Plan a bed you can comfortably reach
Start with a measurement
Measure the internal planting area and the sides you can actually reach. Keep paths outside the bed calculation. Test reach before filling and planting; bed width alone does not guarantee accessibility.
Worked example
A bed wider than 2 ft (61 cm) accessed from only one long side gets a reach warning. Add access to the opposite side or make the bed narrower. A 4×8 bed works best with access along both long sides.
Check the real conditions
Tall crops can shade nearby leaves. Place them away from the sun-facing edge where practical and check real shadows over the day. Our diagrams show positions rather than a solar-shadow simulation.