Preparing the site for creating beautiful beds: basic rules
A beautiful vegetable garden is part of the landscape design, an extension of the yard. Original ideas for designing beds will help combine the aesthetic and practical purposes of this part of the garden plot.
Proper soil preparation for planting Source kalipso-busybee.blogspot.com
Loosening the soil, oxygen saturation Source stmarycanons.org
To create a beautiful vegetable garden you need:
- Think over the layout of the site. Based on size, topography, location.
- Decide on a plant map. Plan what crops will be grown, select conditions for their development.
- Prepare the irrigation system. Decide what type will be used (automatic, manual, drip or sprinkling). Mark the points where the water connections are located.
Drip irrigation of the garden Source zabtr.ru
Scheme of organizing drip irrigation on the site Source svoimi-rykami.ru
- Choose a landscape design style. It should be in harmony with the overall concept of the house and yard.
- Consider lighting so that you can approach the garden bed in the evening.
- Decide what materials will be used to make the shape of the bed.
Beautiful garden beds at the dacha will not only create an interesting landscape composition, but will also increase the yield per 1 acre if vertical container beds filled with fertile humus are used.
Planning
First you need to decide on the simplest thing - how many square meters do you want to allocate for the future vegetable garden?
The standard solution is to allocate about three to four acres, but here different options are possible, which depend on:
- on the number of family members;
- area of the site;
- availability of sufficiently lit space;
- the desire of the owners to arrange other useful and beautiful things on the site such as flower beds, gardens, gazebos, greenhouses, garden decorative sculptures, etc.
So it turns out that the layout of a vegetable garden at a summer cottage depends not only on the number of acres, but also on the desires and capabilities of family members.
Original bed ideas
Generally speaking, there are two main directions in style and planning: regulatory and free. The first involves the use of clear geometric shapes with an accentuated compositional center. Harmonizes with classical trends in architecture. The free direction is closer to natural, natural forms and largely imitates them. Pairs perfectly with ethnic style and Japanese minimalism. They mainly use natural materials to create beds: wood, wild stone, pebbles.
Different shapes for beds Source pinterest.com
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in landscaping work on sites.
Gabion beds
This is an original solution for creating raised, high beds. Gabion is a mesh metal container that is filled with pebbles, large stones, and pieced decorative glass. Gabions are suitable for cascading beds in areas with uneven terrain. They look impressive and prevent the soil from sliding.
Gabion beds of different sizes Source tandemarch.ru
They make tall, raised flower beds. From metal mesh containers you can make beds and flower beds of various shapes.
You can buy ready-made metal containers in stores and supermarkets, or make them yourself.
Gabion in the shape of a butterfly for decorating beds Source zabor-gabion.com.ua
Sequence of gabion manufacturing:
- Draw a sketch of the gabion, draw a diagram with dimensions.
- Select a galvanized mesh with cells in accordance with the fraction of the material with which the container will be filled. The material can be construction mesh for reinforcement.
- Cut the blanks to size according to the sketch (in 2 copies).
- Cut out transverse partitions from the mesh. They are installed inside the container in increments of 80-100 cm.
- Connect all the elements of the blanks using wire.
- Prepare the area, make a small depression (about 10 cm) in the shape of a gabion.
- Place a container in it.
- Fill it with pebbles, stones, and other materials (wooden blocks, pieces of glass).
- Line the inside of the gabion with geotextile materials.
- Fill the gabion with soil.
Spiral stepped gabion Source bellissa.de
Gabions organically fit into areas of various sizes and reliefs.
Wooden containers
Ideal for creating “warm, smart” beds.
Wooden containers for garden beds Source fft.msk.ru
Small boxes for garden beds Source eco-d-eco.ru
Manufacturing procedure:
- Draw a diagram of the box.
- They plan and mark out the site.
- Cut out boards and connecting corner bars to size. The beam should be 15 - 20 cm longer than the height of the container.
- All elements of the box are connected to each other using nails and self-tapping screws.
- It is recommended to additionally strengthen corner joints with metal corners for structural reliability.
- You can make a small depression in the soil under the container to stabilize the structure.
- Install the box in the designated area.
- Fill it up.
Greenhouse container for garden beds Source 2i2s.ru
The process of making wooden containers Source besplatka.ua
If you plan to grow root crops, then a metal mesh is placed at the bottom of the container to prevent rodents from digging in.
Arched vegetable gardens
Arches are one of the most favorite elements of garden forms. And arches with garden crops are also a useful element of the site. The most beautiful are high arches, which can be installed along paths, and wide arches can be installed in the form of a canopy over different areas, replacing gazebos or pergolas. They are used for growing climbing plants, garden crops with long vines that are tied to supports, as well as for planting in containers that can be hung from the inside of the arch to the upper rods.
Low arches allow you to decorate high beds with hanging plants. Such arches are fixed on two adjacent beds, positioning them so that both sides of the arch are sufficiently illuminated by the sun.
A variation of arched vegetable gardens are hut-type plantings created by two straight supports converging at the top. For gardeners, this option may be even more convenient, since all large vegetables usually hang down from inside the hut, and it is convenient to collect them, tie them up or pack them in covers to protect them from birds and insects.
