 Hi, I'm Shane Harris with Alabama Carbon Extension System. You've got that raised bed garden you've always been wanting to put in. Now you've got to think about planting that raised bed. But planting a raised bed is a little bit different than the traditional field or row garden. You don't need any equipment to plant this garden. And the spacing and the technique is a little different than traditional gardening. Let's take a moment and talk about planting the raised bed. With raised bed gardening, we're wanting to plant them on a block planting design and unlike the traditional three foot rows. The row gardening has a lot of space that is wasted. In a raised bed gardening, we're not wanting to waste any space. For example, large crops such as tomatoes or squash will need to be on 24 inch centers. Whereas things like cabbage, potatoes or corn are spaced about a foot apart. Smaller vegetables such as beans, peas or onions are usually around 4 to 6 inches apart. Let's use this illustration to explain the planting techniques for the raised bed. All spacing is based on a one foot square design. In a one foot square spacing, you can get 32 plants. This will be appropriate for corn, lettuce, Irish potatoes, even okra. For larger plants such as cabbage, broccoli, peppers and even collards, 18 inch spacing is typically used. Our much larger vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and eggplant require two foot spacing. Many of the vegetables require only 6 inch spacing. This would include beans, peas and especially carrots, onions and even smaller spaces for turnips or radishes. That's a lot of plants in a raised bed. Using the blot technique in a raised bed, there are multiple combinations and planting designs that you can use. The idea is to maximize all available space so that every foot of space has a plant in it. Remember that dense planting techniques result in higher production per square foot in the garden. Hopefully, more production will equal success and a delicious harvest. For more information on raised bed gardening, contact your local county extension office or visit us online at acis.edu.