Raised bed veggie garden

[NS Gearhead]

First attempt at gardening. There's no dirt around here, so the plan is to truck in 80% compost. Lattice on the back, landscape fabric lining the bottom. 16X4X1.5' 3' away from the house. East of the house, so gets sun until noon.





Kind of the ugly side of the house... the parking lot. LOL The other edge of the parking lot could potentially be another spot, as well as where the driveway meets the lawn... so I could have my parking lot lined with planters on three sides.

 

[IslandTractor]

Any plans for deer fencing? Looks like the walls will keep out ground hogs etc.

 

[NS Gearhead]

Any plans for deer fencing? Looks like the walls will keep out ground hogs etc.

Yeah, I may put a couple more 2x4s up so I can drape some net... or clear plastic during frost time. Freaking deer!!! Just had 4-5 of my maples stripped of their leaves. I've resorted to peeing around them. Dunno if that'll work. Tomorrow I plan to borrow my buddy's crossbow... Can't say anymore about that...

 

[NS Gearhead]

My neighbors have had trouble with slugs in their garden... but their's is shaded... so I don't think I'll have the same problem.

 

[Dutch445]

we have been using raised boxes for a few years with good results. we use a mix
of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite based on a book called "square foot gardening"
if you do some research on that garden method you will be amazed at how much you can
grow in a few boxes like you have.
plant taller items at the back of the box so they don't block the light from shorter plants,
use lattice for climbing produce, beans, squash, cukes etc. we use much shallower boxes
except for the carrots, so you will need a lot of soil for your boxes.
good luck with it! it's fun, easy to week, and can be very productive.

 

[NS Gearhead]

Working on the list of what we'd like to plant, but so far we have; cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce, garlic, onions, yellow beans, broccoli, and carrots.

At some point I'd love to have a berry orchard... strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I think the blackberries would do ok in our crappy rock/ moss terrain. They do grow wild around here. The rest would probably want something more. Maybe raised bed, or maybe at the edge of the lawn... anyway, one step at a time. We'll see how my first year's harvest does.

 

[NS Gearhead]

we have been using raised boxes for a few years with good results. we use a mix
of compost, peat moss, and vermiculite based on a book called "square foot gardening"
if you do some research on that garden method you will be amazed at how much you can
grow in a few boxes like you have.
plant taller items at the back of the box so they don't block the light from shorter plants,
use lattice for climbing produce, beans, squash, cukes etc. we use much shallower boxes
except for the carrots, so you will need a lot of soil for your boxes.
good luck with it! it's fun, easy to week, and can be very productive.

Sounds good. I'll check that out!

You know my old man had a garden my entire childhood... prob 30' wide, 100' long. Cucumbers were always his favorite and were only 2nd in volume to potatoes... but I never knew they wanted to climb! Just learned that last week when my neighbor showed me. Dad's garden never had anything for them to climb... they'd just spread. Always something new to learn! LOL

 

[Dutch445]

Square Foot Gardening Foundation - Square Foot Gardening Foundation
we used some of the techniques there

 

[forgeblast]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNJTJp1C3A will give you an idea for an easy fence, I have seen them with the fence on top also.

 

[zing]

I don't think yiou are going to have too many slug issues with that much gravel for them to cross and the side boardds that high. If you do get some they will be coming from the side closer to the grass, so you can put some coffee gounds along that side to discourage them.

 

[ferrari99]

Nice work.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Don't know if you have gopher problems, but now would be a good time to line the bottom with hardware cloth. I had to make some little baskets out of hardware cloth to plant my tomatoes and peppers in because of gopher damage. They work really well, but are a PITA. Better to keep them out entirely...besides they make runs that channel the water away and erode the bed.

 

[charlz]

Sounds good. I'll check that out!

You know my old man had a garden my entire childhood... prob 30' wide, 100' long. Cucumbers were always his favorite and were only 2nd in volume to potatoes... but I never knew they wanted to climb! Just learned that last week when my neighbor showed me. Dad's garden never had anything for them to climb... they'd just spread. Always something new to learn! LOL

I use the hog/cattle panels that are made out of 1/4" wire with like 6" x 6" holes. You have to train them up it but is pretty easy. During peak vine growing season I just go out every other day and push the new leaders through a hole to the other side. Eventually you have them weaved all the way to the top of the panel. You get some nice looking cukes, straight and no yellow side from where they sat on the ground. I space the plants about 12" apart and alternate sides of panels.

 

[randy41]

didn't see that there was any mention of irrigation. raised beds filled with a lot of organic matter dry out quickly.

 

[ScottyChip]

I think you will get a good harvest from your beds, and a tip for slugs is copper mesh/screen around the perimeter of your bed. Check out Vesey's seeds site, they sell the mesh. I have the copper but I haven't put in place yet, that will be for next season. Enjoy your bounty.

 

[NS Gearhead]

didn't see that there was any mention of irrigation. raised beds filled with a lot of organic matter dry out quickly.

I do plan to put in an irrigation system. Probably a manual timer. Just twist it to 10min or whatever before I leave for work... it's right beside where I park. I thought of a fully automated system, but then if it rained, or is going to rain, I'd have to overide it... just as easy (and cheaper) to start it when I want it. A quick search shows $15 for a timer and $15 for a length of hose.

 

[NS Gearhead]

I use the hog/cattle panels that are made out of 1/4" wire with like 6" x 6" holes.

Sounds ideal... but dunno where I'd get that around here. Sounds the same as concrete mesh we use here at work. Not sure if it's SS or steel. SS would be sweet!

 

[OldMcDonald]

Am I right in thinking that the fabric you intend to line the bottom with will prevent anything growing through it ? If so, you will need to treat your beds in a similar manner to pots or tubs. The depth is insufficient for many species' natural rooting depth and so they will need to be kept well fed and watered. Otherwise I am sure it will work extremely well. I have used raised beds for well over 20 years without a restricting depth or any sides. It does give better control of all aspects of production, from seeding to harvest. I have the space to leave paths in between the beds.

Before anyone argues about plants being shallow rooted and feeding only in the top few inches etc., please Google Professor John E Weaver, University of Nebraska and see if you can access his 1927 book Root Development of Vegetable Crops. His co-author was William E Bruner. The book was a companion to Weaver's Root Development of Field Crops. I have electronic copies of both. I believe they are still available from Soil and Health Library along with a wide range of very interesting other old books, and some not so old. I have no connection with soilandhealth, but I have downloaded a lot of reading material from them.

 

[NS Gearhead]

That's right. The fabric allows water to go through, but not plants. Regardless of the fabric, the gravel base probably wouldn't allow for much to penetrate anyway. From what I've read the only thing I couldn't plant in this type of planter would be potatoes.

Anyone else weigh in on using vermiculite in the garden? Seems weird to use something that insulates houses... but I'm still interested.

 

[randy41]

vermiculite increases the moisture capacity of the medium. its commonly used in seed starting mixes. and raised beds grow excellent potatoes.