Raised Bed Gardening

Mooseherder · March 09, 2009, 09:40:55 PM

Got Inspired by some pictures of gardening using raised beds.

I think Jeff posted them last season. Our soil here in South Florida is sugar sand and all though may grow some vegetables, I opted to haul some Top soil from a Nursery. The wood has been in the garage taking up space for long enough and time to put it to use. I am figuring our season is best now until June. It is too hot past June. Seem to have got some good seed with great germination percentages.

My next project is to screen them in to protect from bugs, snakes and heavy rain(if it ever rains again :

)
Posted a 2 minute video on youtube instead of pictures. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQFsZll6iF4

DanG · March 09, 2009, 11:27:10 PM

Thanks for posting movies instead of pics, Glenn. Now I won't have to look at them. ;) ;D :D :D :D

That topsoil will help a lot. I've grown some really nice gardens in sugar sand, by adding oak leaves to it...bunches and bunches of oak leaves. Just cruise the neighborhoods and pick'em up by the bagfull. Start by using them for mulch around your plants, then dig more of them in during the off-season. You will soon have soil that you wouldn't have believed possible.

WDH · March 09, 2009, 11:45:41 PM

Glenn,

That is quite the ambitious project. If I was a plant, I would want to grow in that soil! Keep us posted on the progress and the tastiness ;D.

fishpharmer · March 10, 2009, 05:17:31 AM

Thanks. cool video.

Need updates every week. ;D

Looks like you might have to do some thinning to reduce your basal area

as WDH would say :D ;D ;D

8)

WDH · March 10, 2009, 09:21:48 PM

8)

Roxie · March 10, 2009, 09:43:47 PM

Nice looking beds! This year we're looking for a haywagon to use for our raised beds. We put pole beans to grow up the deck rails.

We're gonna need at least bi-weekly updates!

Mooseherder · March 10, 2009, 09:50:22 PM

Beans sure do grow fast. :D
DanG, you sure people ain't gonna mind me stopping by to rake up their leaves? :D

Got a Fire Ant problem already in the center bed. Gotta be careful how this'il play out.
They tore me up when I stepped on some of the little rascals while weed wacking. :(
My ankles aren't very purty right now. >:(

I put some of them poison sugar drops on pieces of cardboard. They all gather around the drops like cattle.
Fire Ants need to die! This is War.

Patty · March 13, 2009, 09:50:01 AM

We have 4 raised beds in our garden now and hope to add more as time goes by. We find them much easier to work all the way from planting, weeding and harvesting. My plan is to someday have all the vegetables except sweet corn, potatoes and the big vines like winter squash & pumpkins grown in raised beds.

Nice video, Moose! ;)

olyman · March 13, 2009, 11:48:41 AM

.
Fire Ants need to die! This is War.
[/quote] :D. :D. :D.

Mooseherder · March 13, 2009, 04:19:37 PM

Thanks Patty. My wife picked up another load of Top soil for the 4th bed.
Guess what I'll be doing later. :D
Waiting till dark because it is too hot. :

Patty · March 13, 2009, 05:05:50 PM

I will send you some cold weather Moose....it was 3°F this morning when we came to work. :

Tony · March 14, 2009, 07:59:38 PM

Quote from: Mooseherder on March 10, 2009, 09:50:22 PM

Got a Fire Ant problem already in the center bed. Gotta be careful how this'il play out.

We've got the same problem.

Can't use the sprinkle\pour on poisons. Any suggestions :

:

Tony 8)

Mooseherder · March 14, 2009, 08:22:58 PM

I've been using some drops on the tops of the side boards that kill ants. Also put some drops on cardboard to start with. Have since removed them. They gather around and feed around the drop like cattle.
I didn't see as many of the bed tonight. Hopefully it is working.

pineywoods · March 14, 2009, 10:08:13 PM

re: fire ants in the garden.. Poison sweet stuff justs kills a few of the workers. The only way to get did of the buggers is to give them something they will take back to the nest and feed the queen. Best stuff I have found is a grayish white powder called heptachlor. Half a teaspoon full on the mound and they are DEAD. I found out about the stuff from the phone co. linemen. They use it to kill the fire ants in their terminal boxes.

Radar67 · March 14, 2009, 10:21:35 PM

Pineywoods, only problem with heptachlor is it was banned in 1988, by the EPA, from all use except by the power companies. That would make it very hard to get.

Mooseherder · March 14, 2009, 10:32:19 PM

Got a couple pictures of the progress.

Mooseherder · March 17, 2009, 05:53:56 PM

First place I go to when the work clothes comes off is the Garden. Here is a little update.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eht1gfgJGzE

Burlkraft · March 17, 2009, 07:03:14 PM

Geez Glenn.....I was kinda happy today that all the snow has melted from my garden and I can see dirt :

:

All yer friends are gonna hate you when them zucchini start producin'

Yer gonna be drownin' in 'em :D :D

Mooseherder · March 17, 2009, 07:38:29 PM

Quote from: Burlkraft on March 17, 2009, 07:03:14 PM
Geez Glenn.....I was kinda happy today that all the snow has melted from my garden and I can see dirt : : :
All yer friends are gonna hate you when them zucchini start producin'
Yer gonna be drownin' in 'em :D :D

I heard tell you Wisconsonites got some folks in an uproar over your new State slogan. ;D

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_re_us/rebranding_wisconsin

Burlkraft · March 17, 2009, 08:24:35 PM

Yeah......That's real clever :

:

They actually paid someone to come up with that lame slogan >:( >:( >:(

I want my money back :D :D :D

Jeff · March 17, 2009, 10:40:29 PM

They coulda saved some money and stimulated the economy at the same time by simply going down to all the piggly wigglies, buying cases of a certain product, peeled the labels and stuck them on all the stop signs around the state.

Mooseherder · March 17, 2009, 11:02:17 PM

Ya, Dats a good motto dare dat one "Live like you mean it"
More better dan before da old one "Life's So Good." eh? ;D

trapper · March 18, 2009, 10:57:37 AM

our governor is a real expert at wasting my money He also wants to raise background check cost four hundred percent for an honest person to buy a gun and then let crininals out of prison early.

Mooseherder · April 11, 2009, 10:53:14 AM

A little Garden update. The Bean Bed is having some issues with Fire Ants. Looks like they are eating the leaves and sprouts as some are looking bad while others may be just fine. They maybe thinning the herd for me.

The Cantalope Bed has to be replanted because when I transplanted from the Cups it exposed the roots and I don't think they liked being transplanted. The Watermellons started after the Cantalopes are doing great and from starting right in the bed looks like the way to go. I bought another package of Cantalope seed to try again.
The carrots, cucumbers, zuccini, onions are doing good for now.

The Tomatoes started in the Bed aren't doing well either. The ones started in Cups inside are doing great. We transplanted them in Pots instead of the bed for another experiment later. We have about 10 of these pots.

Jeff · April 11, 2009, 11:01:59 AM

I'll have to post a picture of my new vegetable trellis i'm going to use for one of my raised gardens this year. When I look at it, I see the perfect trellis. I've got a sneakin felling when my neighbors look at it, all they see is what is left of the old set of box springs I threw on a bonfire last fall. :D