Where I should put new raised beds?

Where would you build it? Feel free to leave a comment, and also consider participating in the poll (see recent community post), to see what others think also. / @canadianpermaculturel...
I thought it would be fun to share some thoughts that I go through when deciding where to put new beds in my garden. I will take a walkaround tour of the backyard showing potential spots, and showing plants and guilds as we go by them.
Then you try to think... where would you put these beds if it were you? Also, are there any things I didn't discuss that you consider when making these decisions? Let us know!
Some things I didn't discuss, but will add here:
Water. I didn't discuss this because access to water is fairly easy at all 5 sites. Site 1 has close proximity to the artesian well overflow where I have a solar sump pump located. Site 2, same thing. Site 3, is mid way between the artesian well overflow and the pond, for easy access to both sources. Site 4 is right next to the pond, for really easy high-nutrient water. Site 5 is relatively close to the pond, but there is also an outdoor faucet there (which feeds from a well, not city water).
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[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Sorry to anyone who posted a comment on the previous upload. I ended up shooting and splicing in some drone footage to improve the video, and re-uploaded it.

[@evelynroberts2501]

I like 4 and 5. I can see the beds in a U shape kind of around the hot tub area. It's cose to the kitchen and you could incorporate tall vines to hide the hot tub.

[@sangha1486]

IMO, the closer to the kitchen, the better. I go with 4 or 5.

[@juliehorney995]

Option 5 by the kitchen for sure! And totally revamp area 4 since it's right by your gorgeous home and viewing deck of the pond. Clear out area 4 including the hot tub; reserve prized/showy plants for a more organized bed where you can see each plant (e.g. roses!). Build new landscape-style, curved in-ground beds along the house with a dining and entertainment/classroom space. Shade sails over the seating area or a pergola. Worth the work IMHO. You'll live out there all summer long. ;)

[@nessidoe8080]

I want to second this comment. You've already decided to not use the hottub anymore, so use the energy from wanting to find a place for the raised beds to get rid of that too. It's a kind of "stacking" your efforts

[@LongboatAline]

Yes, please! My thoughts on 4 were "what a waste of a georgeous space". The slope towards the deck would be perfect for whatever you want to watch or reach out to snack from, the "ugly" trellis is just a little bit underused, and the raised beds are just what the kitchen needs. I wouldn't wall the area off as a parking space entirely, but arrange so you get a kitchen "yard" with an exit to the garden for a quick pre-cooking harvest of herbs and spices, possibly together with a little preparation area where the harvest from the garden can be cleaned and chopped if the weather allows, and a rain-proofed shelf for some related tools (secateurs/ basket, you name it).

[@pixelrancher]

4 and/or 5. Kitchen garden. Lots of herbs. Mollison said you should be able to get to your kitchen/herb garden in your fuzzy slippers without them getting wet from the morning dew.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's an awesome quote, and so true

[@annburge291]

Have you seen a video of his own garden... there was food all over the place and he walked around in gum boots.

[@pixelrancher]

@@annburge291 Yes I did. I believe he was just talking about where to put an herb spiral not his entire food forest/main garden.

[@annburge291]

@@pixelrancher He was a bit of a teaser. Australians tend to wear ugg boots, in the house and they get wrecked walking through dewy grass. As you know, he was all into efficiency so it was his way of saying make it super close... like just lean out from your verandah.

[@pixelrancher]

@@annburge291 If I remember correctly, this was on one of his videos for a PDC taught by him and Geoff Lawton in the States. I believe that's why he used "fuzzy slippers" in this PDC. He was explaining the concept of Zones, with Zone 0 being the house or village with emphasis on good house design, greenhouses/shadehouses, the integration of living components and companion animals, and was making the point of herbs and a kitchen garden needing to be as close to the kitchen door as possible or it would suffer from neglect. He describes Zone 1 as: "Those components needing continual observation, frequent visits, work input, complex techniques (fully-mulched and pruned gardens, chicken laying boxes, parsley and culinary herbs) should be placed very close to hand, or we waste a great deal of time and energy visiting them. Within 6 m (20 feet) or so of a home, householders can produce most of the food necessary to existence, with some modest trade requirements. In this home garden are the seedlings, young trees for outer zone placement, perhaps "mother plants" for cuttings, rare and delicate species, the small domestic and quiet animals such as fish, rabbits, pigeons, guinea pigs, and the culinary herbs used in food preparation. Rainwater catchment tanks are also placed here. Techniques include complete mulching, intensive pruning of trees, annuals with fast replacement of crop, full land use, and nutrient recycling of household wastes. In this zone, we arrange nature to serve our needs."

