Imo add the compost first, even mixing it in (instead of just top-dressing, which you will have to do later if you add it when the plants are in). Then later, when you see if the plants need more nitrogen, add the nitrogen fertilizer (or do it pre-emptively).

As far as the bed goes, just make sure you can reach the plants in the center, not only by distance but also when the plants on outside are growing.

And the "top" side of your diagram shows that is where the beans and peas are. Make sure that is aligned in such a way that the height of the plants can either shade the others, or don't take away needed sun for those that are getting blocked by it.

Hello melisam41,

I am not a seasoned gardener but a first time SF gardener myself so my advice comes from research and not experience. I noticed that you have your beans next to your peppers. I read in a companion planting guide that you should keep the beans and pepper separated. I found the companion planting guide to be very helpful in planning my SFG. There are several online but the ones I found most helpful have a color coded matrix showing what to plant together and what to keep separated. I'm sure I could find a link to the one I have been using if it would help.

I hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your SFG.

I am also in zone 5. One thing to caution you with is that strawberries can SPREAD! I keep a separate perennial bed with them sectioned off. This may not be an issue depending on the variety you are planting. However, for a lot of varieties it is kind of like planting mint, they can take over if you are not vigilant. Good luck! (Also, I second purslanegarden's note to make sure you can reach the middle. One of my beds is 5x5 to fill the space between my driveway and fence and I have to be very careful to only plant lower maintenance plants in the middle.)