What kind of fence? What kind of crop? What exposure? Trellising every square? What does this mean? What kind of crop?

Dan

If the plants can use the fence as a trellis, or you can attach a trellis to it, and it's 16 feet long, then sure you can make it work no problem. Sure details are great, but if I'm thinking about it right, then you should have no problem.

I think a 1' wide bed will be very narrow. This is only my opinion, but I would think having a bed at least 2' wide might do a little better simply because the roots can spread out a little more, no matter what you plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

It's a privacy fence on the west side of my property. I would put the netting on it for the plants to grow up. I'm planning on growing beans (8 sq ft), peas (8 sq ft), cucumbers (6 sq ft), zucchini (4 sq ft), and tomatoes (6 sq ft). I hope these details help.

Details always help.

My 2¢:

West side is OK for peas and maybe beans & cukes, but for tomatoes may be an issue, esp with foliar diseases. You'll want zucc as far forward in the bed as possible for sun and avoidance of foliar disease and room to sprawl (usu larger than 4 sf).

Tomatoes and netting will require tying to the netting. You'll have to mount the netting away from the fence so you can get behind the netting to pick your crop. 1' sounds too narrow for these crops. You will only be able to trellis your crops in the back row with 2' wide. Beans will likely grow over the fence height. Cukes and tomatoes are heavy and you'll want to ensure you have heavy-duty netting, esp if you wish the netting to hold up tomatoes.

Dan

So would I better off moving the bed away from the fence and putting a trellis up the middle and having the bed 2 ft wide? I need to figure out exactly what I'm doing as we are getting ready to build the beds and fill them.

With the fence on the west side, you will have a lot of shade issues. The concern is that many warm weather plants need a lot of sun. Tomatoes also need a fair amount of air circulation as well.

If you plant on the east side of a privacy fence, you will only have morning sun available to the plants. Pushing the garden out a few feet will help with air circulation, but not increase the sun exposure very much. You may have to limit the number of warm season plants you plan on, but on the other hand, some of your cool weather plants (such as cole crops) will probably be able to produce much longer. Lettuce will also be less likely to bolt.

Good luck. This first year is always a big experiment, there are so many variables you just can't/don't account for.

And, if you must, take heart in the fact that the tomatoes I grow on the east side of a privacy fence are the best of all. They always outperform the ones at the west side of the property that are next to a wire fence and get sun all day.

Definitely go at least 2' wide with the bed.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

take heart in the fact that the tomatoes I grow on the east side of a privacy fence are the best of all. They always outperform the ones at the west side of the property that are next to a wire fence and get sun all day

This is what is wonderful about gardening. Sheer cussedness can do wonders for production ;o) is what my dad would have said.

Annie, would you say this is because you have less BER or some other blight? What about foliar diseases in the shade? Less water stress? I've never gardened there (altho have good friends in Wenatchee area).

Which brings up another point: your beds have to be large enough such that your tomatoes get rotated so soil-borne diseases don't get a chance to establish.

Dan

Dan said: Which brings up another point: your beds have to be large enough such that your tomatoes get rotated so soil-borne diseases don't get a chance to establish.

And Granny says: I have grown tomatoes in the west bed, against the privacy fence, in the very same squares of soil, for about 15 years now. No problem with diseases. The one other area in my yard where I'd previously tried to grow them they suffered from blossom end rot and finally succumbed to V,F,N or T (take your choice, I don't know which one!). My father grew his in the same spot from 1954 until the year he died...2003. Beautiful tomatoes, never any disease problems. His yard was too small to move them elsewhere, and tomatoes were the only thing he ever grew.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...with a few exceptions (like corn cross-pollinating) what works for one doesn't always work for another. We all have to have a little trial and error to see what works best for us, as there are just too many variables such as watering practices, climate, garden cleanliness....etc., etc., etc.

I'm sorry my opinions come across to you as sheer cussedness. Feel free to ignore them.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Did somebody say...trellises? Cool!

EG

I'm sorry my opinions come across to you as sheer cussedness. Feel free to ignore them.

Apologies - I meant cussedness in the sense of overcoming no matter what (emoticons don't really replace voice tone changes, do they!) .

I'm interested in the no rotation bit, as I definitely agree that everyone has to try the trial and error thing (the mother-in-law thinks I'm crazy in my gardening - which is certainly partially true).

Nonetheless, I've seen wilt rear its ugly head quite often in this sort of non-rotation situation - with both heirlooms and hybrids - and as such my experience and training sez to rotate. Altho my bro-in-law doesn't rotate in Michigan and he has one of the nicest gardens I know. I'm wondering if the cooler soil in your west bed discouraged virus capsules or killed the wilt in the winter.

But back to the original point: rule of thumb says south exposure, but east exposure won't kill anything and be cooler, so you'll have to watch for foliar diseases and such. But if you pay attention, these limitations can be overcome with a little playing around.

Sounds like a fun project, regardless.

Dan

Dan, those blighted tomatoes were also on the west side maybe 20 feet from where the successful tomato bed ended up. The only difference that I can think of is that the successful tomatoes are in the same garden as the blueberries, and this soil gets a yearly amendment of steer manure and peat (sandy soil, I don't worry much about the salts in the steer manure). The other difference was that they (blighted toms) were planted along the side of the garden shed, close to the concrete floor. We have very hot summers, and the shed is white. We also have irrigation water, so hard telling what comes through that at times, it may have just been a bad year.

On the other hand, my father used grass clippings around his tomatoes, which all had full sun. I know he didn't use manure, I imagine he used some type of fertilizer...I think I saw some Miracle Grow in his shed. He always made basins around his plants, watered them by hand, and they were planted about six feet apart so had good air circulation.

Last year I planted my main tomatoes next to a fence that is shared by neighbors, and their impulse sprinklers kept my foliage quite wet. Some wilt was showing toward the end of the season. The tomatoes in the west bed remained robust and healthy, but they didn't suffer from wet foliage.

I have read a few reports lately that say rotation is not practical in most home gardens. I do try to rotate everything but the tomatoes...I'm limited to where those can be planted unless I stick with ultra small determinate varieties. And they don't sell "Pixie" seeds anymore :-(

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Grrr - I seem to have lost a message in spam filter.
The only difference that I can think of is that the successful tomatoes are in the same garden as the blueberries, and this soil gets a yearly amendment of steer manure and peat (sandy soil, I don't worry much about the salts in the steer manure). The other difference was that they (blighted toms) were planted along the side of the garden shed, close to the concrete floor.

AG, I can definitely see how the reflected heat would increase transpiration and cause BER. And I wonder if the blueberries somehow exhibit allelopathy on viruses/fungi. I wish I could try it here in Colo, I sure do miss my berries in Western WA.

And you bring up a good point about the sprinklers causing foliar damage, and I wonder if the orignial question can be partially answered by recommending containers for joanne's tomatoes to avoid this issue and giving her more options...

Dan

Where would be the ideal location for the bed with the trelis in my yard. North, South, East or West? I will have a total of 3 beds and don't want to shade out my other plants. I think I've decided to forget about putting it by the fence and just build a 16 ft by 2 ft bed and put the trellis up the middle to support plants on both sides. Will this shade one side of the plants to much?

Joanne

You want to put it where it can get southern sun exposure. In most cases, this would locate the bed at the north end of the property, unless something is blocking the sun's rays....With your 2x16 bed....run it north/south, and you should be fine - if the area is open to alot of sunlight.

EG