Recommendations for creating a design project for a vegetable garden with beds

To make life easier for the gardener, increase the productivity of crops and turn worries about the harvest into relaxation, “smart” beds for the most advanced gardeners will help. Lazy bed technology keeps seedlings from going to waste and allows crops to meet your expectations.

Do you want your garden to become your pride? Read our article on how to do it..

Garden layout

With the right approach, a vegetable garden can become not just a place for growing vegetables, but also turn into a stylish object of landscape design. Experts in this field have developed many recommendations in this regard..

How to arrange beautiful beds for the lazy, the beds are tall and smart – this is what a gardener needs to know.

When planning the device of the garden, pay attention to the fertility and illumination of the place for the beds.
Prioritize the quality of the beds, not the quantity. Several neat beds will look much better than a large garden overgrown with weeds..
Use tiered structures to save space.
Framing the sides will help improve the yield and give the beds an aesthetic appearance. For this purpose, stone, paving stones, colored slate, plastic fences are perfect..
The optimal width of paths between the beds is considered to be 70 cm..
In order for the plants not to overshadow each other, place them from north to south on a flat area, in an area with a slope – perpendicular to it. At the same time, the southern slope is preferable for vegetable crops, and the northern slope for garden crops..
Don’t be limited to rectangular shapes. The beds can be made arched or in the form of various geometric shapes, arranged in groups or create a single composition.

Summer residents grow many crops that have similar cultivation characteristics or, conversely, contradict each other..

Garden materials

By zoning the site with the help of beds, you can divide incompatible plant species or combine those that are characterized by the same care system.

Material	Advantages	disadvantages
Wood	Easy to create, mobile, easy to disassemble and carry	Rotting susceptibility
Straw	Originality	Fragility
Stone	Durability, showiness	High price
Plastic	Ease of installation and maintenance, resistance to sun, cold, moisture	Do not always fit into the overall style of the site
Metal	Durability	Requires extra precautions

The principles of the device of lazy beds

The main principle of the new approach to caring for the garden is that you can dig and weed the soil only during preparation and planting, otherwise it will dry out quickly and will not be able to provide crops with moisture. Only superficial loosening is allowed..

Lazy garden bed is a completely new approach to gardening, which will allow seedlings to grow on their own and will give several times more harvest.

You need to start preparing the beds in advance. Collect straw, sawdust or cones, cover the surface with them so that it is difficult for weeds to germinate in this area. This procedure is called soil mulching. It is thanks to her that the beds will no longer have to weed.

The rule says that you cannot dig and weed the ground, except for its preparation and planting itself.

Progressive summer residents have long appreciated the charm of an automatic irrigation system that allows them to save their time without harming the harvest. With the push of a button, you can start the irrigation process, and your beds will remain lush and green without much effort on your part.

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..

Do-it-yourself lazy garden bed

Homemade fences are an easy way to build the foundation for the garden.

Determine the desired height of the sides.
Connect the boards with a screwdriver, remove the clamps.
Turn the garden over, set it in place. Make sure that the light here is sufficient for the germination of seedlings.
Bury the corner beams 12-15 cm into the ground.
Adjust the bumpers using the building level. This is necessary for the correct operation of the irrigation system..
Install plastic tubes from the inside so that the walls do not collapse from bad weather.
Level the area, cover it with a mole net.
Fill up the soil.
Secure the irrigation system.
Plant seedlings.
Install an awning if necessary.

In this approach, the very preparation for the future planting is very important – it is advisable to do this even in the fall..

High beds

Poor climate and low yields will become forgotten problems for you thanks to the high design of the beds. Their creation is quite laborious, but the result will pleasantly surprise you..

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 advantages of such beds.

Good soil heating due to the proximity of the sun. You can plant them already in April..
The lower net will protect the crop from moles and rodents.
A frame about 1.5 m wide will provide convenience for watering, since it will be possible to approach it from both sides.
By dividing it into two parts, you can easily organize a greenhouse with your own hands..
Harvest in high beds appears earlier than in ordinary.

A high bed is always under the rays of the sun, which contributes to the warming up of the earth layer, so it can be planted in April without fear of freezing.

However, one drawback of this design can be distinguished – the need for frequent watering due to the fact that moisture quickly goes down.

The most popular materials for making tall beds are:

Aluminum barrels;
Stone;
Brick;
Logs.

It is worth noting that it is the high beds that give the earliest harvest, first of salads, and then of picky vegetables..

They are made in the form of ridges or trapezoids. They are created for one season, since they noticeably settle under the snow in winter. They are mainly used for melons and gourds – cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini. Sometimes potatoes are planted in them..

Smart beds

The main principle in smart beds remains the same as in lazy ones, but the emphasis is on fertilization. The quantity of the crop and how carefully it will be necessary to care for it directly depends on their quality..

Smart beds only need to be dug once. They do not need weeding – mulch will prevent weeds from growing.

The soil in them is a compost consisting of straw, leaves and sawdust containing nutrients. A thin layer of soil is laid on top of it, and after a couple of weeks the garden can be planted.

Warm beds

The principle of building warm beds is based on the layering and location of fresh manure in their lower layers. In winter, the main processes start, and by spring it begins to decompose. Rotting, manure emits heat, and the bed becomes ready for planting early..

Many gardeners have been convinced more than once that high-quality fertilizer gives a large harvest that does not require much effort from its owner..

