Raised Bed Garden Conversion - Page 2

RebelRidin · April 6, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by janezee

Oooooooo! I love it.

I, too, was thinking about buying a bender, but I didn't think the cost justified the purchase. I'd probably never need it again. (I hope)

I've never seen the pvc corners. Verrrrrrry nice!!!!!

You now have one of the prettiest raised bed gardens I've ever seen.

j

Well kick me in the tuckus Jane. I forgot to say... Thank You.

janezee · April 6, 2012

Consider yourself kicked!!!!

No problem, George.
j

RebelRidin · May 26, 2012

I thought I would update on my raised bed conversion project. All the boxes have been built, filled, planted and my trellisses tied in. Today I started putting in drip irrigation.

We have had a very nice spring garden. Staying ahead of the weeds has been easy. Salix is right.... I am loving these beds. I am still trying to get used to pruning but I think that and the Danconil I am using will do wonders for our fungus problems. I am finding that some plants seem a whole lot easier to keep pruned to a couple of stems than others. Cherries are NOT among them... lol.

My DW took some nice pics the other day so I thought I would share them. She seems quite tickled with it all. She rarely spent time in the veg garden before. I find her in there almost every day now.

kath · May 26, 2012

What a beeeautiful garden! Love the entrance and how accessible all the plants are. With all the lovely touches that have been added it looks like it's been there for years. Great job- I'm happy for both of you!

kath

Tracydr · May 26, 2012

That is just the nicest garden!

Rockporter · May 27, 2012

Love your garden, it looks all settled in and ready to give you lots of great tasting goodies.

salix · May 27, 2012

Told ya so! Looking very good, so nice that your wife also wants to spend time out there. The raised beds make it so easy to work and also for planning. Have you drawn up a scale plan of the whole garden? I do, then make lots of copies for winter planning and crop rotation, bed by bed.

janezee · May 27, 2012

OK, George, now you have the prettiest raised bed garden ever! All it was lacking before was tomatoes!

You are an inspiration to me. Thanks for posting these beautiful pix!

j

Barbee · May 27, 2012

Boy thats really nice! I spied in the corner one of those garden tractors. I been eyeballing one of those myself.

Mark0820 · May 28, 2012

Very nice raised bed garden. I really like the raised bed next to the fence in the first picture. It is easy to see why your wife spends time in the garden each day.

livinonfaith · May 28, 2012

Wow! Just beautiful!

I love the stacked box in the center. It just adds such a nice touch.

zabby17 · May 28, 2012

Rebel,

Wow, that looks FABULOUS.

Are your tomatoes trellised by string across and up those frames? I'm surprised that's sturdy enough. What's your secret?

A new gardener friend has seven tomatoes planted in a row at the edge of the garden and is looking for ideas for support. I may send him your photos...

Jane,

A few more questions about your mushroom compost raised bed experience, if I may?

- You say you don't dig at all but just "rake in" your new compost. I find that by the spring, the soil in my beds is a bit compacted---nothing that can't be taken care of with a spade and a garden rake, but it isn't work free.

My usual method is
- pull big weeds
- turn up one spade's width along a long side, dumping it in the middle
- rake the rest of that half of the bed all toward the middle till it's all loosend; rake back into the trench
- then repeat last two steps along the other side
- put amendments (homemade compost and/or components like coffee grounds, leaves, etc., lasagne-style; this year, in half the beds, mushroom compost) on top, or sometimes rake them in while turning as mentioned above
- spread paper, then straw mulch
- poke holes for toms & plant

But are you saying you
- don't have weeds in your beds by the spring?
- don't have to loosen soil before putting on/in compost?

Finally, a grumble. According to the guy who loads it, the mushroom compost available around here is in fact kind of weedy. Sigh. (His suggestion was to "spray it before you use it," but I'm not a sprayer. I'm happy to mulch for tomatoes, but it's a bummer for more delicate things. I may splurge on sheep manure for my few other beds.

Meanwhile, Rebel, enjoy your garden. It's fantastically beautiful!

