The Endzone Garden Thread

[VolNExile]

I'm planning on building a raised garden bed this year since my house is a new build and the soil is complete chit (not in a good way). Anyone had luck with raised beds? Maybe share your design????

Call your local county extension service. If they’re like us, they have videos, help lines, and demonstration gardens, with lots of brains to pick for your local conditions.

Around here, we garden on heavy, urban clay. It’s fertile, and it’s not compacted like with new construction, but holy cow, it’s dense. The poor little seeds and seedlings have to fight to get their root systems going.

Will the raised bed be for vegetables, for annual flowers, or for perennials and shrubs? That can influence your design. For instance, I don’t use pressure-treated lumber for framed vegetable beds. I figure the untreated wood will probably be good for 5 or 6 years, which is fine with me. You can also frame with bricks, cinder blocks, etc. Or you can just have unframed raised beds - mounds of soil without hard edging, although over time they do spread out.

Unless you have NBA arms with NBA reach, try to keep the max width around 4’. It’s a PITA to reach and pick stuff in the middle without damaging things.

I didn’t fork up the native soil (clay) in my yard before creating beds, but this year I am just to help the transition. I just lightly fork the existing soil up a bit - not really turning it over, more aerating it with the garden fork.

I do no-till gardening, meaning I just pile compost, shredded wood chips, straw, chopped leaves etc on the ground and plant in that. Lots of compost (well-rotted, shouldn’t smell), and maybe add some blood meal (nitrogen) if there’s lots of wood to help it rot down faster. <— all this stuff falls in the category of “fancy dirt” or “bagged dirt,” because I don’t have a reliable source of clean and fertile top soil. When you’ve got the different stuff we’ll mixed together (plenty of compost!), you can plant straight in it.

Others till, I just don’t because annual weeds can explode when seeds get turned up, and it really destroys the mycorrhizal network, taking beds several months to recover to where they were. But many swear by it. Still, maybe read a bit about no-till gardening.

Some random pics from last year and year before:

 

[GVF]

I'm planning on building a raised garden bed this year since my house is a new build and the soil is complete chit (not in a good way). Anyone had luck with raised beds? Maybe share your design????

My brother has done very well with their raised beds. They grow most everything in them, except corn and okra. As far as design he used left over hardi plank from siding hte house for the walls and metal tube for support stakes. Every bed is rectangular, whatever size he needed. Wire fence trellis in middles for tomatoes, etc., if needed. for the green beans he does two raised troughs with I'd say a 5 foot path between. Arches cpvc over in several places and laid fence wire over that. A walk thru tunnel. The plants grow up and over, and hte beans hang down to pick from the inside. He has a small electric push mower he uses to cut all the paths. His garden production has been excellent since going this route. Even if you still have to buy material up front, the 6" hardi plank is economical verses cedar or redwood, and lasts very well. It is a cement board basically.

 

[GVF]

Call your local county extension service. If they’re like us, they have videos, help lines, and demonstration gardens, with lots of brains to pick for your local conditions.

Around here, we garden on heavy, urban clay. It’s fertile, and it’s not compacted like with new construction, but holy cow, it’s dense. The poor little seeds and seedlings have to fight to get their root systems going.

Will the raised bed be for vegetables, for annual flowers, or for perennials and shrubs? That can influence your design. For instance, I don’t use pressure-treated lumber for framed vegetable beds. I figure the untreated wood will probably be good for 5 or 6 years, which is fine with me. You can also frame with bricks, cinder blocks, etc. Or you can just have unframed raised beds - mounds of soil without hard edging, although over time they do spread out.

Unless you have NBA arms with NBA reach, try to keep the max width around 4’. It’s a PITA to reach and pick stuff in the middle without damaging things.

I didn’t fork up the native soil (clay) in my yard before creating beds, but this year I am just to help the transition. I just lightly fork the existing soil up a bit - not really turning it over, more aerating it with the garden fork.

