I live almost smack dab in the center of Texas in zone 8A. I'm putting in raised beds this year and I am fairly new to Texas and haven't had much of a garden so far. My dumb question is: Should my beds run north-south or east-west? If I plant asparagus, which way should the bed run? Also I am building a small greenhouse. Does it matter which way the door faces (shelves will be adjacent to the door)?
thanks.
which direction should raised beds face?
Not a dumb question if you don't know the answer.
If they were mine, I'd build the beds north-south on the theory that since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, you'd maximize your sun exposure. That is assuming that your beds will be rectangular with the long axis running in the N-S direction.
As to where the door in a greenhouse should be set, that may depend more on the size and location of your structure and other factors such as the proposed total size/square footage, easy ingress/egress, prevailing winds for the majority of the year, lay of the land, etc.
Steve
My beds are 4 X 4. The sun hits my garden from a mostly southern or SW direction. I find that I plant the tallest veggies on the north side of the box so they dont shade the shorter ones unless as with lettuce, I want them to be shaded. My asparagus bed is also 4X4. I have two rows of 4X4 boxes and the asparagus is planted on the most northern box. I have wind protection from the North by the neighbor's garage so my situation may too different from yours. I believe GymGirl runs her raised beds North to South. Just think about where the sun is for you, what you intend to plant, how tall it is and plan accordingly.
I would definitely open the green house to the South. Otherwise each time you open the door, a cold North wind will follow you in and cool things down.
I believe most people run rows N > S.
Thanks for your suggestions. They will help a lot.