Z

janezee · May 29, 2012

Wow, Zabby, my compost is really weed-free. If it's still steaming when you get it, it sounds like it isn't done composting yet, and that's why you get seeds.
If I had that problem, I'd add a lot of alfalfa meal and let it cook. No weeds then.
I don't spade my beds, but I turn them with a trowel. I have some bermuda grass, but not a lot of other weeds. Sometimes some shotweed. I get rid of that fast, though, because it reseeds like crazy. I usually try to prepare my soil for spring in the fall, by adding compost, lime, and bone meal, and then cover it with seaweed or plastic. If seaweed, I just turn it under, and plant. If it's covered with plastic, it usually has something growing in it. Then I turn it and add slow release fertilizer, maybe some more compost, and get ready to plant again. This way, I only have to prepare half of my beds in the spring, and half in the fall. In the spring, all I really do is fluff the seaweed beds with a trowel before planting.
Ask away. I wish your mushroom compost was as nice as mine.

j

RebelRidin · May 29, 2012

Thanks to everyone for your kind words. DW being pleased is its own reward but it sure is nice to hear approvals from fellow gardeners.

Salix - I do have a scale drawing I drew up on the PC. It was actually made before I started putting in the beds.

Barbee - The garden tractor was a gift from DW. She thought I/we might need a spot to rest from time to time as we worked. I haven't had too much chance to use it yet.

Mark - The beds along the fences are my favorite part as well. By doing them that way I got 25% more total growing space than if I had put in all 4x4 beds.

Livinonfaith - the stacked box was a combination of ideas from DW and myself. It is planted with strawberries. Eventually I will bore holes in the sides of the boxes and add plants through the holes. I need to revisit it this fall though and put bottoms on the top two levels changing about 1/2 the soil mix for a lighter potting mix. The way it is there is a little too much settiling going on.

Zabby - The trellises are done with 1/2" thinwall electrical conduit, 3/4" PVC electrical conduit corners and nylon trellis netting. I've been experimenting with the trellis netting for a few years and found 1) there is polyester stuff out there that you want to avoid, 2) cheap nylon stuff in little 5 x 15 ft packages that you want to avoid. I found one really good version so far. It is from Burpee in their 5 ft x 60 ft package. The stuff is really strong and UV stabilized. I have some that has been in use for what will now (counting this season) be four years. I am sure there are other sources for the good stuff but I don't know where. (Note: The shorter lengths Burpee sells is junk too. Only 5 x 60 has been any good but it is only $20 for the 60 ft). I cut it to one square less than the 4 ft width, tie one side to one pole and use braided nylon masons cord I got from Lowes (also UV stabilized) to tie the other side and the top edge to the frame. The trellisses extend just over 6 feet high above the beds. Any taller and I think the 1/2 inch thinwall would be too thin.

This is the first time I have tried tomatoes on them but all seems fine and I expect it to work out OK. So far tying tomato vines up to it has been easy. They also grow in and out through the netting some. If the vines get real tall/long the plan is to tie some cord across the top frames from one trellis to another and let them grow over the top.

Thanks so much again to everyone for all your kind words. It has been a lot of work but well worth it thus far. Right now I am trying intstall drip irrigation. Over the weekend I put it in for the tomato beds so there will be NO OVERHEAD WATERING THIS YEAR (YAY!). I will update again later as things progress with the Toms.

George

zabby17 · May 30, 2012

j,

In truth, I don't much care if the mushroom compost is weedy because I mulch well anyway around the tomatoes since I don't want to have to weed at all.

The couple of non-tomato beds with more delicate seedlings (leeks, lettuce) that are harder to mulch around are trickier, but I tend to amend them with nice well-composted, weed-free commercial bagged sheep manure---I also like its nice, fine "crumb" for planting little seeds.

Though you're probably right that it isn't quite done yet, and if I added some greens and let it hot compost a bit more it'd kill them off.

But I'm sorry to admit most of my weeds come in early spring (sometimes even late fall, after harvest), BEFORE I turn and amend the beds. Covering the beds as soon as I pull the tomato plants is the sensibly thing to do and I always mean to, but the truth is out: I'm a lazy gardener, and in late fall I'm so focused on dealing with the harvest (lots of canning) I just never get around to it.

