g'day jazz,

if you need to step onto the garden bed at anytime then it is too large, generally no more than around 1 meter or 4' wide.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens bale garden

Len makes a great point. As you noted, you actually have a raised garden vs raised bed. But, your raised garden looks great. It would likely be a lot of work to convert it into beds with the dimensions Len mentioned. Would placement of a few strategic stepping stones and/or with added spacing for paths between vegetables be an alternative solution?

This post was edited by grandad on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 15:20

Your bed looks pretty sturdy. If it were mine, rather than trying to take it apart, I'd put something in the areas I couldn't reach easily that didn't require much tending. For me, that'd be roses. Or amaranth or corn or kale or something.

Or put a double row of open trellises down the middle, with a 2' rock or flagstone path in between (so you'd effectively have two 4 or 5 foot beds). Do tomatoes or cucumbers on the trellises, maybe, and use a step stool or stump to walk between the trellises as needed?

That's 1 nice looking structure.
I would not touch the original piece, you say 12 foot long ?
I would make 2 raised beds 4 -1/2 foot X 10 foot.
This will give you 2 nice beds, you can work the outside after the frame work comes down, a 3 foot walking space in the middle would be ample for me. or maybe a ramp for wheelbarrow.
A nice set of stone steps for access for the middle, 1 side or both.
A perfect setup for a square foot garden project.
If it doesn't work for you , at least you haven't disturbed the original.
I would never bother it...much to nice I love it

Or put a double row of open trellises down the middle, with a 2' rock or flagstone path in between (so you'd effectively have two 4 or 5 foot beds).

I think nialialea has the best idea.

How about a 2 foot path down the middle to create 2 beds each 4x12? It could be nothing more than a mulched walkway. Or the path could be edged with boards and dug down a bit so it would be lower than the growing area even if not nearly as low as the outside lawn area. Either option would make for easy access to plants in the beds while keeping the soil from being walked on and compacted.

Why are there trellises/fences along some of the edges? Remove them so you can reach into the beds from the outside. If they are for trellising plants reposition them to the short ends of the 4x8 beds or run them down the center of the beds in some areas ie. (2 feet in from the outside edge) The way they are now looks like it would block access to the beds from the perimeter and defeat some of the advantages of a raised bed. They look like they may block a lot of sun, also, so consider that in choosing their placement.

Take a look at planting arrangements in the linked plan. Other pictures showing bed style planting may give good ideas, too.

You have a great looking area for gardening that would be a lot easier to work with a few modifications.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden plan

I will add to the above good ideas...

For me any aisle or walkway has to be at least 4ft wide or you cannot get thru it when the plants are fully grown. So IF you take 4ft right down the middle of the 12ft part you will still have 4ft on each side, right. Giving you 2 - 4x10ft raised beds. PLUS, any shadows will not shade the bed next to it.

Will it be hard to do? Prob no harder than making the original bed. Spend some time reading the FAQs at the SFG forum linked below to get an idea how this should be managed and planted.

In a nutshell, your tallest plants and/or any trellis should be at the North side of each bed so as to not block the sun from other plants.

I also like to have a 3-4ft border around the outside of my beds where nothing is growing to compete for root space or taking up water and nutrients from my plants. Not to mention is is easier to mow around the beds. Consider some type of mulch such as wood chips.

Here is a link that might be useful: Square Foot Gardening FAQ Page

You have such a beautiful start to your garden, it would be so much work to re-do it!
I started (before I started reading these forums) with an 8x8' raised bed.
When I read about having no more than 4' wide to be able to reach in, I put some stepping stones down the middle of my bed.
I then turned the 8x8 into about 2 3x8 (heck! I don't want to do math right now!) with a small walkway down the middle.
The thing is , be sure to leave at least 3' somewhere around the garden area to manipulate a wheelbarrow in order to bring in compost/soil/whatever!
Happy gardening! Nancy

It's easy to break your area into more accessible beds without using wood. It might be helpful to read about how master gardener Alan Chadwick (who was the one who introduced the use of raised beds in America) did it. An excellent description is posted at http://www.alan-chadwic.org. Go to Techniques, then to Raised beds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alan Chadwick

yes just needs a path down the middle, for now .5 of a meter wide will do we found even at 1 meter wide tomatoes especially crowd a bit. but we can for the main get a large wheelbarrow along our paths.

stepping stones sound nice but you need to be able to reach with safety to the lower back muscles.

that is why we have progressed from beds like your to these latest, no bending.

len

I thought the chief complaint was
"The problem I have with it is that I'm still on my hands and knees while tending to my plants; doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a raised bed?"

I don't see where or how stepping stones can help that? Not having to get on hands and knees that is.

I have a raised garden of 10 x 12. Would you find this raised bed too large? The problem I have with it is that I'm still on my hands and knees while tending to my plants; doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a raised bed?

I was thinking of putting a path between and making it two beds, however, it is pressure treated wood and was told it's hard to work with once it's set. Is that true? What would be the best solution converting it into two bed?