The Garden is IN...

[RolandDeschain]

We got our garden in this week. I finally got tired of dealing with all the rocks in our soil so last year I went to raised beds. Worked out so well that this year I added 2 more beds. We have planted strawberries, lettuce, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and zucchini. Behind the garden is my little backyard orchard, mainly apples but with a few pears trees and one peach. (I started a larger orchard this year up on my mountain place but its still a work in progress.) I have already sprayed the apple trees for cedar apple rust, which is a big problem around here. (and also a strong argument against evolution, IMO, a fungus species with a 2 year life cycle requiring 2 very different but specific conifer and decidious species could never invent itself...) Wife also has some rhubarb planted and is coming up, Really like the raised beds - no more tilling, weeding is a snap, and much easier to keep the soil quality up. (because our soil is pretty bad)

Critters are a concern, but I have a 2 shift security patrol. I have one cat that sleeps inside all day, goes out in the evening, and comes back again in the morning, while another one spends all night inside but spends all day on backyard patrol. They are a terror in the rabbits and squirrels, while both the garden and orchard are within an easy crossbow shot from a couple of windows for the larger pests... : :wink:

 

[BDM1]

That looks great, our soil is the same, need a hammer and chisel to work it. What kind of wood did you use, and is it holding up well?

 

[RolandDeschain]

I used treated lumber so its holding up fine. Gotta be sure to reinforce the corners on the inside good though or the bottoms try to pull out on you over time.

 

[gramps]

Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The beds look GREAT.
gramps

 

[toysoldier]

The best commercial product I've found for breaking up and enriching soil is 'Back to Nature' brand composted cotton hull. This is a Kansas product, but there are other brands. It's hydrophilic, unlike peat moss, and acts as a mild fertilizer. Also, I burn shrub and tree trimmings, putting out the fire before it is all ash. The charcoal I recover is crushed and spaded into the soil. This is what Amazonian tribes did to convert nutrient-poor rainforest soil into rich garden plots. Finally, I save coffee grounds and egg shells. I toss them in a cake pan in the oven, where they are thoroughly desiccated when I warm up the oven. Then I put them through my old Waring blender. I figure the acidity of the coffee grounds help break down the calcium in the shells, which also neutralizes some of the acidity. It's a great addition to potting soil, too.

 

[smoke-eater]

I built raised beds this year. Moles and voles have been tearing up the garden in the past few years. I put down a layer of galvanized 1/4" 'hardware cloth' (always called it rat wire), before filling the beds with topsoil. Hopefully it will at least slow the little varmints down.