I do no-till gardening, meaning I just pile compost, shredded wood chips, straw, chopped leaves etc on the ground and plant in that. Lots of compost (well-rotted, shouldn’t smell), and maybe add some blood meal (nitrogen) if there’s lots of wood to help it rot down faster. <— all this stuff falls in the category of “fancy dirt” or “bagged dirt,” because I don’t have a reliable source of clean and fertile top soil. When you’ve got the different stuff we’ll mixed together (plenty of compost!), you can plant straight in it.

Others till, I just don’t because annual weeds can explode when seeds get turned up, and it really destroys the mycorrhizal network, taking beds several months to recover to where they were. But many swear by it. Still, maybe read a bit about no-till gardening.

Some random pics from last year and year before:

View attachment 436754

View attachment 436756

View attachment 436753

Nice. With all hte close ups you always post, I'm happy to actually see some grass.

I haven't ditched the old way yet. I have a long rectangular garden with lots of open air and weeds, and my neigbor tractor tills it for me. I'l be spraying round up soon before he turns it over. Mine is atleast 20x80. Maybe 15x80. I mulch the tomatoes. I do space enough to control weeds with round up in most areas. Actually, it's probably too big for what I plant. If I tigthened up my planting, I'd probably take care of most weeding.

 

[VolNExile]

deleted, reposted below when this one initially didn’t show up

 

[VolNExile]

244 pages plus covers of Serious Garden Porn!

 

[GVF]

The ultimate dream is no grass!

And the veg beds are half the back yard anyway. Lol

Welcome to spring chaos. First day we’ve been able to get outside:

View attachment 436758

Might as well atleast bring it on over to the walk way. Leave a strip for the grill.

One good use for fresh picked zuchinni...Slice long ways in half. Hollow out just a little. Lay out some sliced fresh tomato on top and cover with parm cheese. Roast on grill about 10 minutes or so to your liking. So, you want the grill to still be close by.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

244 pages plus covers of Serious Garden Porn!

I planted some eggplant like the lighter purple variety in the center of that magazine last year. Eggplant is tricky to grow. I am going to try the green one below this year. I had much better success with the green ones in the past.

 

[VolNExile]

Nice. With all hte close ups you always post, I'm happy to actually see some grass.

I haven't ditched the old way yet. I have a long rectangular garden with lots of open air and weeds, and my neigbor tractor tills it for me. I'l be spraying round up soon before he turns it over. Mine is atleast 20x80. Maybe 15x80. I mulch the tomatoes. I do space enough to control weeds with round up in most areas. Actually, it's probably too big for what I plant. If I tigthened up my planting, I'd probably take care of most weeding.

Ultimate goal is no grass!

For perspective, the veg beds are more than half the bad yard.

Today’s the first day outside. Welcome to spring chaos!

 

[Orangeslice13]

Do you plant in fall or spring?

We try to grow year round

 

[Behr]

Zackery.

 

[GVF]

I planted some eggplant like the lighter purple variety in the center of that magazine last year. Eggplant is tricky to grow. I am going to try the green one below this year. I had much better success with the green ones in the past.

If your into cucumbers, I grew these last year with pretty good success:

 

[Orangeslice13]

Broccoli and Brussel sprouts in.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Hell yeah brother!

 

[GVF]

Broccoli and Brussel sprouts in. View attachment 436795

Nice. I was planning on doing brussell sprouts this fall. My son loves them.

Not to be picky though. I just imagined someone in your line of work would have had a straight wall on the raised bed.

Seeing ya'lls raised beds gives me an ides though. Maybe I'll do a couple for early or late plantings like this when the big garden isnt ready to till yet.

 

[Orangeslice13]

Nice. I was planning on doing brussell sprouts this fall. My son loves them.

Not to be picky though. I just imagined someone in your line of work would have had a straight wall on the raised bed.

