Following the Master Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening

Showing posts with label Raised Bed Gardening. Show all posts

2.07.2014

Building A Raised Bed

Cedar raised beds we built last year (2013)

After 2 years of planting directly in the ground with no added soil, 4 green metal garden stakes, and a chicken wire fence we realized it was time for an upgrade. Moving forward we realized that we wanted to build something more permanent that would be a design that we loved and would last for years. We also wanted to include a fence and a gate to keep out the animals and make it easier for us to access.

Why we choose Raised Beds: After I did my research we decided to invest in building some quality raised beds. One of the articles we found that convinced my husband this was the way to go was from OSU's Horticulture and Crop Science Department. Here is the article: Benefits to Raised Bed Gardening I highly recommend reading this if you are trying to decide between raised bed gardening verses just planting in the ground.

Instructions for Building A Raised Bed: If you are interested in building your own raised bed I have included the link to Sunset's website: Your Guide to Making a Raised Garden Bed This is how we built ours and they are amazing! There are step by step instructions and great pictures to go along with the instructions.

Materials for Sunset 4 x 8 Raised Bed:

(1) 6-foot-long 4-by-4

(6) 8-foot-long 2-by-6s

(1) 10-foot-long 1-inch PVC pipe

(2) 10-foot-long ½-inch PVC pipes

(32) 3½-inch #14 wood screws and
(16) ½-inch #8 wood screws

(1) 4- by 10-foot roll of ¼-inch-mesh hardware cloth
(8) 1-inch galvanized tube straps (semicircular brackets)
(32) cubic feet (1- 1/5 cu. yd.) soil mix*

Modifications we made to the design:
1. *I highly recommend using the Best Raised Bed Soil Mix from the Square Foot Garden Method (SFGM) that I wrote about in the previous post. Just click on the link above and you can find the instructions.

2. We wanted (5) hoops per bed as seen in our final picture below. (The original design called for 2). Two hoops were not enough support for the row cover fabric. So we added more tube straps and PVC pipe for this modification.

NOTE: The PVC hoops are used for Row Covers (special fabric that protects plants from frost and pests). You can read more about them in this post: Using Row Covers

3. If you are interested in adding the Vertical Frame with the net (shown below) for growing vine crops vertically I explain how to build them in this post: Building Vertical Frame for a Raised Bed

Our final raised bed design with (5) PVC hoops & added Vertical Frame in Pine bed. (Picture taken 1 year after construction).

My view on selecting lumber: We built (2) of our beds from untreated Pine and the other (2) from untreated Cedar. We didn't feel comfortable using treated lumber when we were going to be eating the vegetables from the raised beds!
You can coat the boards with linseed oil or there is a product called Eco Wood Treatment that is made of naturally occurring plant and mineral extracts.

Pine lumber: will be more cost effective and is readily available. Pine will last approximately 10 years as a raised bed.

Cedar lumber: is more expensive than Pine and can be harder to come across. The major benefit is that it can last up to 30 years! (Our Asparagus bed can last up to 30 years so that is why we built it out of Cedar).

Pre-made raised beds (shown above) are another option if you want to save time.

Keep in mind you can purchase pre-made raised beds at your local home improvement store or many are also available through gardening magazines.

Do what works for you and get your raised bed ready for planting in early March or April of 2014!

2.06.2014

The Best Raised Bed Soil Mix (from SFGM)

If you have decided to build a raised bed for your garden then you are going to need soil to fill the bed! There are so many benefits to building a raised bed versus planting in the ground and one of the positives is that you get to mix your own soil instead of having to "fix" the soil you have.

This has been our favorite soil mix that we have shared with friends and family. Vegetables love this mixture and its amazing how healthy they are!

Bush Beans and Onions happy to be in good soil! (mid summer onion tops fall over allowing the bulbs to mature)

Amazing Soil Mix (our family favorite)
taken from: Square Foot Garden Book (80's version)
by Mel Bartholomew

Ingredients:
1 bale of peat moss: 6 cu ft
1 large bag of course vermiculite: 4 cu ft
10 pails (2 1/2 gallon size) of sand: 3 cu ft
2 pails of wood ashes and charcoal*
*(we left both of these items out)
10 pails (2 1/2 gallon size) of compost: 3 cu ft
1 coffee can full of lime
1 coffee can full of organic fertilizer
TOTAL volume of mixture: 16 cu ft.

This amount will fill one garden block to a depth of 12 in or two blocks to a depth of 6 in.

Mixing Procedure:
1. Mix all ingredients with a flat bottom shovel. (We mixed little by little in the raised bed....or you can mix it on a hard surface and then move it to the bed).

2. Spray with a hose to dampen the materials (don't soak) as you mix the pile.

3. Fill garden block with mixture turning over to mix it well. Again spray with hose as you mix.

4. Level and add enough additional mixture to fill the raised bed, level again spray once more with hose, and the block is ready for planting.

NOTE : If you want to simplify this process you can also purchase Mel's Mix Square Potting Soil on Amazon.

Raised Bed complete with soil and ready to plant!

1.16.2014

Planning your Garden Layout using SFGM

The simple way to plan your garden layout is to pick up a pencil and paper and start drawing! That's it. You don't need a computer program, an app, or special sketching skills. Those things are tools that you can use, but that are not required.

This year we have chosen to simplify our planning process so I will show you how we are planning in six easy steps!

STEP 1: Draw the outline of your garden.
I will draw one of our 4 x 8 size raised beds for example.
Typically if this is your first year gardening I would recommend starting with a 4 x 4 raised bed.

Vertical Frames at the end of the raised beds

Also all plants that vine (cucumbers, peas, squash, vine beans and vine tomatoes) are grown using a vertical frame at the end of the raised bed (which saves a tremendous amount of space). Add a vertical frame at the north end of your raised bed. Here is a link to my other post on Building A Vertical Frame for a Raised Bed

Drawing outline of garden

Texas Garden Tour #1

Unique. Creative. Beautiful.

That is how I view other people's gardens. I love to see how someone else has tailored their yard, land, or space to make something grow.

I find that I learn so much from "visually" seeing different ways of doing something. I believe there are many other people out there that learn this way also, so I have decided to randomly select some gardens to tour (of friends and families we know) throughout the year. Maybe this will spur you on to a new concept or simply show you that there are a vast amount of ways to garden!

Along the way remember that your garden doesn't need to "look" one certain way or follow certain steps to be successful. You learn as you go. The key is to start a garden in order to gain experience and then keep at it to develop and have success.

Last year we were able to see my Uncle's garden in Texas and I was amazed! At the time were still newbies to the idea of raised beds and we had just installed 2 of our own beds back home. Imagine my shock when the I discovered the "small garden" my Uncle had consisted of 8 raised beds! Not to mention the fruit he had growing along his fence line.

He took me on a tour and I felt like a child asking what everything was. The thing that astonished me the most was the variety of plants that he was growing. He had carrots, onions, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, asparagus, radishes, basil, lavender, cilantro, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and black berries. Enjoy the pictures below!