best design for raised beds

i've decided to organize my garden with raised beds but i'm having trouble finding the best "design" for them

this is what i've managed to come up with




or maybe this









the dimensions of one frame are 4m/2m (without the edge that's missing) , the height is 10cm (i dont need more cause my soil is very sandy so drainage isn't a problem , i just want everything to be organized, and the path is 50cm (if i put grass on that , will i be able to mow it ? i dont own a lawn mower  and i have no idea if 50cm is enough space for it)

my garden is almost 4 times bigger then the pictures above so that would mean a LOT of raised beds

i would be very grateful for any ideas or advice

I seem to be banging on a bit lately about the...challenges...of raised beds.
I can't help myself apparently!
My place is extremely sandy and in my climate, warming the soil is not an issue.
Raised beds made moisture-retention (or lack thereof) a real problem. Didn't matter how much compost, mulch, etc I used, my gardens got very dry.
They are now at, or even slightly below ground-level, and water is not nearly such an issue.
BTW, I'm not pushing an ideology that raised beds are a bad thing in themselves, I just know I've spent a lot of time undoing a lot of work because they are inappropriate  in my environment.
Actually, I just realised I might have already given you this spiel!
Many apologies.

I added this post to my previous one.

i haven't thought about that , but at least for the first year or 2 these wont technically be raised  beds , more like wooden frames , cause i didnt have enough soil to fill them up

k9 wrote:
for the first year or 2 these wont technically be raised  beds , more like wooden frames , cause i didnt have enough soil to fill them up

what s with digging a pond???
or using the rich soil from the pathways to level up the beds.

auer wrote:
what s with digging a pond???
or using the rich soil from the pathways to level up the beds.

yeal i'll do that but still it wont be enough to fill all of them

they didnot build rome in one day.
with diging out the pathways, the beds rais the double level.

good luck

thanks auer , i'll need it 

Hi

like the plans it would look great  As has been mentioned before you don't "need" raised beds as such because you're on sandy soil but good gardening builds soil. So the borders you want now to delineate the beds will, over time, become raised beds without adding any soil but by adding mulch and manure etc.

2m wide is way to wide though, 4feet maximum otherwise you have to walk on the soil to tend the beds which defeats the whole object. The beds can be as long as you like but for me about 14 feet long works well - any longer and I cant be bothered walking around and start jumping over !!!

50 cm paths are narrow ........ well I've got big feet  but I reckon it would be narrow for most people 2 feet wide paths for me ... your design does allow for turning/passing places which is good............. try to manoever a barrow around the space without them or getting past that barrow for that matter..

No one ever allows for sitting down space either, but a garden is made for contemplating as well as working and a handy bench or space for a chair  makes all the difference to a day in the garden 

good luck with the project and have fun 
Roger

hi roger

unfortunately some of the beds are going to be 4m/4m and some 4m/2m , and that's because if i would make them smaller then i would have to make a lot more of them , but i'll use a board instead of walking directly on the soil (also sandy soil doesn't compact that much )

well 50cm paths are probably going to be in most spaces but not all of them

also i'm hoping the paths are going to be use by the 3 dogs instead of walking all over my plants ( with the cats i have no problems , they only nibble on the catnip

and dont worry i didnt forget about a seating area , i'll also try to make grass chairs like Titchmarsh did 

Hello k9,

What's on the site already ?

Where's the house or the area where you'll enter the garden from most ?

Is it really important to you to have all the beds regular (I know some people really like that sort of thing) or could some be up and some down - like empty ponds that you can fill with organic stuff as you find it or as your garden grows ? 

Listen to Leila, I too have sandy soil and you have to take time to experiment and fill your land with anything and everything that will hold water.

Hi

hmmm i know what you mean about fewer larger beds being less expense and sympathise - I seem always to have to cut plans to fit a meagre wallet  Still the mother of invention and all that 

Before you cut turf and build anything try marking out the beds first and get a feel of the space you create. Builders merchants have marker paint in spray cans that make it really easy. Cut the grass short first then spray mark out your plans.

Larger beds are fine for permanent  stuff like fruit bushes etc but for beds that will need tending it really is soooo much easier if you can easily reach from the path.

Some of my raised beds are still waiting for edges - that thin wallet again - and they're just banked up. On your soil I'd be tempted to just have grass paths and no edge to the borders which makes it cheap and frees up your options.

really jealous of the turf seat always wanted one - post a pic when you've done it 

R 

hi Irene , i'll post a few pics tomorrow , although everything looks like a building site

they wont all be the same size , i;ve already started making them and there will definetly be "great diversity" between them

i already added and will add a lot more horse manure mixed with a lot of hay , hopefully that will improve the soil a bit

@roger

yup the meager wallet is something that i really need to take in consideration


i'll definitely post a pic when i finish the grass chair , although it might not look as good as i imagine

i dont really have any grass to cut cause i already dug up the entire space , i'll have to sow grass seeds on the path

thanks guys for the help