How to orient plant rows for solar efficiency and where to plant them?

Hi Everyone!

I have a 10x10m (33x33 feet) lot on an eastern slope with a very gentle grade. The direction of the long axis of the garden beds and micro swales  is roughly south to north. (Edit: The footpaths and swales are on contour.) I get sun in the morning from the east and at noon directly from up above, from the south, and in the afternoon, the hill blocks the Sun from the west.

I want to copy the edge of a forest where shorter plants are at the front (south) and taller ones are at the back (north) so that they don't cast shade on the small ones. Since the garden slopes to the east, the shorter plants can be on the lower eastern side and taller ones on the higher western side as well. Or maybe the sout-north, east-west axises can be combined and the shortest plants can be on the southeastern side and the tall ones on the northwestern side of the garden.

The tallest plants I will be planting are Chinese Yam - Dioscorea batatas which will climb on a 2-2.2 m tall (or maybe even taller than that) trellises. Some of the Yam will be grown for it's aerial tubers/"Yamberries" (I won't dig the roots up), and some for their roots (the roots' growth will be directed as much as possible in a horizontal direction with wooden planks placed under them at an angle which deviate very slightly from the horizontal).

I will mostly grow Yam and plant them in rows.
I have attached a map of my garden.
How should I orient the Yam rows for solar efficiency and where in the garden should I plant them?

It sounds like you are on the right path!

Go for it!

Anne Miller wrote:It sounds like you are on the right path!

Go for it!

So you think I should do this?  

"shortest plants can be on the southeastern side and the tall ones on the northwestern side of the garden."

I further looked into this topic and I found people suggesting that the long axis of a rectangular garden bed should be oriented south to north.
How does slope (in my case eastern) influence garden bed orientation?

I read the same information when I started gardening. So I set up my garden that way.  The paths were straight down the slope. I lost lots of rainwater that way, and erosion was a thing.

Permaculture taught me about swales and catching to sink the water. Most of my garden is now set up with paths, on contour, that are dug about 5 inches deep. In thunderstorm weather, they catch the rain.Then it seeps underground, watering each bed on its way down hill. In my situation, the beds happen to be precisely east to west. I only have to water my garden in July and August. Most folk in my area water several times each week all summer.

And wouldn't you know it, my garden grows and produces food, while set up “wrong”. Whatever compass direction your contour is, that is how I would chose your garden length. You and I just have to pay more attention to the plant height in adjacent beds.

Whatever compass direction your contour is, that is how I would chose your garden length.

I don't understand this. How does contour direction influence garden length? By "length", do you mean the direction of the long axis of the hypothetical rectangular garden beds?

The direction of the contour lines on my lot are roughly S-N, which is how I set up my garden beds. The footpaths are on contour so that they hold water. My microswales are on contour as well and all the rest of the area in the upper half of the lot consists of the garden beds, which are irregularly shaped.

Do I plant rows of plants in the garden beds in the  S-N direction?

You are missing one other major piece of information, I would say, as someone from windy Wyoming.  What is your prevailing wind directions during the time when the garden is growing?

heat and sunlight intensity would be another issue.  Here to help keep them from wilting down the goal would be to have them shaded a bit in the late day sun as our hot days will wilt them many days late day.

I don't understand this. How does contour direction influence garden length? By "length", do you mean the direction of the long axis of the hypothetical rectangular garden beds?

My garden beds run north and south. The rows of vegetables run the same direction.