Garden layout-space to move

10 years ago

Im am about to extend the fencing around my home to include more of the side yard. This will be a pretty narrow strip of yard 10-12x50. Im really going to have to go vertical with a lot of my veggies to have enough room to make it worth it! I am hopping to put in some raised vegetable garden rows, leave some lawn and maybe a small water feature. I would also like to incorporate a couple of other structures like a small greenhouse, compost bins etc. I just had some general questions on sizes of walk ways and things you wish youÂd done or were really glad you incorporated

1. What width on walkways do you find you need in the garden?

2. And how wide if I need to move a wheelbarrow through it Â would have to walk almost in a full circle of the house if I could not cut through here.

3. I would like the greenhouse for starting seeds and over wintering some plants in larger containers that will not work in the house or garage. What sizes etc would be best? IÂm thinking of going 6x8 just to get started and doing the Snap N Grow so I can add on later, but I think Ill be stuck with the 6ft wide Âwould hate to wish Id gone for the 8ft insteadÂ

4. Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

emmers_m
10 years ago
I did raised unbordered beds in my garden - is that what you're thinking to do, or will you be putting borders on your rows? Either way, I'd say to leave 3 feet for wheelbarrow access, but with unbordered beds you may need to leave more like 4 feet as they tend to slope into the paths. I started out with 2 ft paths last year, which was already really tight, and now they're down to a foot or less.

I will be expanding/redesigning the garden primarily to solve this problem. Ok, I'm kidding myself - of course I want to grow more! But I swear I will leave much wider paths, both for me and my wheelbarrow to access.

It sounds like you'll end up with a very charming garden - please post pics when it's done!

~emmers
nancyjane_gardener
10 years ago
BE SURE to have enough wheelbarrow room! I did enough to get the WB through (maybe 2 1/2 ft), but not enough to turn and dump without stepping in the other bed. Give yourself 4 ft if you can.
I had a 6x8 HFGH and quickly outgrew it before it blew away!
If you have the room and the $ go larger! I LOVED sitting in the GH in the middle of winter with some flowers blooming, reading a great book! Nancy
Related Discussions
Moving into highrise condo, need help with layout
Q
Comments (3)
I prefer plan 2, on the right because of the galley kitchen, one of my favorite styles. Since the bedroom is windowless, your theater space would work very well there. I might use that walk-in closet as a wine cellar, video game room or home office. Since you don't need a lot of dining space, you can snug a round table and 4 chairs closer to the balcony doors at the kitchen end. Looks like you have plenty of space to work a pool table in here. You'll need shot space all around it.
...See More
Kitchen layout - convert door to window, move appliances?
Q
Comments (16)
A nice piece of butcherblock, hinged on one end, that could be held in a small lip on the other side of the door, would seem to be ideal. I see such a setup frequently in various small bakeries and other shops. Just needs a bit of creativity. Many/most kitchen designers are interested primarily in selling you cabinets and so they will focus strongly on how to fit their standard cabinets pieces together into a design. They have minimal interest in designing a completely custom piece, even one as straightforward as this, unless you push them.
...See More
Moving to a new home: need advice on space redistribution
Q
Comments (1)
I hope to hear opinions on this one :)
...See More
Kitchen layout for a total gut & move...
Q
Comments (19)
Thanks @Shasta. I sought out recommendations on Next Door, and unfortunately only got self-promotions. This is the predicament I've found myself in...I don't want to hire someone whose only "recommend" is her/himself and potentially spend hundreds to thousands on something that I dislike. But it's looking like that's my only real option, since apparently my drawings are too hard to decipher. *sigh* For those arguing about the greenhouse window, bump out, and bathroom.... The greenhouse window is already in a dining area instead of the kitchen. So I don't find leaving it in a dining area weird. I'm not concerned about the bump out being "in" the dining room (but not the whole room) because that will provide me with space to put a buffet or other furniture that I wouldn't otherwise have in a room of this size with the large dining table I have. The bathroom does open into the dining area now (as well as planned "new" area), but it's offset back approx. 3 feet down a "hall". Right now, that "hall" contains three doors: pantry on the left, bathroom on the bottom, and mudroom/passage to garage on the right. (Incidentally, my grandmother's 150 YO farmhouse house had the main house bathroom in the dining room. Maybe that's part of why I don't find it odd that it's so close, even if it is offset back a bit. Either way, I don't have a lot of options on placement of dining space.) No, I'm keeping the front living room and back family room. I'm simply reversing placement of formal dining room and kitchen...used to be "formal dining-kitchen-informal dining", will be "kitchen-dining space". The new kitchen plus dining area will have exactly the same footprint as the old "formal dining-kitchen-informal dining"...I'm just breaking it up into 2 instead of 3 spaces.
...See More
kelser01
Original Author
10 years ago
Ive really been torn on the greenhouse size. I don't have room for anything wider than 8 feet for sure, and Id probably be ok with a small wheelbarrow. On the other hand do I really loose that much room on the 6ft one? There would be plenty of room to get past it with the wheelbarrow at a 10ft wide section.... I just wish I had a bigger yard :)
susan2010
10 years ago
Maybe if you look around you can find a mroe compact garden cart that would work? If you weight the cost of a new cart against the additional growing room, it might make $ense.
Donna
10 years ago
I have raised beds in my side yard and I love them. The beds are mixed sizes: either 8'x3.5' or 6'x3.5'. My paths are three feet wide and I wouldn't want them any narrower. This is a comfortable width for the wheelbarrow too. I have an arch at one end, a border of ornamental grasses at the other end. On one side is a bench with arbor and a border of boxwood. The fourth side is the sidewalk going down the side of my house.
Donna
10 years ago
Oops. Meant to include this link. Hope it helps. These were taken in May, as I recall.

Here is a link that might be useful: My raised bed garden
Edie
10 years ago
For a wheelbarrow path: Measure the width of your wheelbarrow, and then consider what you plan on growing next to the path. Many plants are narrow enough at the base, but bush out at wheelbarrow height and reach into the path. As plants grow, paths shrink. Emmers is quite right.
My paths started out in spring just the width of the wheelbarrow, which was great for bringing in manure. Now they are about two feet and the wheelbarrow no longer fits.

Ideal path width for walking paths depends on the crop. If you're only planting lettuce or low herbs, you can get away with a foot wide path, which has to be walked like a balance beam but does maximize growing space. I wouldn't do it, but some people in the community garden here do. For comfort, go at least the width of your shoulders.

My veggie garden is about 17' x 16.' It's a community plot, so I can't make it bigger; but that size does allow room for a lot of veggies. I think you'll find room for what you want. Have fun with your space.

Garden layout-space to move

Comments (7)

emmers_m

nancyjane_gardener

Related Discussions

kelser01Original Author

susan2010

Donna

Donna

Edie

kelser01
Original Author