, Beans, Swiss Chard
- Raised Bed 4c - Spinach, Potatoes, Beans, Pak Choi
- Raised Bed 4d - Early Potatoes, Rocket, Cucumber, Parsley, Pak Choi
Quarter 5 Not in Crop Rotation Plan, Other and Perennials:
(First three Raised Beds in this section is in the top of the Layout Picture, and the rest is in the bottom)
- Raised Bed 5a - Soil Factory / Compost.. No plants in this Bed
- Raised Bed 5b - Pak Choi, Melon, Eggplant and Pak Choi
- Raised Bed 5c - Strawberries
- Raised Bed 5d - Early Asian Leaves, Tomatoes, Marigold, Basil and Pak Choi
- Raised Bed 5e/f/g - Radish/Parsley/Dill, Chilli, Marigold, Basil
- Raised Bed 5h/i - Early Experiments, Cucumber, Dilland Pak Choi
Background on my Kitchen Garden
My Kitchen Garden is built with a modular approach. I have a number of Raised Beds (Deep Beds) - currently 25 beds. Most of them are 120x80 centimeters. They are Deep Beds and I always cover them with Organic Material to improve soil and nutrients, and also have a No Dig Garden. More background information can be found in these posts:
- Kitchen Garden Layout Plan - Layout overview
- Building a Raised Bed Kitchen Garden - How to Deep Dig the frames and feed them with organic material
- How to build Raised Bed Frames - Step-by-Step guide on how to do the Frames for the Raised Beds.