Seeing ya'lls raised beds gives me an ides though. Maybe I'll do a couple for early or late plantings like this when the big garden isnt ready to till yet.

The red women likes them “imperfect”
We’ve moved them 3 times so now I just kinda throw them together as they will be relocated at some point. Lol

 

[VolNExile]

The red women likes them “imperfect”
We’ve moved them 3 times so now I just kinda throw them together as they will be relocated at some point. Lol

Good, you won’t have to avert your eyes when I post pics of ours (first one framed in today.)

And I like deliberately imperfect too. I fought hard-edged wood frames for two years before giving up. Don’t like the edges against the softness of the plants, but I’ll live. (And my back will be happier.)

 

[VolNExile]

I'm planning on building a raised garden bed this year since my house is a new build and the soil is complete chit (not in a good way). Anyone had luck with raised beds? Maybe share your design????

One way to do it with framed (lumber, logs, concrete block, bricks etc.; this is non-pressure treated 2x8):

1 - I worked up the existing soil with a garden fork. I didn’t lift the dirt and turn it over, as that exposes the seeds of annual weeds, leading to a lot of weeding, plus disturbs the mycorrhizal network that moves nutrients around in the soil. If you’re building raised beds on crap dirt (compacted construction stripped of native topsoil), you can skip this or postpone it a year:


2 - I spread 2-3 inches of wheatstraw over the forked-up native soil, and then spread some blood meal on the straw (straw served as a bit of a matrix to stabilize what comes next; blood meal provides nitrogen as the straw rots). Then water the straw.


3 - Then spread 4-5 inches or so of Fancy Dirt over the straw (some will filter down into the straw). This will be what you plant into.

 

[VolNExile]

4 - Said Fancy Dirt - what I use. Pete’s Planting Mix is mostly pine fines (organic finely shredded pine bark plus some composted cow manure), and the Pete’s Cow Manure is organic cow manure, duh. Look for an equivalent near you. Note: these don’t have added quick-release fertilizer.


5 - Spread out the fancy dirt with the back of a rake, trying to avoid bringing up all the straw. Water well. Firm it down (walking on it is fine - you can’t compact this stuff):


6 - Plant directly into the top four inches or so of Fancy Dirt, and press down so the seeds make good contact with the soil. Add plant labels - you WILL forget what you planted where. The FD, straw, and worked-up native soil will settle over time, and you can top it up with another bag or two if it looks useful. Seedlings adapt pretty easily to additional soil within reason.

 

[bigorangewildcat]

Planted broccoli,brussel sprouts,cauliflower,cabbage,onions,lettuce,and spinach on Sunday.Going to get cold this weekend.

 

[Behr]

I bought a pack (30) of Tabasco Pepper seeds. I'm gonna plant those along with my superhots Saturday.

My ones from last year are still producing and blooming. Go figure.

 

[VolNExile]

I bought a pack (30) of Tabasco Pepper seeds. I'm gonna plant those along with my superhots Saturday.

My ones from last year are still producing and blooming. Go figure.

You’re right in their favorite climate! (at least in terms of temperature)

Meanwhile I start mine inside, keep growing them on heat mats, cover the soil where they’ll wind up with black plastic to heat things out, and plant them outside around Memorial Day.

Good luck with your lethal guys! 🌶🌶🌶

 

[Tin Man]

Don’t know what these are named. Only the second time they’ve bloomed in 12 years.

 

[Tin Man]

 

[Orangeslice13]

Good, you won’t have to avert your eyes when I post pics of ours (first one framed in today.)

And I like deliberately imperfect too. I fought hard-edged wood frames for two years before giving up. Don’t like the edges against the softness of the plants, but I’ll live. (And my back will be happier.)

I’ve built another bed out of scrap lumber. Complete with fencing to keep dogs out. Lol

 

[Orangeslice13]

Have not stained it yet and temporarily screwed old deck boards too it to prevent dogs, but here is the potatoes bin.