Axis of Raised Garden Bed Boxes

Question

My question is simply a request to clarify what is meant when the article says “Try to place the beds facing north to south to take full advantage of the sun. ” Does this mean to orient the long axis of the beds north and south; or does it mean to orient the long axis of the beds east and west?

Answer 1

A north-south orientation is best for growing low growing plants, allowing sunlight to reach both sides of the beds. Beds that contain taller plants do better on an east-west axis. However, as long as the raised garden bed gets a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight and plants don’t shade each other out, it really doesn’t matter either way. North to south facing simply implies that the beds (or plants) are situated from the shadiest part (north) down to the sunniest area (south), which prevents them from shading out one another.