Raised Beds?

[skiezo]

I am going to start a new patch next year in my neighbors bottom yard. It was once a inground pool that has been filled in. It is a weed patch at the present time.
I plan on going with a 10" raised bed. It will be about 20'x15'.
The question I have is should I put some heavy plastic down inside the forms before I fill it in with topsoil and compost or just go on top of the junk soil that is there.
It is just a bunch of shale fill now.
Also, how many plants could/should I put in this area. It gets sun from about 8:00 till 5:00 or so.

Thanks Brian

[huntoften]

I personally wouldn't use plastic...it would make for soggy roots. A thick layer of newspaper would work well as would landscaping fabric, but it would be a bit more expensive.

[Zana]

I agree with huntoften. Plastic would make everything seriously soggy, especially if you experience any severe thunderstorms or god forbid, worse. When I built my "portable ones" I had them lined with a triple layer of landscape fabric which I then covered with a combo of broken crockery and small rocks for drainage before adding my "potting mix".

Since you've got all that shale, you won't need the drainage rocks except perhaps to add some stability to your framework. But newspaper (at least 6 to 10 layers) or landscape fabric should do it. Because raised beds, pots, containers heat up faster than the regular soil in the spring, you can work the bed sooner. ln my case I dismantled mine every winter, but kept the "soil/potting mix" in large trash cans on wheels with plenty of homemade compost over the winter. After testing the PH, I'd add what was needed come spring and then fill the beds, containers/pots all over again.

I think I maxed out with a total of somewhere about 150 to 160 pots/containers and portable raised beds one year. I believe my father's reaction was to refer to all of it as a "g-dang" jungle (cleaned up a little)...but he shut up when he got to eat the proceeds. LOL

[Barbee]

I would not use black plastic. Instead, I'd use something that will degrade, like newspaper or cardboard. As for how many plants, I think I'd want to allow for about 2 feet between tomato plants.

[cottonpicker]

I agree with the above suggestions.... several sheets of newspaper or just cardboard which will degrade over time.

[RJ_Hythloday]

Those weeds are providing good organic matter, I agree w/ the above recommendations for newspaper or cardboard.

I'd go w/ about 5 or 6 plants x 4 plants for 20-24 if it's only going to be toms w/ cages. Staked and pruned you could do more plants, staked and unpruned can get pretty unruly as I'm experiencing this year. I'm going to order 18 Texas tomato cages next season.

[skiezo]

Most of the tomatos will be in texas cages. I have 12 now and plan on getting another 6 over the winter.
I have been pulling the weeds and throwing them in the compost pile.
I thought in a 20x 15 area I could put 20 plants with plenty of room.

Brian

[RJ_Hythloday]

Yep 20 would give enough breathing room. One 20x15 raised bed kind of defeats part of the purpose which is to avoid compacting by not walking in the bed. You could either avoid the raised bed and just build mounds where the plants will go w/ walking paths between. The mounds will make planting deep easier.

BTW personally I'm a firm believer in companion planting basil. I'd leave room for at least a few basil plants.

If you had an extra foot or two either way it might help spacing. I'd also consider a few determinates like Rutgers on the outside. In the attached xls the red are toms, yellow paths, and some basil on the outside. Just one of many millions of ways you could decided to space things. I really find a visual example to be useful in visualizing how it will look.

BTW those are 2ft paths, I built my 3 4x7 beds and 2x12 bed w/ only 18" in between. It's been very narrow to get through, cages should help keep the toms from spilling over into the paths, but I wouldn't go w/ less than 2ft again.

[skiezo]

So instead of making one large bed I will be doing 3 beds and each will be 3x20 or so.
I understand the idea of tramping the soil in beds. I will leave 3' between the beds
and 4' between plants so they get some air between the plants.
The plants in 2 beds will be in texas cages and the 3ed bed will be staked.
On the back or north bed I will plant lettuce behind the tomato plants as it will give them some shade.
I planted in a community garden this year and once the blight hit the patch it was over for me. I am hoping this will help the problem a bit.
I will still use the community patch for root vegies.

Brian

[robin303]

I would make the beds 4' wide so you can reach from both sides. All you need between beds is maybe 32" for a wheelbarrow. I use newspaper and greensheets 20 pages thick over lapped and filled the first 6" with peat moss which will settle big time.