Beds versus Rows

Even 100 years ago, this was a fierce debate. Beds allow for intensive planting and less weeding, but rows can be worked with "wheeled tools" (now tillers and cultivators) or even horses or tractors, depending on the size of the garden. L.H. Bailey's Manual of Gardening has an illustration of a gardener on his knees, and the caption "Cultivating the Backache", for a raised bed, and heavily advocates row planting. Which viewpoint you get depends on the orientation of the writer. A book about "organic" or old-ways traditional intensive planting in small spaces will advocate beds, while a book oriented toward large-scale planting, automation, or market production will advocate rows. What determines your path is the amount of space you have, the kind of ground you are cultivating (if it is too polluted or stony, raised beds may be the only choice), and your ultimate goals. I'm producing for home use and limited neighbor-gifting, from a tiny, walled space with built-in beds on 2 sides. Thus I work everything by hand in beds.