Table of Contents
🪴 Garden Bed Layouts (2026 Season)
This page contains all garden bed layouts for the 2026 growing season in Sanford, NC (Zone 7b/8a). Each bed includes spacing, varieties, and ASCII diagrams that render cleanly inside DokuWiki.
Use this as your baseline each year and add notes on what worked best.
📘 Index
🍅 Tomato Bed A — Indeterminate / Vertical Rope System
(Varieties: Mountain Magic ×2, Tropic ×2, Roma VF ×4, + Optional: Mortgage Lifter, Independence Day)
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BED A — 4×8 — Indeterminate / Vertical Rope System
← North (Back Row)
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | | | [Roma VF] [Roma VF] [Roma VF] [Roma VF] [MortgageL] | | | |---------------------------------------------------------| | | | [Mountain Magic] [Mountain Magic] [Tropic] [Tropic] | | [Independence Day]* (optional early plant) | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
* Independence Day can be added at the corner or grown in a container.
Spacing
24" between plants 18" between rows
Trellising
Full-length 8 ft top bar 1 vertical string per plant Weekly figure-8 wrapping Prune indeterminates normally; prune Roma lightly
🍅 Tomato Bed B — Determinate Slicers (NC Winners)
(Varieties: Mountain Fresh Plus ×2, Amelia ×2, Mountain Merit ×4)
BED B — 4×8 — Determinate Slicers (NC Winners)
← North (Back Row)
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | | | [Mountain Merit] [Mountain Merit] [Mountain Merit] | | [Mountain Merit] | | | |---------------------------------------------------------| | | | [Mountain Fresh+] [Mountain Fresh+] [Amelia F1] | | [Amelia F1] | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
Spacing 20–24“ between plants 18” between rows
Support 3–4 horizontal twine levels Shorter vertical strings
🌶️ Pepper Bed — Sweet Bells & Jalapeños (4×8)
Total Plants: 12 (2 rows × 6 plants)
Optionally add Big Red if you want a 13th bonus plant in a container or corner.
PEPPER BED — 4×8 — Sweet Bells & Jalapeños (12 plants)
← North (Back Row)
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | | | [Red Knight] [Red Knight] [King Arthur] [King Arthur] | | [Big Bertha] [Big Bertha] | | | |---------------------------------------------------------| | | | [Sweet Banana] [Sweet Banana] [Cal. Wonder 300] | | [Cal. Wonder] [Jalafuego] [Jalafuego] | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
Spacing 18“ between plants 24” between rows
Notes Stake peppers early Banana + Big Bertha grow large → strong support needed Big Red can replace any bell variety if desired
🧅 Onion Bed — Red Creole & Granex Yellow (4×8)
(Varieties: Red Creole × ~50–60, Granex Yellow × ~50–60)
ONION BED — 4×8 — Red Creole & Granex Yellow
← North (Back Row)
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | [RedCreole] [RedCreole] [RedCreole] [RedCreole] | | [RedCreole] [RedCreole] [RedCreole] [RedCreole] | | | |---------------------------------------------------------| | | | [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] | | [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] [Granex] | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
Spacing 4–6“ between onions 12–18” between rows
Notes Start indoors in January Transplant outdoors Feb 20–Mar 15 Trim greens lightly to encourage bulb size
🌾 Odds & Ends Bed — Broccoli (Spring) → Okra (Summer)
(Spring crop: Broccoli transplants from nursery) (Summer crop: Okra direct-sown or nursery plants)
ODDS & ENDS BED — 4×8 — Broccoli → Okra Successions
← North (Back Row)
SPRING (March–May)
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | [Broccoli] [Broccoli] [Broccoli] [Broccoli] | | [Broccoli] [Broccoli] [Broccoli] [Broccoli] | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
SUMMER (June–October)
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | [Okra] [Okra] [Okra] [Okra] [Okra] [Okra] | | (Space ~12–18" apart; grows tall) | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
Notes
Broccoli: plant March 10–25 (cool season)
Remove broccoli in late May → replace with okra
Okra thrives in heavy NC summer rain & heat
Option: bush beans may replace broccoli if okra not desired
🟩 Squash Bed — Zucchini & Yellow Squash (4×8)
ZUCCHINI & YELLOW SQUASH — 4×8 BED
+------------------------- 8 ft -------------------------+ | | | [Dunja Zucchini] [Dunja Zucchini] | | | |---------------------------------------------------------| | | | [Multipik Yellow] [Multipik Yellow] | | | +---------------------------------------------------------+
Spacing 36–40“ between plants
Training Vertical trellis once 12–18” tall
🥒 Cucumber Trellis — Bed Edges
CUCUMBERS — Ramp Trellis (2 Bed Edges)
Round 1 — April 20 – May 10
- Diva × 2
- County Fair Improved × 2
- Long Green Improved × 1 (new)
Round 2 — July 10 – 20
- Replant Diva × 2
- Replant County Fair × 2
- Optional: Long Green Improved × 1
Notes
Depth: ½–¾" Train onto ramp trellis immediately Keep lower 8–10" pruned for airflow