Hello Gottagarden,

I, like you, am familiar with flowers but lack experience growing vegetables. In the fall of '04 my hubby built me 6 raised boxes 4' x 8' with 3' wide paths between them.

I had read that 3' paths were easier to move around on with wheel barrels and mowers. I think the beds are a good size but I do regret the paths. We should have made them wider. I am 5'5" tall and 4' wide beds are barely comfortable to reach the center. I personally would not go wider than 4' for the boxes and I'd go wider on the paths. Just my two cents:)

Michelle

Here is a link that might be useful:

Thanks Michelle! I love hearing from someone with experience. I'm only 5'2" so it sounds like beds any wider than 4 feet will be difficult to reach. I hadn't really thought of the difference one's height makes, but of course! I'd better stick with the narrower beds.

Are you saying 3' paths weren't wide enough for your wheel barrow? How wide would you make them?

Loved your photo, that is quite a nice setup you have! You are good to go now with this weather! Thanks

Gottagarden, I'm a whole foot taller than you are and have "ape arms" and still prefer beds 3' wide.

GGG

My beds are 5 feet wide and at 5'4" tall that is a stretch to plant the middle. I put my tallest crops there and plant smaller things (carrots, lettuce etc) on the outside edges-I think 4 foot would be better, but you are right there is room to sprawl and I can tuck a lot of flowers here and there.
I made my paths 3 feet wide and they are just right-the wheelbarrow etc all fit easily...I made my decison very carefully the weed barrier/landscape fabric I purchased was 36" wide and so I just rolled it where I wanted the paths, then built the boxes in between, spread the wood chips and done!

I'd definitely vote for 4-foot wide beds.

As for paths, I have 4-foot wide paths too, and while I like the roominess, I sometimes wish I had reconfigured things with slightly smaller paths, so that I could get slightly MORE bed space. So I guess I'd say that if you have sufficient room, then by all means, go with 4 foot paths. If space is short in your potager, then 3-foot paths are the way to go.

-Diggity

Thanks for all the input! It seems that narrower beds are the way to go for access. Right now I'm leaning toward 3.5 feet beds and 2.5 foot paths. Maybe later in the year I'll post a photo when it's done. I might just have dirt paths this year, and do the more permanent beds next year, after I've lived with it for a year and know that I like it.

I agree, make paths wide enough to get the wheelbarrow in, that's all you need.
Strolling paths should be at least 3' wide, and 4' wide if you want side by side walking. I have access paths which are much narrower, but lined with low plants. The wheelbarrow still gets in there with no problem.

GGG

Another one who'll throw in the trowel for 3' wide beds and similar width for paths. Any wider and you will probably be reaching too much. The thing to consider is not how far you can actually reach but is it comfortable for you to do so. Can you bend your arm easily to grasp the veggies or are you barely able to touch them. Garden injuries come by way of these often overlooked details.

Most of the beds in my potager are about 2' wide. They are the ones that line the perimeter of the inside. The other three are wider, ~3' with teepee type trellises for beans and peas so they're manageable. My paths are dirt which I find works here just fine. We don't get a lot of rain from April until Oct. so not a lot of weeds to contend with.

Good luck with your new beds! And have fun! : )

Diana

yes- due to my complex design and narrow paths- it is not easy to get a wheelbarrow in! But I tried to make all the beds accessible from each side.. which worked.. but i could still use some more space maneuvre.. especiall now that the cilantro has taken over my walkways. haha

Just bumping this up to the top for some additional points of view...wow, three years later!

I have a garden that is approximately 18x20 in a Community garden. Just trying to figure out the best use of space since my spot is so small. I am 5'1" but a bit of a klutz. I am thinking no more than 3' for beds...but should I do 3 or 4 for paths? Four sounds comfortable, but it will eat up a lot of real estate.

I have 3' beds and 3' paths, which is plenty of room UNLESS vining plants (squash, melons) are involved.

If you are 5'1", I certainly wouldn't go any wider than 3' on the beds. Think of it this way: your armspan, fingertip to fingertip, is generally the same as your height. So, spreading your arms wide, you are about 5'1" from tip to tip, including the width of your body, which is usually about 18", more or less. Standing at one edge of the box, unless you really lean, you can only reach as far as your arm is long and you don't want to just brush stuff with your fingertips, you want to easily grasp it, so knock off he lenght of your hands from arm length...you get the idea. Working more than 18" from your body is going to be difficult for you.

I say generally, because there are freaks like me who's arms are too short or long. Mine are long. I'm 5'10" and my "wingspan" is 6' exactly. (I have a heck of a time buying long-sleeve shirts.) My arms are 2'3" long, including fingers. I find a 4" bed comfortable, but even I have to really reach for some stuff.

You don't need more than 3" for paths, even if you are going to be wheeling a wheelbarrow around. That's plenty wide.

This is an old post, and I know gottagarden has had a potager awhile now. Would you like to weigh in on your findings as to the ideal width of beds and paths, gg?

Oh that is a lovely set-up! I get so jealous with all the beautiful gardens. My darn yard is just too shady everywhere that would be good for a garden! I can just picture that garden full of veggies with the trellis covered with vines - scarlet runner beans, perhaps? :)

Alys, 28 years ago when we bought this house I had the same problem. Dh cut down a pecan tree to create a space for the garden. Since then we've lost more trees to lightning strikes and hurricane winds. I've been replanting and maybe twenty years from now I might have a shady yard again, but by then I'll be older and not gardening as much, lol.

Oh, and hopefully the arbor will be covered with Sweet Autumn clematis come fall.

Natal,
I love your fencing. Can you share where you got it?
Thanks,
SSG

Natal, that is a lovely garden! Have you planted anything yet? I would be very interested to hear what you are planting. It has been so many years since I planted vegetables that I need some suggestions for specific varieties. My potager is shaping up fast now. I only have two more beds to build and I will be ready to get to the fun stuff!

SSG, we found the fencing at Lowe's. It went together beautifully and took less than 2 hours.

Donna, I only planted tomatoes and peppers for the summer garden. The front 2 beds have herbs and flowers. The rear bed on the left is experimental this season. The ligustrums behind it shade it for most of the day. In the heat of the summer that'll probably be a good thing.

Hi all, I've had the garden for a couple years now. I wound up going with beds about 3.5 feet wide. The main path is 3.5 feet wide, but the smaller inner paths are only about 2 feet wide. It's a circular potager and I posted about it separately.

I like the extra wide beds for squeezing more stuff in, I rarely have to step inside.

Here's some photos:

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of my potager

Thanks for responding, gottagarden. You are so incredibly creative! I love the spiral idea.

You know, I rather liked the turtle as the early-on centerpiece too! :)