Help! Community Garden Plot is LARGE

[fooddudeincola]

I am new to square foot gardening (did some row gardens as a kid). I have leased a community garden from the city (this is the first year the city has done it). They have created rasied beds for us to use which are 3ft (2ft is filled with "dirt") tall and 5ft x 19ft. They run East to West. I need some ideas on how to plant this large space. In particular where do I put my vine crops. Thanks for the help

[quiltbea]

If they run east to west, you're going to have 19' of space for tall and vining crops along the north side, supported with trellis. That's plenty for peas, pole beans, tomatoes and cukes.
With 3' deep beds, you'll have to bring a short stepladder with you when you harvest them.
The big problem with that is that 4' of space in front and how to reach everything else you plant.

Having a bed 5' across means a long stretch for harvesting crops. Maybe putting the tomatoes and cukes down the long middle row, with cages, would work with shorter plants on either side which you can easily reach from one side of the other.

I'm sure someone else sill chime in soon.

[nancy]

3' tall and 5' deep beds? Wow! I'm only 5' tall - I'd certainly need a ladder to get to the middle squares.

What about putting vining crops on the north edge that you could trellis up and then they could trail down over the side of the bed? And trap / beneficial plants in the middle - marigolds, etc. that wouldn't require tending. With 95 sqft, you can do whatever you want with the front 3 rows.

Did you only get the one bed? How many beds are there in the garden? I ask as another community gardner. We have 25'x25' allotments. I think there are close to 75 plots there. Many people have more than one allotment, but I am the only one who uses raised beds (so far).

Best wishes and let us know what you decide. I'd love to see pictures of the beds / whoel garden!

[fooddudeincola]

Thanks for the responses. So far there is 40 plots. I am not sure why they built them out the way that did. If I put the tall plants in the middle will it shade the ones north of them?

[Squat_Johnson]

Yes, they will shade them, but in your zone, that won't be such a bad thing. There are some cool weather veggies (lettuce, spinach, etc.) that will bolt with too much heat/direct sun.

[shannon1]

I always say grow what you will eat. The north side is the best for tall crops. I could never reach the center of a 5' wide garden so I would either plant small flowers that would attract benifical insects or not plant it at all but I am short. Have a great time SFG is the way to go but already knew that or you would not be here.