Mine run North to South because it holds soil & water when we get rain (land slightly slopes East) altho' rain is something we're only have hopes of getting here in NE Tx right now.

Suzi

My rows run East/West. I have noticed that when I plant a double row, the row on the South side seems to grow a little faster than the row on the North. If it was not so much trouble I might try changing to North/South rows but I don't think it would be worth all the effort for me because I have double dug raised rows......DT

Now that you mention it Suzi, my land slopes to the west a bit. I think I'll change my rows & see if that helps, although I use soaker hoses and it doesn't seem to do anything except wet the ground directly under the hoses.

As part of my regular "crop rotation" I always alternated east/west and north/south rows when I planted. I would always try to put the tallest plants in the morning sun. I don't know if there was a benefit or not for sure, but I tell myself that it might help prevent soil compaction in the long run. Otherwise, if you get in the habit of putting your rows in the same place every season, you might be compacting the soil between them???? Like I said, I have no scientific basis, but figured it wouldn't hurt.

Crop rotation on the other hand is pretty widely accepted as beneficial if you can do it to cut down on plant specific pests that might live some life stage in your soil.