Raised Bed Veggie Garden?

[Run_Out]

Hey guys

I am planning a raised bed veggie garden. There is plenty of information on the web, they appear to be easy to build or you can buy them in kit form.

Have any of you done or are doing this? I don't have anything but time so I thought I could save a few bucks and have some organic veggies.

I don't have the space for a typical garden and this looks like a lot of fun...

Give me some feedback

Thanks

 

[Uncle Bob]

Run Out I've got this in the back of my mind too...I've raised large (1/2 acre or so) typical gardens all my life...As I've gotten older the idea of a few (12) tomato plants vs. 100 + that I've grown in the past sounds better and better...I have a couple of neighbors who use raised beds, and do so very successfully...They use old RR cross ties to frame the beds...After your initial investment the cost is minimal for plants, seeds etc. in the following years...The rewards are many...The hours spent working can be relaxing and therapeutic ... The veggies awesome!

My feed back is --- Go For It...!!!

Have Fun & Enjoy!

 

[larry_stewart]

Ive had raised beds the past 8 or 9 years. Had to line the bottom with wire mesh to keep the moles out. I used 2 X 8 to frame everything out. Got compost from the town. Its a very neat, organized way to garden. Just make sure that the raised bed is narrow enough for you to be able to reach everything from the outside.

Oh yeah, as u can see, all the vertical beams are used for the vine plants like cucumbers to grow up on.

 

[Leolady]

When I make raised beds, I like to use chicken wire or other cheap wire fencing supported by fence posts down the middle of the beds. I make my beds 6 feet wide. On the fencing I can grow tomatoes, climbing beans, peas, etc. On either side of the fencing, I like to plant other crops.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I always use raised beds, but I do them freeform & without permanent sides. All I do is mound up my soil in the size & shape of the beds I want for what I'm growing & that's that. I make them any depth I want depending on whether I'm putting in root crops or greens, etc., etc., & I can change the configuration from year to year on a whim.

No $$ investment necessary, simple, easy, functional, & flexible.

 

[Claire]

Larry, I've been admiring your garden. I, too, do mostly raised beds (live in a weird place) and have in several states. Yours is particularly beautiful.

 

[Claire]

Still recommend the book by Mel Bartholomew for those starting this concept. It is a huge help.

 

[larry_stewart]

Larry, I've been admiring your garden. I, too, do mostly raised beds (live in a weird place) and have in several states. Yours is particularly beautiful.

Thanks for admiring my years of hard work. Although, that was relatively early in the season when i had everything under control. You should see it in August Usually we go away for a week in august when we get back, my highly organized garden looks like a weed filled jungle.

The reason I started and continue with raised beds was because The soil where I lived wasnt that great, so by having a raised bed, I had more control over the soil. Also, We had a mole problem, so i was able to line my beds with a mesh that the moles cant get through.

The only problem I have is that it dries out quickly so i have to keep a close on on the watering. I have it hooked up to a timer , so i rarely run into that problem anymore, but in the early years, id call my wife several times a day instructing her where and when to place the sprinklers.

I think the coolest thing is when Ive looked on the satelite pictures u see in google or wherever, you can actually see my garden layout . i get a kick out of it every time i see it, and im amazed how symmetrical it realy is ( i actually did a pretty good job)

 

[Claire]

We started the raised bed concept because in Hawaii our soil was pure, hard, red clay. We had limited space (lived in a townhouse) and this just worked best. Fast forward to Florida, where there wasn't any soil at all, just sand. Here once you get out of town, the soil is the best that mother nature makes, but here in town it is very rocky. Because of the oddities of living on the side of a hill, I still have raised beds for some things, in the ground for others. Every year my husband looks at my lettuce patch and says maybe we should put peppers or another tomato plant there. I always laugh and remind him that it is the top of an old cistern, and the soil is only a couple of inches deep. The fact is it is really perfect for my greens garden, as it is right out the kitchen door.

 

[Chef Munky]

Uncle Buck?

Where would one find RR ties? Are they expensive?

Thanks

Munky.

 

[CasperImproved]

I haven't heard anyone mention the use of straw bales in raised bed gardening. I am considering doing this if not this year, maybe next. Here's a couple of URLs:

http://www.beginner-gardening.com/straw-bale-gardening.html

How to Grow a Straw Bale Garden

Accessible Gardening: Straw bale gardening: no weeding, no hoeing, no tilling

Straw Bale Gardening - a knol by Thomas Andrews

Bob

 

[BreezyCooking]

I've been thinking of trying this, since I at the moment do have a fair number of bales of hay & straw that aren't fit to use for my horses. What's nice about it is the fact that the bales eventually compost down & can then be incorporated into the garden soil. I've known several people who've done this successfully, & will say that sites that recommend the ammonium nitrate route should be avoided. There's no reason to bother with that - completely unnecessary. Just part the straw/hay, add a scoop or two of potting soil or compost, & plant or seed.

