05/27/2026
Four raised beds, 128 square feet total. Every plant has a job — nitrogen-fixing, pest-deterring, soil-breaking, or pollinator-attracting.
Bed 1 — tomato system. Four staked tomatoes down the center. Basil within twelve inches of every stem. French marigolds at every corner. Lettuce as living mulch underneath. No peppers in this bed — same family, shared diseases.
Bed 2 — pepper system. Sweet peppers in the center with bush beans flanking them. Beans fix nitrogen in the soil, feeding heavy-feeding peppers all season. Onions along both edges. One rule: sweet or hot in this bed, not both. Cross-pollination won't change this year's fruit, but saved seeds grow hot next year.
Bed 3 — cool season. Broccoli and cabbage grouped together so one row cover protects them all. Beets along one edge. Kale at the corners. Dill at both ends — let it flower to attract beneficial wasps. Spring crops come out by June, replant the same bed with fall brassicas in July.
Bed 4 — vine and vertical. Trellis along the back. Cucumbers and pole beans climb it, tripling the growing surface. Summer squash spreads forward. Nasturtium trails along the front edge as a trap crop — aphids choose nasturtium over vegetables.
Strawberries get their own dedicated bed or containers. Runners invade shared beds within one season.
Four beds. Every plant earning its space 🌱