[@garrettpeters3438]

Keep your access to dumping mulch and compost, that is the most important thing!

[@annburge291]

Certainly agree with this comment. Sun access is critical. I'd have herbs close to the house, but not necessarily the annual garden beds because they are rather messy looking for part of the year and they can attract rodents. Your present beds are working well so I would add on to this area. If you want to influence the neighbours, you place some show beds visible from the road even if they are less convenient for you. My approach in my garden is have everything the least efficient possible as a way of resilience against people jumping the fence and animals helping themselves. I'd paint your trellis a very dark colour, a very dark yellow that seems black. This way your house will seem to float and the trellis will hide in the shadows and be a background to highlight the plants in front of it.

[@peaceofearth]

Release the hot tub and put the beds there... Beautify that area so that you love it! Close to the house/kitchen is great for herbs and greens! Thanks so much for all you do and share- love you guys!

[@JoelKSullivan]

I think 5 might be the best. Good sun, close to the kitchen and mulch pile. Also, it's on the way to the other garden beds

[@RayMirshahi]

Option 5: Seems relatively flat and a short walk away from the kitchen. Good luck.

[@sharonknorr1106]

You might want to put one bed in the lower sun area and plant it with stuff that doesn't like the hot sun - greens, peas, etc. Then another bed or two in a higher sun area. Closer to house is always nice, but want to leave room for a play area/dogs an equipment access. The pond is looking lovely and the sea buckthorn are amazing!

[@peterroberts999]

4a for sure, turn the area you don't like into something special and productive, eliminate the ongoing difficulty and energy of mowing the hilly bit by swapping for wildflowers, and good kitchen access. Maintaining access for mulch dumps too. How about cleaning out the hot tub and using it to store rainwater from that side of the house so you can use it to irrigate the beds if needed?

[@joeblow812]

I’ll repeat my comment from the last video just in case you didn’t see them or save them. I would put one or two of them right outside the kitchen. I’d place the rest in option two. That would not only provide food, but also be somewhere to anchor the netting, which would be a benefit to the chickens.

[@johnransom1146]

I’d put it near your kitchen with herbs and frequently used plants. Edible flowers for garnish. Cherry tomatoes.

[@dgraham4966]

I suggest option 4 due to good light & convenience close to the house. It might make the bad unused space better. You may be able to raise up the bottom of the slope rather than dig in the tops. (Or a combo of two.) Also, poll the kids and wife because ultimately you all will be the ones to use it. :) Good luck!

[@jcriverside]

Opt 4 or 5 or both - proximity to kitchen & beautification seems like a good choice & won't interfere wtih mulch collection. Behind the chickens seems like it could be a cool secret garden area. Or, do some sort of beautiful greenhouse in area 4 or 5? Excited to see what you decide.

[@julie-annepineau4022]

I would go for 4 or 5. Five seems like it would be perfect for growing hot season crops with the protection from the north and the concrete being a heat sink to regulate the temperatures to keep things going longer in our short season. Plus zone 1 and easily seen from the house. You might even be able to keep rosemary and figs going thru the winter in those beds with a deep mulch or a cover to insulate. You could also turn the hot tub into a garden bed if you can get the connections off to allow for drainage.

[@JeffDeleske]

I would do option 4 and also, I would make the hot tub a raise bed

[@halina2362]

Option 5 as it’s closer to the kitchen and would act as a border to the concrete pad.

[@arfaabbas]

beAuTiFuL 💜

[@LittleKi1]

4 or 5. Plant sunflowers and cheer that side of the house up!

[@GimmeADream]

Option 4 seems like a good one to me.

[@liftoffthecouch]

4 just needs something done with it regardless. I think it would give you a good challenge to work on. You could change it from a weird empty patch to a lovely productive space, right between the pond and the kitchen.