This method is suitable for radishes, cucumbers and other crops with shallow roots..

Do-it-yourself warm bed

Having previously sampled the soil by 40-50 cm, we lay the layers in the following sequence.

Such a bed does not use ordinary soil as soil, but compost, which is based on straw, leaves and sawdust, which as a result gives even more useful substances for future plants..

Large timber
Small wood
Earth
Organic – waste
Sprinkle with EM-Bokashi, spill with EM-A
Earth again
Organic – waste
Sprinkle with EM-Bokashi, spill with EM-A
Humus
Mulch (5-8 cm)

The term of operation of such a bed is 6-8 years..

Unusual solutions

The garden does not have to be boring, because there is easily a place for imagination and originality..

Hanging beds

You can create unusual beds that will give the garden an original look and save the space of the site with your own hands. They can be made from bags or plastic pipes cut in half. Plant strawberries, herbs or small vegetables in them..

Your site will be filled with meaning and you can personalize it.

Another advantage of this design is that you can plant seedlings in them in advance, and take them outside when it gets warmer..

Vertical beds

Another way to save space is with vertical multi-tiered beds. Wooden boards, boxes and plastic pipes will be an excellent material for creating such structures with your own hands..

The arrangement and shape of the beds – depending on your imagination and the convenience of going around them.

Garden beds from scrap materials

The most familiar things can be adapted to containers for planting vegetables:

Baskets;
Boxes;
Watering cans;
Old chest of drawers;
Dishes;
Car tires;
Unnecessary boots and shoes;
Wooden barrels;
Bath;
Bike.

Garden framing is not only a guarantee of a good harvest.

You can even build a flower bed with a pair of old jeans. And by decorating tires, you can create the most unexpected compositions in the form of animals, flowers and heroes of your favorite cartoons..

DIY multi-tiered bed

Making a classic square three-level bed with your own hands is quite simple. Pre-outline its location and make a plan on paper, taking into account the characteristics of the planned vegetables, the number of tiers, the size and relief of the site.

Combining certain crops on the same bed will create an amazing plant design.

Level and mark the surface.
Treat the boards with an antiseptic impregnation.
Fit the sides with a height of at least 15 cm, observing right angles. Remember that the next levels will be lower in height. Therefore, it is better to choose the height with a margin.
Connect the boards into shields using bars with 50 cm sides.
Lay polyethylene or metal mesh on the ground, backfill with drainage, then soil, and then compost.
The second level is placed on top. It should occupy 2/3 of the bottom tier. Layers are stacked similarly to the previous one..
The third level is made even smaller: it takes 1/3 of the first tier..
At the final stage, paint the outer walls of the garden with wood paint.

The composition can consist not only of vegetables, but also of herbs and flowers. Some plant species are able to provide vegetable crops with protection from pests and diseases..

Tips for the summer resident

The spaces between the beds can be filled with pebbles or separated by small paths.

Task	Solution
Pick up inventory	Don’t skimp on tools. Cheap inventory will quickly deteriorate and you will need to buy a new one. Therefore, it is better to immediately choose quality things..
Organize storage	Wall shelf with shelves and fixtures Garden toilet converted into storage Small lockers Small items baskets Metal shields
Effectively combine cultures with each other	Play with contrasts and shapes. Combine climbing plants with oversized zucchini and watermelons, or use the same crops but different colors.
Create paths between the beds	Lay them out with pebbles, concrete tiles, lawn grass, or wood cuts.
Process wooden fences	The most economical way: use copper sulfate on the inside, lime on the outside. Most durable: decking.
Create a spectacular garden design	Choose a consistent style. Perfect for the garden: Mediterranean, Japanese, country. Find matching borders, garden patterns and garden figurines.

Garden decor

Decorative elements are something without which it is impossible to imagine a stylish garden. A small mill, a figurine of a garden gnome or a figurine in the shape of an animal, like an accidentally forgotten watering can or a wheel from a cart – all these little things will complement the design of your site, and it will sparkle with fresh colors.

The design of the beds can be very diverse, it all depends on the imagination.

Nobody forbids combining vegetables with garden plants. Flower beds, arches, trellises and “huts” entwined with curly flowers will perfectly fit here..

To diversify the appearance of plantings, flowers can be added to vegetables, for example, marigolds.

Uniform style

We bring to your attention the most popular solutions for the design of a vegetable garden in a general style.

Choose plants that are contrasting in shape and color, do not be afraid to experiment!

Style	Colors	Materials (edit)	Peculiarities
Mediterranean	Pastel shades, terracotta, ocher	Natural stone, paving slabs, wood flooring, brick	Decentralization Recreation area High terraces, multi-level structures Climbing plants
Country	Variegated natural shades	Natural wood, stone, willow twig	Smooth lines Large number of colors Using household items as accessories Wicker structures
Japanese	Green palette	Small crushed stone, pebbles, boulders	Decoration with lanterns, bridges, gazebos Asymmetry, irregular shapes Low beds
French	Delicate natural colors	Almost any: wood, stone, brick, slate, concrete	Beds of regular geometric shape, divided into segments Paved paths Framing with decorative stone or border

A stylish garden with a unique design will become the pride of any summer resident, and smart technologies, high beds and the right choice of soil will help increase yields and save energy and money spent on maintenance.