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Laying out a new veg patch
I am setting aside part of our quite large garden for vegetables. The area will be roughly 10m by 5m (33 x 16ft), backed by a high wall which faces south. How should I lay this area out?
The wall will be perfect for fruit. You could plant three trees including nectarine, peach, apricot, fig or pear. Go for fan trained specimens or develop your own. I’d have a narrow border along that wall and front it with herbs. Grow speedy crops behind the herbs such as lettuces, radish, rocket and other salad greens.
Put a path along the wall bed for access to the main growing zone, south of the path. To make things easier, I’d consider installing raised beds.
That way, you’ll have more control over soil types and could arrange fleece covers or protective netting more easily.
If you decide to grow in the ground instead, arrange planting rows to run from north to south for maximum sun and make semi-permanent paths so the beds are easy to reach.
Make sure you rotate your crops to minimise disease and plan with care to make full use of the space.

