When planting a vegetable garden, should the rows run north to south or east to west?

triviapaul

"Now that you have decided on the location, which crops and how many plants you are going to grow, it's time decide where they best fit in the garden. The tall crops such as peas, beans and corn, should be planted on the north side of the vegetable garden. In this way they will not shade the rest of the vegetable crops. In the center of the vegetable garden area, plant the medium sized crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins and other mediums sized crops. Then at the very southern end of the garden is where the low growing crops like radishes, carrots, beets, lettuce, onions and other low growing ones are planted. Whenever possible, I think the rows in the vegetable garden should run north and south, for best sun exposure and air circulation. If the rows run east and west the first row tends to shade the second row, the second row the third and so forth..." http://www.humeseeds.com/vegplan.htm "Tall-growing crops should be planted where they will not shade or interfere with the growth of smaller crops. There seems to be little choice as to whether the rows do or do not run in a general east-and-west or in a general north-and-south direction, but they should conform to the contours of the land." http://www.hoptechno.com/book26.htm May 09 08, 5:41 PM

triviapaul

It doesn't seem to matter very much. Traditionally, vegetable plots are east-west, with the rows running north-south, small veggies (radishes etc) in front, medium sized veggies (cabbage) in the middle and large veggies (beans) in the back (north). "17. Q. Should the rows in my vegetable garden run east and west or north and south or does it make a difference? A. The slope of the land determines which way the rows run in your garden. Wherever the garden soil is not level, rows should run across the slope to reduce soil washing and erosion. Otherwise, direction of garden rows is not important. http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/vegetables/non-crop.html May 09 08, 5:46 PM

1cyprus

Another major factor is that you need to rotate your crops to prevent disease and deficiencies in the soil. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1200/crop_rotation.asp May 09 08, 11:25 PM

eastft

Professional greenhouses "always" plant rows north-south to take full advantage of the morning and afternoon sun. North south give better spread of sun over the beds as it passes over from side to side. As the sun travels from east to west, the plants aren't shaded by those on either side. But remember, too, that in Southern Hemisphere, the sun always stays in the Northern sky as it moves east-to-west, so if you put your short plants at the Northern end, they aren't shaded by taller plants to the south (in southern hemisphere). In winter, the south wall is often solid & insulated (in southern hemisphere). Aug 15 10, 3:14 PM