Sense your in zone 4 I would definatly look at trying to create a microclimate by having more black to retain heat, having a northern wind break either via man made or evergreens, and staggering the cold hardy on the outside while having more tender things on the center in higher areas to protect from ground frost. Raised beds may be practical.

I like your ideas, I just posted a school vegtable garden with cinder block raised beds. To me in your local maximizing sun and protecting from frost would be the primary two ingredients. I would look into heavily doing raised beds with pvc starting loops for mini greenhouses with plastic. It would be a great way to get a two month jump into the growing season in the spring.

Good info above. Plus what crops would you be row planting and why do you see that as an advantage? In your zone multiple smaller beds would give you greater versatility and control and allow for creating season-extending micro-climates.

For example using a couple of the beds with a cold frame would give you a month head start on the season with seedlings and another month at the end of the season for many things. They are also easier to maintain.

Don't get me wrong, I love row gardening and have several big gardens as well for things like corn, potatoes, asparagus, and grapes. But it is my small beds that get the most use for the common garden vegetables and are the easiest to care for.

Dave

Check out the Potager forum here too. There used to be lots of pics posted over there.

What a delight to design a new garden space, but it sounds like work to start over since it takes years to improve soil.

Our garden is in a clearing in the woods along our driveway with a blend of fruit trees, soft fruits, and vegetables. We also have 4 square foot gardening boxes on one side. It's easier to keep the deer out if I have everything altogether, plus that's where our sunshine is located.

We first planted fruit trees, then started mulching & building beds and used containers. Since it slopes from woods down to the gravel we've built up with many years of compost. Concrete blocks now keep it all back, but we first used the rocks dug out of the soil.

There are permanent paths and raised beds for perennial fruits (raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries) and our larger vegetables (tomatoes, squash, potatoes, cucumbers, jerusalem artichokes, beans, peas). We also plant alliums in between the strawberry rows behind the blocks & herbs inside the concrete blocks (chives, thyme, ornamental oregano + some flowering sedums).

We use the wooden sided beds for all the other vegetables I didn't list earlier and especially for fall & winter harvesting of cold hardy vegs. It is easy to plant the squares following the SFG recommendations.

There is room for a few chairs & a side table in front of the wooden boxes.

If we started another garden elsewhere I would want it as far from trees as possible to avoid roots trespassing and limbs stretching over. Even my cherry trees seek out the vegetable beds. I like it that we have no grass invading the beds & we've mulched for so many years we have few weeds. I don't like it that the fruit trees shade some of the garden from late spring through fall, but it works great for early peas. Shade slows the harvest.

I came across this article from Country Living today and remembered your post:
http://www.countryliving.com/outdoor/gardening/ultimate-kitchen-garden-design
Hope that helps! I'd also suggest looking at Fine Gardening's website. I know I have seen similar designs there, and on Sunset's website as well. Good luck!

I haven't figured out where to put my seat! My husband and I usually drag some patio chairs into the shade of a maple tree where we enjoy some iced tea during breaks in outdoor chores.

I suggest making a list of what you'd like to grow. My stumbling block is winter squash. It takes up so much space that this year I gave it a bed of its own in a different part of the yard. You might have some items that need special attention. I have to put a cover over strawberries or all the critters feast on them. Garden fabric held down with bricks works but is tedious to remove for harvesting. I think a permanent cage of some sort with removable, hinged tops would be nice.

I would put asparagus in the perimeter area. I don't mind the fronds during most of the summer but they might shade an adjacent bed.

Keep rotation in mind. I just planted garlic and it shouldn't be planted where cabbage has previous grown. I grow hardly any cabbage so that's not much of a problem.

How many people are you feeding? For two of us and once a week family dinner with son, DIL and GCs, 10 or 12' rows are plenty for a lot of things. Two rows of beans is too much since I don't like to can or freeze them. A semi-permanent fence for climbers like pole beans and sugar snap peas is great. We have fences made of concrete reinforcing mesh held in place by steel posts. After a couple of seasons, however, the base of the posts rust off and need to be replaced. Sugar snap peas planted on both sides are plenty for us.

Basically, our vegetable garden is several smaller beds. The tomato bed is large enough for 5 plants on each side with a 3' walkway down the center. The walkway is covered with wet newspapers then a thick layer of grass clippings. I use this scheme in other places. Next year the walkway could be planting area. Keep in mind access for your garden cart. I have an ancient John Deere lawn mower to pull a cart. The middle walkways are large enough for the cart and are grass. The only problem is the weedy lawn stuff that likes to get into the planting beds. We also have pretty good access for the pickup truck and spring load of composted manure.

You might find some unique solutions. It sounds like you want to combine beauty and practical. Inspired by permaculture reading, I solvd a weed problem in a blueberry bed by planting cucumbers and marigolds between the young plants. Also have a couple of parsley plants. I did not have to spend hours weeding the bed like last year. Perhaps if I had it properly mulched I wouldn't have to do so much weeding but I needed to put cucumber plants some place and that bed proved handy.

Good luck. Sorry I don't have pictures.