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Post by solargeek1 on May 30, 2019 6:40:42 GMT -7
Some of you may remember my post from the beginning of May regarding getting raised beds to replace the 39 -- 4'x 10' in-ground beds that we had in our 7500 square-foot fenced garden. All of this was driven by my ripping out my knee last year and realizing the future was not in kneeling…😬
Anyhow they're done. Yesterday, 4pm!!!
Rain delays, more rain delays, and finally more rain delays but they were worth every second of the time.
Kudos to our landscape company team who did not give up! These guys have been working on our 50 acres for 6 years (on a budget each year) to install the original garden beds which worked great but you had to kneel for each. They carved our paths through the 40+ acres of woods so we can use the woods without being killed by wild raspberries, having to leap fallen trees, etc. Easy to mow and maintain the paths. They installed over and over (since the dang trees died from cold, illness etc. but were covered by warranties) 25-30 fruit trees in the orchard.
We were still commuting to Chicago every week when these occurred, but we also worked side by side with them on every project. Until this one. Too heavy with the rains and the scale required Bobcats and trucks and special cutting equipment for the 1100 square feet of hardware cloth that had to be cut to fit each bed.
31 new raised beds. 7 @ 22" deep, all the rest about 11" deep.
7 - 6'x6';
11- 4'x12';
7 -4'x8'and
6 - "graves" 5'x12' Raised beds without walls.
A total of 31 beds and approximately 1100 ft.². Already started planting.
So each 6x6 bed has 1/2" hardware cloth (heck why don't they just call it wire mesh?), then heavy cardboard, then 6"-8" straw then compost, then dirt.
We will be allowing the beautiful weeds, wild flowers, and grass to grow up in the walkways as before. Then my husband can use his mower to keep everything under control. It will be muddy for the first couple of months but this will happen over a period of 2 months as before.
Cannot tell you how excited I am to get out there today.
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Post by geron on May 30, 2019 8:41:00 GMT -7
Pics?
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Post by solargeek1 on May 30, 2019 14:42:17 GMT -7
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Post by woodyz on Jun 12, 2019 10:46:46 GMT -7
ours are 4x8 1/2" hardware cloth (heck why don't they just call it wire mesh? ), then heavy cardboard/ old newspaper, then 6"-8" straw then compost, then dirt. Read more: survivalbunker.proboards.com/thread/15021/raised-beds#ixzz5qen26ymtbut nothing planted in them this year the back fence was planted in black berries 3 years ago and they are blooming and it looks very full right now, we will have a good crop again
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Post by solargeek1 on Apr 19, 2020 7:35:37 GMT -7
GARDEN AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
Another forum has that as the heading and I wish it was the heading here. Recall my raised beds went in way later than I had hoped due to the flooding/downpours of all MAY last year. Then ridiculous cold and windy June so few pollinators to help out.
Ok old thread but updates from last year and this year.
Raised beds were amazing for most crops (broccoli, beans, peas, kale, lettuces, most tomatoes, onions!, POTATOES, CARROTS, BEETS) but complete failures in cucubits (tiny amounts) and some tomatoes and all cabbages were just attacked by Japanese beetles. We had a terrible year here for all farmers; many had complete crop losses. So not just me.
As of today, 4/19/2020, I have 170 feet of potatoes in and about the same yet to plants. I roasted up and froze all last year's crop that we could not finish and WOW they are spectacular. So will have 340 feet for the two of us (all with my saved from last year organic potatoes). I only plant YUKONS and REDS as that is all I like.
Also have 4 other beds done with lettuces, beet, carrots, kale and such. Full bed of garlic. Our workers who constructed and put in the beds saved about 1/3rd of our asparagus crowns so hopefully they will come up again. We got a little last year.
Plants started indoors will exceed anything I have ever attemped.
Covers all raised beds in straw last fall and so will have all new soil underneath. Using Ruth Stout method for plants but not for direct seeding. I move it asside and then drops seeds. When they come up enough I place the really great decomposed straw around the baby plants to prevent weeds. Didn't have enough last year but this year have plenty from ordering in 35 bales last fall.
