| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Feb 18 2008 : 5:50:13 PM
I was thinking of switchng to raised beds this year. Have any of you done this? How are the results? Any advice would be great?
Farmgirl Sister #17
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| lisamarie508 |
Posted - Feb 19 2008 : 09:20:59 AM
I didn't stake the corners as the soil is heavy enough to hold the beds in place. Mill ends is what I used and saved a lot by doing that. I just didn't want to put a lot of money into it. They will rot eventually, but I'm hoping I can just replace one bed at a time as needed. It's been 3 years now and all looks good, still. I considered using rocks as they would stand forever, but they would also take up a lot of precious space and I would end up with fewer beds. And I didn't want to use treated lumber and risk having chemicals leaching into our food! So mill-ends made sense in more ways than just economical.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
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| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Feb 19 2008 : 08:29:16 AM
Lisa that is EXACTLY what I was thinking of doing. We have real rocky soil and bermuda grass like nobodys business. I put that "fabric" stuff down in the bad in the front of my house last year and was really pleased with the results.
Did steak your beds on the corners to keep them from moving around?
Thanks for the tip about the mill ends. We have a saw mill about 40 miles from here and that may be the way to go as LOWES is the only other choice and probably quite expensive! I am so excited! Now I have a project for spring break! I already called about getting soil delivered!
Farmgirl Sister #17
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www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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| lisamarie508 |
Posted - Feb 19 2008 : 08:04:28 AM
Julie, I did all raised beds in my garden and they are all 4X8X2 or 4X10X2. I grow everything in them including carrots, potatoes and corn. The corn can be grown closer together than what is recommended because you won't be walking between the rows or needing to hoe in between either. This is true for many things. Except tomatoes which can get fungus from too little air circulation around them. All melons, squash and gourds spill out of the beds and I just let them go where they want. I trellis my peas, beans and cukes so I have more room to plant a lot of them. I also plant my lettuces and cilatro on the east side of the trellised veggies so they are shaded in the hottest part of the day. They don't bolt as fast that way.
I did raised beds because our soil here is mostly decomposed granite and bindweed had taken over the entire back yard. So I laid heavy black fabric down over the entire garden area, built the beds on top of it (weeds will NEVER get through it) and then put topsoil, sand and compost in all the beds. You'll want to cover the exposed fabric between the beds with straw or sand so the sun doesn't destroy it. Then after planting, cover the soil with grass clippings or some other mulch to keep weeds down and hold in moisture.
It's a lot of work initially, but then your garden is so easy to care for every year. Oh, and if you make your beds 8 feet long or longer, you will need to put a stake in the middle of the long boards on the outside to keep the dirt from bowing those boards out.
Also, you don't necessarily have to have perfect lumber. If expense is a problem go directly to a saw mill for their mill-ends or some lumber companies may have "reject" lumber at a much lower cost. MaryJane had something about the black fabric in her first book with a phone number and address where you could get it. I called them once for a friend and their price was very reasonable.
Good luck and have fun!
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Feb 18 2008 : 6:29:13 PM
I was thinking of just doing 3 beds this year and slowly adding a few each year until the whole garden was RB. Hubby said just go ahead and do it all this year. I told him the initial investment could be pricy but he said do it anyway. Who am I to argue! I'm thinking of doing 3 foot wide beds about 8 to 10 feet long.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Feb 18 2008 : 6:18:27 PM
I didn't try it, Julie, simply because I know that you need enough "space" for them to cross polinate, but I bet you could, if you devote a whole bed to it. We're planning another bed this year for that very purpose, but we'll see if it ever warms up here!!!
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
| willowtreecreek |
Posted - Feb 18 2008 : 6:13:01 PM
jonni that is beautiful! Does anyone know if I can do corn in a raised bed? Our soil isn't the greatest.
Farmgirl Sister #17
Blog
www.willowtreecreek.wordpress.com
Felt and Fabric Crafts
www.willowartist.etsy.com
www.willowtreecreek.com
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| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - Feb 18 2008 : 5:57:02 PM
Hey Julie...I have and I love it. I'll post the link from a few weeks ago that I posted last Spring of our beginning. Aside from a crappy drought, it was far beneficial for our heavy clay soil here, in Kentucky and I could grow anything. CAN'T wait for this Spring!!
We were able to have 3 types of potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, garden greens and now I have garlic growing for June harvest.
http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10228
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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