Welp, I'm going to bug ya all with another question....I spent some time today figuring out where I'm going to plant everything in the garden and trying to get the most from it. The garden is on a pretty good sloped yard, garden is 60 ft downhill and 17 feet across. I've raked the dirt into raised beds that are a foot or so higher, going crossways. They kind of look like tall stairs going down the hill. Here's the question...The beds are just dirt mounted into rows, flatened on top for planting the main crops, but it leaves alot of good exposed dirt on the sides of these beds. I hate to waste that much good dirt. Could I plant onions there? Would it screw an onion up if I put it in the side of the bed, as in the onion would be facing out but the stem might grow upward? Beans? I'm giving the onions and beans their own rows in the garden, but would like to plant more and thought I could utilize this extra dirt. Whatcha think?

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), March 01, 2002

Answers

yes you can plant onthe sides of the beds, that is one of the advantages of raised beds when you don't use timbers or such to box in the beds. We have over a hundred and no boxes or forms just hilled up soil with walkways between the beds. We plant lettice, radishes all kinds of small plants on the edge of the beds. Even grow plants that are companion plants to the main ones in the bed, flowers and herbs that either are benifical or deter insects for that certain main crop plant.

-- David in North Al. (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), March 01, 2002.