[@weasel775]

First, Love the channel. I am experimenting with my own food forest in almost the same USDA zone as you are but in Central Europe(so a bit dryer) and it’s really fun to see differences and similarities. About the raised beds: My 2 Cents: Option 1 - I found having good access to bring materials is really important. I blocked some paths and it’s a mistake hard to fix after the plants are established Option 2 - the only real concern are the raspberries. They don’t care about raised borders. They will just spread in the beds and I would not like to weed them out. Option 3 - The sun being blocked in midday can be a good thing if you want leafy greens. But it’s a hindrance for sun loving plants. So I guess it depends on what you want to grow. Maybe having some beds with a different microclimate will be interesting. I also prepared a partial-shade small raised bed this year to test this out. Option 4 - Would be my Go to option. Good proximity for aromatics, or fruits, or anything that you would want close to constant human presence. The reflected head from the house might also help in raising the zone a little bit. I would put in the effort to terrace it a bit but that’s just my aesthetic preference(and also I would get some material to fill them that way). Option 5 - a bit too close to car traffic for edible stuff. Would work for support plants though. Pollinator attractors or biomass accumulators too mulch somewhere else with.

[@arborday33]

4. I'd personally want to place them perpendicular to your deck fascia boards. It's not worth trying to obfuscate the lattice with annuals. I'd do a lazy terrace to keep them level and mulch the walkways so you never have to mow there again. Then when you inevitably get rid of the hot tub you can continue expanding back towards your steps in rows.

[@NitaP1569]

Pull out the unused hot tub and convert into a garden. Or option 4 or 5, close to the kitchen

[@leoscheibelhut940]

I think the spot closest to the kitchen is best.

[@pk_paleo_girl4391]

I would go with #2. It's close to compost pile and easy to give scraps to chickens. Or, Option #4, but under the condition of getting rid of the hottub. That would give you the flat space your looking for. Happy planning.❤

[@katiedodds8045]

I like option 4 :)

[@basilsmith62]

Отличное вовлечение аудитории на канале!;) Ох, уж этот "коварный Никто"%) (шутка:) Если бы я ставил эти грядки, то выбрал п.4 для трав (кухонный огород), и продолжил на п.3 для менее уходных культур. Это было бы и функционально, и глаз радовало:)

[@rahneclark1902]

Hi an idea #4 if you want veggies etc here. I saw a raised bed that was cool. It looked like a 🪜 ladder laying down into soil but the slats were level and easy to use for planting. Hope this makes sense. Good luck

[@curtiswiseman3178]

I would choose #4. I would also take the hot tub out to open the area up a bit.

[@growinginportland]

I think placing your new beds near your dedicated annual beds makes the most sense. Keep it all in the same place. Your place is blowing up. Looking good.

[@doinacampean9132]

I think you could fit one bed (or 2, parallel) in option 5, between the stairs and the hot tub. I'd plant herbs (including onion and garlic chives, maybe some walking or bunching onions), hascaps, ground cherries and nasturtiums. Maybe some specialty greens, like claytonia, which is yummy even after it flowers and also reseeds like crazy. (Also, I always miss the first ripe hascap :) ) Maybe you could even use beds which are missing an end, with the hot tub providing that end, if they fit. As for the rest... it depends on what you want to grow in them. The ones missing the end, you could always cut the end at a 45 degree angle and shape them like an L. If you want to grow some asparagus (you can never have too much asparagus), you could always place them more toward the chicken coop - you only harvest for a short window of time. On the other hand, asparagus would go great on the slope, to hide the lattice, and not even requiring a raised bed. One bed would go great in a more shaded area, see if you can extend the season for things that go bolt in the night :) I mean, first day of summer :) One thing though: you need to keep the area of unloading the compost and the wood chips accessible.

[@barbarasimoes9463]

I would probably place the raised beds ON the edge of the pavement beside the lawn in choice 5. I think this would help them from deteriorating further, it's flat and structurally strong. It's also close to the house and lets the other options remain as garden. It's easily accessible and would make an easy delineation between areas. You wouldn't have to worry about trimming tall grass near them, and I think you have just about the length required with perhaps access to the lawn on either side if they are centered, or you could have just one access point in the middle by equally distributing them on either side. I like the idea of having the area between the hot tub and pond become another wildflower area--It would be pretty, less maintenance and give pond critters another place/ecosystem to hang out. You could get some slabs of stone to use as stepping stones if there is a path that you find is used a lot to access the decks, but otherwise, put a nice curve from the serviceberry and persimmon around to the front of the hot tub area...both for a naturalistic look but also for ease of mowing.

