Wide Row Planting

[JimWWhite]

I was ready a book about becoming self-sufficent and wanted to find some info on planting. I has a good about of space but I want to make the best of it. I planted in the same area last year and didnt get to much. I would like to know what veggies I can put together in wide rows?
Any combination will be great the veggies dont matter anything type will be used for something.

Thanks,
RIrs

I am new here so need the info

There are a few good books on the subject you might look into. My all time favorite is Dick Raymond's 'The Joy of Gardening'. I think he may have written the book on wide row gardening. Then there's Mel Bartholomew's 'The Square Foot Gardener' where he takes it a step farther and does wide row gardening in raised boxes. And finally Edward Smith's 'The Vegetable Gardener's Bible' builds on the first two with his W-O-R-D system for Wide row, Organic, Raised beds, and Deep soil gardening. And since you're asking about doing what is known as 'Companion Planting' you might also look up Louise Riotte's 'Carrots Love Tomatoes'. All are really great gardening books. I'm sure there's others as well.

 

[hoodat]

I also use wide row planting for carrots. I just drag an iron rake across loose soil and broadcast my carrot seed, mixed with sand or dry dirt over the lines left by the rake. the seeds tend to fall into the shallow furrows and when watered end up just the right depth when the soil washes over them. I sometimes plant turnips the same way.

 

[RIrs]

So I should plant my corn and cucumber together and my tomatoes alone. What can I plant my watermelon and pumkin with? I am doing 3 rows of corn this year so im going to put bush beans with my corn asweel.

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[GrowsLotsaPeppers]

Watermelons and pumpkins and various other winter squash run where they wish. You can cover several hundred square feet with a couple of hubbard squash, the way they spread. And the vines can be moved when they go where you don't want them. A friend covers part of his front yard with three plants.

I wouldn't worry about companion planting those two, but that's just me. The seasons don't match up well for me. Another challenge is the grandchildren. They'll 'help', if allowed to play in the garden, and, of course, they're allowed to play in the garden. So the melons are a little iffy, here. Good thing we can buy good ones cheaply in season.

 

[RIrs]

Ok in zone 10 and just bought some seeds for this year not to many types but its veggies I will for sure use. I need help planning out the garden so I am going to list the names and please tell me what you would put together and which types I should not mix. Also can I trust the calendar on the Burpee site?

These are the seeds I bought- Lettuce salad Bowl, Cucumber BurpFree, Sweet Corn Early& Often Hybrid(SE), Sweet Pepper Crispy Hybrid, Tomato Burpee's Big Boy Hybrid, Watermelon Sugar Bowl Hybrid, Pumpkin Triple Treat.

Those are all the seeds I have.
Any info on planting the veggis together will help.

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[lesa]

In zone 10- I am guessing that you will have bolting issues with that lettuce. Hot weather is going to bother it. So, as soon as you can -I would get that planted (even if you have to cover it a few times, if your temps drop).
Remember your vines are going to take up a lot of room- I would get those pumpkins and melons on the edge of your bed and let them spread onto the grass.
What do you think about trellising the cukes? That would save a lot of room...
Remember to plant your corn in a group- not in one long row.
Try not to plant your tomatoes in the same area you had them last year...
Good luck! Let us know how you are progressing....

 

[RIrs]

Well I have put some chicken manure in the garden and mixed it in and also some nice black dirt from there run. I dont have any ideas for trelisis but would like to see some setups people have. I am going to be doing lots of corn and tomatoes this year. So I need to mix them up.

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[lesa]

What do you mean, by mixing up corn and tomatoes?

 

[RIrs]

How should I go about makeing the rows.
C=corn T=Tomato
c t c
c t c
c t c
c t c
c t c
c t c

Can I do something like that?

Thanks,
RIrs

 

[lesa]

You want to grow the corn in blocks- not separate rows. Corn is self pollinating, so it needs to be next to itself. You want those tomatoes in full sun- the corn rows will shade your tomatoes and you won't be happy with production. Just move the corn into two rows -or shorter rows, and let the tomatoes have full sun. I wouldn't want the corn to shade the tomatoes either- so plan according to your site and the way the sun moves through your garden location.