Ok what are you all doing this year?
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Post by cowgirlup on Apr 19, 2020 10:30:47 GMT -7
I don't have a lot of room but to add a little growing space I'm building a 2ft x13 foot raised bed. My tomatoes do better in pots here and I usually have them lined up along the back garden fence. Since that creates some wasted space the raised bed will hold the pots but create useable space between them. I'm not sure what I will put in the spaces yet. Maybe swiss chard and kale or cabbages and lettuce. It will free up other garden space.
One of my biggest challenges is getting enough sun. I've started cutting down some small trees in the woods especially along the stone fence line. I am also working on 2 more rain barrels so that will double them to 4.
I agree this is going to be a year where the garden will be more of a necessity than a hobby! I've been working towards having a more productive yard and garden. Hopefully some of the work will pay off and also hope most of the mistakes have been made and learned from.
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Post by solargeek1 on Apr 19, 2020 11:06:37 GMT -7
GARDEN AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.
Another forum has that as the heading and I wish it was the heading here. Recall my raised beds went in way later than I had hoped due to the flooding/downpours of all MAY last year. Then ridiculous cold and windy June so few pollinators to help out.
Ok old thread but updates from last year and this year.
Raised beds were amazing for most crops (broccoli, beans, peas, kale, lettuces, most tomatoes, onions!, POTATOES, CARROTS, BEETS) but complete failures in cucubits (tiny amounts) and some tomatoes and all cabbages were just attacked by Japanese beetles. We had a terrible year here for all farmers; many had complete crop losses. So not just me.
As of today, 4/19/2020, I have 170 feet of potatoes in and about the same yet to plant. I roasted up and froze all last year's crop that we could not finish and WOW they are spectacular. So will have 340 feet for the two of us (all with my saved from last year organic potatoes). I only plant YUKONS and REDS as that is all I like.
Also have 4 other beds done with lettuces, beet, carrots, kale and such. Full bed of garlic. Our workers who constructed and put in the beds saved about 1/3rd of our asparagus crowns so hopefully they will come up again. We got a little last year.
Plants started indoors will exceed anything I have ever attempted.
Covered all raised beds in straw last fall and so will have all new soil underneath. Using Ruth Stout method for plants but not for direct seeding. I move it asside and then drops seeds. When they come up enough I place the really great decomposed straw around the baby plants to prevent weeds. Didn't have enough last year but this year have plenty from ordering in 35 bales last fall.
Ok what are you all doing this year?
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Post by solargeek1 on Apr 19, 2020 11:07:47 GMT -7
cowgirlupYou do know you can buy bags of soil, cut a few drainage holes, flip it over and cut 'x's" in the bag and plant with impunity? I did 50 bags of soil (a pallet) when establishing my garden beds 15 years ago at that home. The weight of the bags (laid out in the form of the future beds) killed ALL WEEDS and at the end, I just took the bags, minus the crops and dumped them into the BEDS! Instant soil. Much smaller footprint than raised beds and you can talk him in anywhere there is sun
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Post by cowgirlup on Apr 19, 2020 15:39:38 GMT -7
I have about a 10x20 garden that's fenced in. I can't put bags anyplace that's not fenced or something will eat it.
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Post by woodyz on Apr 19, 2020 17:02:13 GMT -7
We just finished, we the wife did, planting our one raised bed, its cinder block 5 high, 15' wide and 25' long, it had comfey in it and I planted some tomatoe plants with the comfey, then she took over and went crazy.
I know it's not real big compared to some and not near as big as some but it's big enough for us.
So I know she dug up most of my comfey, the soil is amazing and I replanted some roots down at my compost heaps, she thought the roots were something that had just got in there and went crazy and she was digging them up and pulling them out. I explained that the leave cuttings I kept giving her in the five gallon buckets were from those plants but are now mostly gone. But I think some will grow this year and I will still have some, just not like I did, at least not this year.
I know at one time she knew what it was, but like I said before, she is getting old and forgets stuff, lot's of stuff.
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