[@GrownByHand]

4 or 5

[@vonries]

Option 3 is best for me, but I have to worry about mid-day sun which you said it gets shade in mid-day. However i live in Florida, so you don't have that problem, I'm assuming. I also like that spot because it looked like s place that you send to want to clean up a bit and make more functional, that would apply to you.

[@annburge291]

Are you planning a glass house/ high tunnel in the future? If you are, I would have it near the garage area and then have some onion , herb, edible flower beds between the glass house and the kitchen... A different idea from annual beds.

[@ninemoonplanet]

The hill area that's awkward could be done with the boxes supported by earth or stones, a place where it should be easy to build arches for things like squashes, cucumbers, and herbs below. The area south of the unused hot tub would be a good place for a weeping willow, which has 5 possible uses. Branches, dried for supporting plants, making a wattle fence around the chickens so you don't have a repeat of before, the bark has rooting hormone, the shade will be soft but cut down heat in the summer and the leaves make an excellent quick compost/mulch because the leaves are small. I thought you were going to build a protective fence around the coop, keep predators out. The mesh scares me because all it takes is an animal the size of a coyote to knock it over. Rambling, but suggestions.

[@ninemoonplanet]

You definitely need more early blooming flowers, there are perennials. Yarrow is a great flower for predatory insects, plus native bees, wasps. Something like that.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Unfortunately, the area you mention for the willow is where the septic leach field is. That area has to remain grass Unfortunately.

[@jacklawver4403]

I think you should extend your exsisting garden in the west direction tword ur house that way they are grouped together and part of the garden is closer to your house. The other benefit is being near ur compst and chicken run that way you can easily discard weeds and food scraps as you work your way through the beds from close to ur driveway the West aspect and finish garding near your compost pile on the east aspect. One other aspect to consider is irrigation and if I'm not mistaken you have a artisnal well near the gradens north east aspect something you could tap into. As gardening in raised beds with anuals can belabor intensive I think by far the begist beniffit is having your annual garden all in one place. That way you can save time. If you ever are inclined to fence it in later having it all in one place helps.

[@drekfletch]

Definitely not around the chickens. They'd only add extra terrain to fence around, and a vantage point for predators to try and jump the fence from. I would have them near the pond. If you're going for formal-ish, you could even put one between the hottub and the steps, to decrease the mowing gap.

[@beskamir5977]

I'd go with 4 or 5 and it seems like the other comments agree.

[@gillfastd5963]

Option 4. It's an area you don't like so start converting it to something useful/positive.

[@littlehomesteadbythebeach]

Number 4 : lost space, near water to irrigate, you could do a bit work and add planks on one end to "level" with the ground. So you would have a deeper side and a less deep one.

[@af8828]

If I were you I'd do a whole edible miyawaki experiment haha

[@kevinh6008]

You need to terrace those hills and maybe plant more native plants.

[@MushroomMagpie]

I asked the Earth and it says location number 5 by the house!

[@djmoulton1558]

Why not remove the hot tub if you plan to stay in this house. Then you could use the whole back part of the house for your gardens.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Have tried to get people to pick it up for free. I have actually considered turning it into either a raised soil garden, or a small pond garden for growing duckweed for the chickens, and doing some kind of hydroponics or incorporating it into wicking beds, etc. The problem is time... but one day...

[@jeffh4522]

4 or 5.

[@karenw9996]

Where would I put them? In MY backyard, bring 'em on down!!!🤪

[@ecocentrichomestead6783]

I'm would put the beds in position #2. What variety of kiwi do you have?

[@NateLee-nc6tb]

Maybe you should just fill the hot tub with dirt and grow in it.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Funny thing is, that's actually my plan with it!!!

[@annburge291]

I'd use it as a fish breeding pool. When they are large enough, the fish could be transferred to your big pool. In my own garden, I'd use it as a turtle nursery for the newly hatched so I can keep track of them.

[@karenw9996]

How can you be sure the municipal compost from yard waste hasn't been treated with toxic chemicals, and especially persistent herbicides like aminopyralids? I don't dare even get wood chips from my municipality, because I can't be sure they didn't come from diseased or insect infested trees.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

check out my aminopyralid video for what I do. I test them with peas.

[@osmia]

Option 5. Closest to the kitchen door

[@earthworm7346]

Wow. What a mess 🙌