For dense plantings, you can use cheaper frames made of plastic, aluminum or metal pipes and profiles, as well as timber or branches. If the vegetable garden is located in a recreation area or on a path in front of the main entrance to the house, it is better to install an openwork wooden structure or a beautiful wrought iron arch.
Examples of decorative fences
There are quite a few ways of zoning beds with decorative fences. The choice of material is dictated by the style of landscape design. Decorative borders are suitable for tall, raised beds.
Types of decorative fencing:
- Live trimmed hedge. This category includes edgings, plants planted along garden paths, mixborders - green fences in several tiers made of various plants.
Green fencing for beds Source yandex.ru
- Wattle is an affordable option. Fits organically into the natural landscape. To make plant branches bend better during production, they can first be soaked in hot water.
Wattle for plantings Source pxhere.com
- Wooden boxes.
Tall wooden structure Source happydiysite.com
- Decorative fencing made from sawn logs.
- An inexpensive, reliable way is galvanized sheets of metal. They bend easily and are durable.
- Fences made of wild stone are a reliable natural decor for a beautiful garden bed.
They make borders from other available materials: tiles, plastic, glass bottles. In departments of goods for gardening and vegetable gardens, special garden borders are sold in the form of plastic tapes with pegs.
Geometric vegetable gardens
Divide your garden beds into several segments that form geometric patterns in the designated area. This can be either a combination of strict polygons, circles, or more complex figures, up to ornaments or curvilinear compositions. Plant plants inside each segment so that they, in turn, create expressive compositions. Alternate plantings with different shades of the ground part, plants of different heights.
Such vegetable gardens can exist in the form of ordinary and bulk beds. They are given additional expressiveness by beautiful borders or prestigious fencing materials for high beds (stone, metal). Wooden beds can be decorated with carved elements or paintings. Often such vegetable gardens are decorated with garden sculptures, and beautiful walking paths are arranged between the patterned beds.
Geometric plantings with trimmed hedges in the form of a fence for each segment look solemn. Such vegetable gardens will fit perfectly into a regular landscape style. As a living fence, you can use dense plantings of flowers, curly parsley, thin-leaved or rejected tagetes.
Proper placement of beds on the site: 5 nuances you need to know about
Place the garden in a well-lit area, with the expectation that it will receive less shadow from nearby buildings.
The correct direction of the beds Source ogorod-sad.com
- When oriented to the cardinal points, it is preferable to choose areas in the south, southeast direction.
- Width, length of the bed. Optimal parameters allow you to process plants without entering the territory. They recommend a width from 60 cm to 100 cm, the length depends on the area of the garden and landscape design. The width of the tracks is 45-50 cm.
There are other methods of growing crops, for example, “Mitlider beds” with a width of 45 cm and a path of 90 cm.
- The height of the bed depends on the quality of the soil and preferences. Varies from 20 cm to 70-80 cm. On sandy soils it is better to make raised ones (30-40 cm); for clay soils, high containers are suitable. “Smart beds” are popular among gardeners; the soil in them is made according to a special layering scheme: drainage from branches; straw or dry grass, foliage; compost; top layer of earth.
- It is necessary to take into account the rules of agriculture. Plants must be compatible. Take into account the rules of crop rotation.
Mulching as an important stage of preparation Source bankfs.ru
- Please note that weeds are prevented from appearing: edges of beds, equipped paths, mulching the soil with straw, tree bark, and grass.
These rules will help you organize the life of your beds more efficiently and have fewer problems with weeds.
A vegetable garden can really be beautiful and bring a decent harvest if the rules of agriculture are followed in combination with the aesthetics of designing the beds.
Lawn grass design ideas
A carpet of lawn grass is not only a beautiful design for the area. It performs several practical functions: it prevents soil erosion, dust formation, and the spread of weeds. It's nice to walk on it barefoot.
Lawn design of a site with beds Source ogorod.mirtesen.ru
Keyhole garden
A round raised bed with a compost bin in, and here you will find a detailed description of this type of vegetable garden. A beautiful fence makes the garden bed look very presentable, and the presence of a compost bin makes it easy to dispose of kitchen waste. This is another type of decorative planting that is convenient to place near the kitchen.
The vegetable garden got its name because of the peculiar view from above, in which a round compost bin on top and a triangular path to it make the garden look like a classic well for a mechanical lock.
To give such a garden a more picturesque look, decorative flowers are planted around the perimeter. You can also make double walls of the fence or place containers with flowers on a high border so as not to select compatible garden and flower crops.
BONUS: 5 super ideas and non-standard solutions
Decorating a vegetable garden is not only a useful activity, but also an exciting creative process. If you use your imagination and use your imagination, you can create an exclusive garden composition. A large number of improvised means and old things are used as decoration and small architectural forms.
DIY scarecrow Source eco-d-eco.ru
Children are often involved in this work. Children especially like to dress up the garden scarecrow. It scares away birds and serves as a decoration for the area.
Beautiful design of a small vegetable garden Source diz-cafe.com
Organization of watering
In addition to soil composition and good lighting, vegetable crops need moisture. Depending on the region where the summer cottage is located, care must be taken to properly organize the irrigation of the garden.
There must be a water reserve on the site - a water supply system, a well, barrels of water.
You can choose the watering method according to your taste - using a hose or a drip irrigation system.
Important! The presence of groundwater near the surface (a little more than half a meter) will require the design of a drainage system to remove excess moisture.