The infamous Eliot Coleman & his wife Barbara Damrosch also recommend making impromptu cold frames using hay &/or straw bales topped with old salvaged glass doors or windows, but I can't help but feel that would just attract mice/voles/chipmunks, etc., etc. to the warmth + the veggie seedling buffet.

 

[babetoo]

don't even have room for these. doing vegs in pots, went sun for soil, gravel, plants and seeds. anxious to get started. gonna drill holes in pots tomorrow. had to go to dr. today. also trying the up side down tomato planter and got plants for those. we each do what we can i guess

 

[Katie H]

We have trouble here with bunnies eating our goodies and Buck was going to build this for me. Unfortunately he's gone so I guess I won't get my raised bed.

 

[ashwinsmommy]

Uncle Buck?

Where would one find RR ties? Are they expensive?

Thanks

Munky.

Hi Munky - I haven't had a chance to read the thread yet, but the landlord here dropped off some ties the other day but a good friend of ours said don't use them as they have creosote on them and it is very poisonous!

Tara

 

[CasperImproved]

We have trouble here with bunnies eating our goodies and Buck was going to build this for me. Unfortunately he's gone so I guess I won't get my raised bed.

Hi Katie - I have ten acres, but don' t have a garden in the traditional sense. I have way too many deer, rabbits, raccoons, ground hogs, crows, etc., to successfully grow a garden unless I'm home 100% of the time. I know. I've tried all the tricks to keep the wildlife out of the veggies, but they are more persistent then I am.

Once there was a raccoon that took a single bite out of each green tomato I was growing (six separate plants, and about 60 fruit at the time). That convinced me that unless I were to become a farmer, that a garden was near impossible to grow in my area.

I did purchase a couple of planters to grow tomatoes in (this year) that will be extremely close to the house, or I would not even bother with those. As it is, the deer are near my sun room (within two foot or so) daily. They are even trying to lick the bird food out of the feeders I have that are around 65" off the ground

The "straw" (not hay) option is an easy way of having a "raised" garden. I'd be willing to bet this would be a project you could excel at. I assume you like your veggies as fresh as I do, which need the dirt rinsed off

I hope you give it a try...

Bob

 

[BreezyCooking]

The two biggest problems for some that I foresee in trying the hay/straw bale method are going to be 1) protection & 2) water.

I usually protect most of my crops with floating row covers, & weighting down the edges, as well as the extra amount of material required to cover the bales, might prove difficult.

As far as water, the one common denominator in any treatise on straw-bale gardening is that they require a LOT of water, because the bales naturally drain super well & super fast. Daily or sometimes twice-daily watering can easily be necessary, & if you live in an area that suffers from summer drought, have city water & the possibility of being under water restrictions, you could end up just watching your garden dry up. As far as that go, my water comes from my own very deep well, so the watering doesn't bother me as much as the row cover puzzle.

 

[Chef Munky]

Hi Munky - I haven't had a chance to read the thread yet, but the landlord here dropped off some ties the other day but a good friend of ours said don't use them as they have creosote on them and it is very poisonous!

Tara

Thank you.I'll scratch that idea.


Munky.

 

[CasperImproved]

The two biggest problems for some that I foresee in trying the hay/straw bale method are going to be 1) protection & 2) water.

I usually protect most of my crops with floating row covers, & weighting down the edges, as well as the extra amount of material required to cover the bales, might prove difficult.

As far as water, the one common denominator in any treatise on straw-bale gardening is that they require a LOT of water, because the bales naturally drain super well & super fast. Daily or sometimes twice-daily watering can easily be necessary, & if you live in an area that suffers from summer drought, have city water & the possibility of being under water restrictions, you could end up just watching your garden dry up. As far as that go, my water comes from my own very deep well, so the watering doesn't bother me as much as the row cover puzzle.

Hi BC -

Not sure there are issues that can't be gotten around here.

I obviously don't have experience using the bale methodology in growing a raised bed garden. I was looking into it as a possible way for me to give it the "lazy man's" way of doing it (no hard labor cultivating, etc.) plus, most of the critters that pepper, urine, pie plates, etc., don't discourage, this may confuse them enough I may be able to harvest some of the product before they ruin the plants.

But in the research I have done, I did not see a reference to a problem watering. I believe that once you've watered the bales of *straw* a number of times before planting time, that the composting process is engaged and watering is not the issue it could be otherwise. I can't qualify that with an arid area such as Arizona as all of the writers seem to be in areas that promote growth of plants without watering being an issue. BTW, only straw was recommended.

On the covering of the new plants, couldn't you put a stick/short pole on each corner of the bale(s), and just throw some burlap over them? I did not read of a late frost issue, so I am wondering if the fact they are up and off the ground makes a difference.

In any case, the subject deserves further research. I just didn't have time this season. This year, just doing tomatoes in planters very close to the south side of the house.

Regards,

Bob

 

[Katie H]

I did hay bale gardening last year and didn't have any problem with loss of water. There's a specific way to prepare the bales before planting, which begins their decomposition. I have the instructions but can't post them due to copyright issues but, if you want, PM me and I'll get them to you.