Tim W wrote:
Being a total novice doesn't stop me from wanting to question all the
established wisdom of gardening. Every book, manual and seed packet
has the instruction to plant in rows. What is the point of that? It
sounds like agricultural practice to me and I can't see why it should
apply to my little 8' x 4' beds. Couldn't I plant a sort of patch of
carrots and a patch of lettuces and use the small space more
efficiently and not have strips to weed between the rows?

You don't need to plant in rows. See if you can get hold of "Square Foot
Gardener" or look for the website for ideas. This is my first year
gardening, and I've got two 1m x 3m raised beds, each divided into squares,
each with different crops.

--
Linz
Wet Yorks via Cambridge, York, London and Watford
My accent may vary