Am going to make a real effort this year, though. I am not keen on plastic; I am jealous of your seaweed! I have some old sheets I was thinking of trying---folded over to a double thickness, they wouldn't prevent weeds completely but I thought they might cut them way down and still let moisture through.

Sorry, Rebel, I didn't mean to hijack your thread! Your gorgeous, weed-free beds have inspired me to thinking about improving mine is all.....

Regards to your DW. ;-)

Z

May 27, 2012	#21
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	Love your garden, it looks all settled in and ready to give you lots of great tasting goodies. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

May 27, 2012	#24
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	Boy thats really nice! I spied in the corner one of those garden tractors. I been eyeballing one of those myself. __________________ *Barbee*

April 6, 2012	#17
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	Consider yourself kicked!!!! No problem, George. j

May 26, 2012	#19
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	What a beeeautiful garden! Love the entrance and how accessible all the plants are. With all the lovely touches that have been added it looks like it's been there for years. Great job- I'm happy for both of you! kath

May 26, 2012	#20
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	That is just the nicest garden!

May 27, 2012	#22
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	Told ya so! Looking very good, so nice that your wife also wants to spend time out there. The raised beds make it so easy to work and also for planning. Have you drawn up a scale plan of the whole garden? I do, then make lots of copies for winter planning and crop rotation, bed by bed.

May 28, 2012	#25
Mark0820 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 907	Very nice raised bed garden. I really like the raised bed next to the fence in the first picture. It is easy to see why your wife spends time in the garden each day.

May 28, 2012	#26
livinonfaith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina Posts: 1,332	Wow! Just beautiful! I love the stacked box in the center. It just adds such a nice touch.

May 28, 2012	#27
zabby17 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 211	Rebel, Wow, that looks FABULOUS. Are your tomatoes trellised by string across and up those frames? I'm surprised that's sturdy enough. What's your secret? A new gardener friend has seven tomatoes planted in a row at the edge of the garden and is looking for ideas for support. I may send him your photos... Jane, A few more questions about your mushroom compost raised bed experience, if I may? - You say you don't dig at all but just "rake in" your new compost. I find that by the spring, the soil in my beds is a bit compacted---nothing that can't be taken care of with a spade and a garden rake, but it isn't work free. My usual method is - pull big weeds - turn up one spade's width along a long side, dumping it in the middle - rake the rest of that half of the bed all toward the middle till it's all loosend; rake back into the trench - then repeat last two steps along the other side - put amendments (homemade compost and/or components like coffee grounds, leaves, etc., lasagne-style; this year, in half the beds, mushroom compost) on top, or sometimes rake them in while turning as mentioned above - spread paper, then straw mulch - poke holes for toms & plant But are you saying you - don't have weeds in your beds by the spring? - don't have to loosen soil before putting on/in compost? Finally, a grumble. According to the guy who loads it, the mushroom compost available around here is in fact kind of weedy. Sigh. (His suggestion was to "spray it before you use it," but I'm not a sprayer. I'm happy to mulch for tomatoes, but it's a bummer for more delicate things. I may splurge on sheep manure for my few other beds. Meanwhile, Rebel, enjoy your garden. It's fantastically beautiful! Z

May 29, 2012	#28
janezee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Whidbey Island, WA Zone 7, Sunset 5 Posts: 931	Wow, Zabby, my compost is really weed-free. If it's still steaming when you get it, it sounds like it isn't done composting yet, and that's why you get seeds. If I had that problem, I'd add a lot of alfalfa meal and let it cook. No weeds then. I don't spade my beds, but I turn them with a trowel. I have some bermuda grass, but not a lot of other weeds. Sometimes some shotweed. I get rid of that fast, though, because it reseeds like crazy. I usually try to prepare my soil for spring in the fall, by adding compost, lime, and bone meal, and then cover it with seaweed or plastic. If seaweed, I just turn it under, and plant. If it's covered with plastic, it usually has something growing in it. Then I turn it and add slow release fertilizer, maybe some more compost, and get ready to plant again. This way, I only have to prepare half of my beds in the spring, and half in the fall. In the spring, all I really do is fluff the seaweed beds with a trowel before planting. Ask away. I wish your mushroom compost was as nice as mine. j

