Norms are set for many things in life, and garden beds are no different. A standard bed is 1.20 meters wide. Of course, this is not ideal for everyone, but it is useful for the garden accessories industry.
Garden beds are often 1.20 m wide
For example, if you want to buy weed fleece (€21.70), you can usually find it in stores in a width of 1.20 m. If your beds have other dimensions, then you have to laboriously cut the fleece to size. But that shouldn't stop you from choosing a bed width that you can comfortably maintain.
How wide should vegetable beds be?
Your height is decisive for the optimal bed width in the vegetable garden. If several people work in the garden, then orientate yourself to the person who does most of the gardening work or to the smallest person. You should be able to work comfortably without spraining or cramping.
To find the right balance, crouch on the ground and stretch out your working hand. Mark the point on the ground in front of you that you can still reach comfortably. This is the later middle of the bed, where you still want to work without problems. Measure the distance between this point and your feet. Double this measurement, the result is the optimum bed width for you.
How wide should flower beds be?
Although flower beds should also be easy to care for, the width is not as important as in the vegetable garden. Here, the appearance and selection of plants is usually more important than convenience. Curved lines and different bed widths appear looser and often more harmonious.
If you have planted ground cover or covered your bed with bark mulch, you rarely have to step on it to pull weeds and it can be as wide as you like. You might want to put some stepping stones so you don't leave a mark when you step on them and set some accents.
The essentials in brief:
- Vegetable beds: easily accessible to the middle
- Flower beds: possibly shorten larger distances with stepping stones
- a fleece cover is planned: 1.20 m wide
tips
More important than any norms and/or rules is that you can tend your beds comfortably and without dislocation.