May 29, 2012	#29
RebelRidin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Maryland's Eastern Shore Posts: 993	Thanks to everyone for your kind words. DW being pleased is its own reward but it sure is nice to hear approvals from fellow gardeners. Salix - I do have a scale drawing I drew up on the PC. It was actually made before I started putting in the beds. Barbee - The garden tractor was a gift from DW. She thought I/we might need a spot to rest from time to time as we worked. I haven't had too much chance to use it yet. Mark - The beds along the fences are my favorite part as well. By doing them that way I got 25% more total growing space than if I had put in all 4x4 beds. Livinonfaith - the stacked box was a combination of ideas from DW and myself. It is planted with strawberries. Eventually I will bore holes in the sides of the boxes and add plants through the holes. I need to revisit it this fall though and put bottoms on the top two levels changing about 1/2 the soil mix for a lighter potting mix. The way it is there is a little too much settiling going on. Zabby - The trellises are done with 1/2" thinwall electrical conduit, 3/4" PVC electrical conduit corners and nylon trellis netting. I've been experimenting with the trellis netting for a few years and found 1) there is polyester stuff out there that you want to avoid, 2) cheap nylon stuff in little 5 x 15 ft packages that you want to avoid. I found one really good version so far. It is from Burpee in their 5 ft x 60 ft package. The stuff is *really* strong and UV stabilized. I have some that has been in use for what will now (counting this season) be four years. I am sure there are other sources for the good stuff but I don't know where. (Note: The shorter lengths Burpee sells is junk too. Only 5 x 60 has been any good but it is only $20 for the 60 ft). I cut it to one square less than the 4 ft width, tie one side to one pole and use braided nylon masons cord I got from Lowes (also UV stabilized) to tie the other side and the top edge to the frame. The trellisses extend just over 6 feet high above the beds. Any taller and I think the 1/2 inch thinwall would be too thin. This is the first time I have tried tomatoes on them but all seems fine and I expect it to work out OK. So far tying tomato vines up to it has been easy. They also grow in and out through the netting some. If the vines get real tall/long the plan is to tie some cord across the top frames from one trellis to another and let them grow over the top. Thanks so much again to everyone for all your kind words. It has been a lot of work but well worth it thus far. Right now I am trying intstall drip irrigation. Over the weekend I put it in for the tomato beds so there will be NO OVERHEAD WATERING THIS YEAR (YAY!). I will update again later as things progress with the Toms. George

May 30, 2012	#30
zabby17 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 211	j, In truth, I don't much care if the mushroom compost is weedy because I mulch well anyway around the tomatoes since I don't want to have to weed at all. The couple of non-tomato beds with more delicate seedlings (leeks, lettuce) that are harder to mulch around are trickier, but I tend to amend them with nice well-composted, weed-free commercial bagged sheep manure---I also like its nice, fine "crumb" for planting little seeds. Though you're probably right that it isn't quite done yet, and if I added some greens and let it hot compost a bit more it'd kill them off. But I'm sorry to admit most of my weeds come in early spring (sometimes even late fall, after harvest), BEFORE I turn and amend the beds. Covering the beds as soon as I pull the tomato plants is the sensibly thing to do and I always mean to, but the truth is out: I'm a lazy gardener, and in late fall I'm so focused on dealing with the harvest (lots of canning) I just never get around to it. Am going to make a real effort this year, though. I am not keen on plastic; I am jealous of your seaweed! I have some old sheets I was thinking of trying---folded over to a double thickness, they wouldn't prevent weeds completely but I thought they might cut them way down and still let moisture through. Sorry, Rebel, I didn't mean to hijack your thread! Your gorgeous, weed-free beds have inspired me to thinking about improving mine is all..... Regards to your DW. ;-) Z