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Posted: 4/1/2014 8:11:54 AM EDT
[#1]
I completely thought this was a Boston Garden thread.
What state/climate do you live in? |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 8:41:23 AM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I completely thought this was a Boston Garden thread.
What state/climate do you live in?  - that didn't occur to me until you mentioned it.
I live in Vermont. Currently still frozen over - so much for spring. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 9:12:26 AM EDT
[#3]
Alright, let's kick this thing off.
Spring mix on the left, and romaine on the right. 
Half of the tomato plants. 
Beans. 
Top left to bottom right: Jalapenos, sweet peppers, beans, tomatoes, spring mix lettuce, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and the other half of the tomatoes. 
Future location of the garden... I assume the previous owners had a garden here. I'll do some repairs on the fence and test the soil if it ever thaws. 
I'm debating whether or not I should add more plants, more variety... or if this will be a good enough. I will be transplanting to bigger pots this weekend. Seeds are all High Mowing seeds using Miracle Grow 'Seed Starting' mix. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 2:20:35 PM EDT
[#4]
If this is your first shot at this - plant as many different varieties as possible. Once you find out what grows well in your area stick with that. It may take a few years but if you don't try you will never know. Break up a separate smaller plot of you have room for additional test plants in future years. Different varieties of almost everything come out every year. Get a few and plant em. Most of all - HAVE FUN !!!! Good move on the soil test.
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Posted: 4/1/2014 2:56:30 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If this is your first shot at this - plant as many different varieties as possible. Once you find out what grows well in your area stick with that. It may take a few years but if you don't try you will never know. Break up a separate smaller plot of you have room for additional test plants in future years. Different varieties of almost everything come out every year. Get a few and plant em. Most of all - HAVE FUN !!!! Good move on the soil test. I have plenty of room for more plots. I just don't want to get myself into a position where I don't have the time to tend to a huge garden... I will try to plant a wider variety but those probably wont be started indoors. I may pick up some seedlings and see how they do. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 4:48:31 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have plenty of room for more plots. I just don't want to get myself into a position where I don't have the time to tend to a huge garden... I will try to plant a wider variety but those probably wont be started indoors. I may pick up some seedlings and see how they do. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
If this is your first shot at this - plant as many different varieties as possible. Once you find out what grows well in your area stick with that. It may take a few years but if you don't try you will never know. Break up a separate smaller plot of you have room for additional test plants in future years. Different varieties of almost everything come out every year. Get a few and plant em. Most of all - HAVE FUN !!!! Good move on the soil test. I have plenty of room for more plots. I just don't want to get myself into a position where I don't have the time to tend to a huge garden... I will try to plant a wider variety but those probably wont be started indoors. I may pick up some seedlings and see how they do. Be careful then - this shit gets addicting real fast if you enjoy it. I'm getting kinda 'long in the tooth' nowdays and I only plant a few acres but love every minute I spend in my garden. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 5:22:34 PM EDT
[#7]
Looks like you are off to a good start.
I will also start a thread about my garden as I have moved over the winter and have to start from scratch. Last weekend I started some seeds and mapped out the locations for my vegetable garden as well as my fruit garden. The main vegetable garden will start out at 100'x100' which is almost double the size of my previous garden. Fruit garden is still in the planning stage but will consist of 2 or 3 rows of each (Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries). Each row will probably be around 50' - 100' so I should eventually be able to get a sizeable crop of fruit. Good luck and keep posting updates. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 5:45:36 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Looks like you are off to a good start. I will also start a thread about my garden as I have moved over the winter and have to start from scratch. Last weekend I started some seeds and mapped out the locations for my vegetable garden as well as my fruit garden. The main vegetable garden will start out at 100'x100' which is almost double the size of my previous garden. Fruit garden is still in the planning stage but will consist of 2 or 3 rows of each (Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries). Each row will probably be around 50' - 100' so I should eventually be able to get a sizeable crop of fruit. Good luck and keep posting updates. Wow. That's big. I've ordered 3 apple trees I am going to add to the small collection of apples and pear trees I already have. Fruit, other than apples and pears, will be something to think about in the future for sure. I have a feeling that next year my garden will be much bigger. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 6:00:05 PM EDT
[#9]
In - I love a good garden thread. BTW, your seedlings are begging for more light.
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Posted: 4/1/2014 6:43:11 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
In - I love a good garden thread. BTW, your seedlings are begging for more light. I know they are, I just don't have the windows for growing inside. Hopefully the weather will improve soon. |
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Posted: 4/1/2014 8:16:09 PM EDT
[#11]
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Posted: 4/1/2014 9:43:10 PM EDT
[#12]
Looks like I'm going to need to get more seeds.
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Posted: 4/2/2014 1:14:41 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I know they are, I just don't have the windows for growing inside. Hopefully the weather will improve soon. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
In - I love a good garden thread. BTW, your seedlings are begging for more light. I know they are, I just don't have the windows for growing inside. Hopefully the weather will improve soon. Pick up a couple of shop lights at the hardware store, and hang 'em down as close as you can to the plants - almost touching. It'll be a lot better than a window. A small fan blowing on the plants occasionally will help strengthen the stems, and also helps prevent damping off. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 5:45:15 AM EDT
[#14]
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 12:22:29 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. 8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 12:39:13 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. 8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. 
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Posted: 4/2/2014 1:10:15 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. 8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. Haha! I know it! I was told that I need to take it slow though.
What's a 'Co Ext Office'? 
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Posted: 4/2/2014 1:25:44 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Haha! I know it! I was told that I need to take it slow though.
What's a 'Co Ext Office'? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. 8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. Haha! I know it! I was told that I need to take it slow though.
What's a 'Co Ext Office'? Slow is for suckers.
County extension office. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 1:28:05 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Slow is for suckers.
County extension office. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. 8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. Haha! I know it! I was told that I need to take it slow though.
What's a 'Co Ext Office'? Slow is for suckers.
County extension office. Haha ok thanks, I'll look into that. I know, slow is for suckers, I just don't want to do more than I can keep up with. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 1:53:40 PM EDT
[#20]
Companion planting and square foot gardening will help with alot of the maintenance.
You will mainly only water and keep the bad bugs out. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 2:20:02 PM EDT
[#21]
I have begun researching companion gardening which was something I never thought about before. Thank you for that.
I'm leaning towards constructing raised beds. Is there a type of wood I should shy away from? Any particular way I should construct them? |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 2:55:38 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Congrats on the new addiction.
It looks like you're off to a good start. +1 on some lights and a fan for the seedlings. Don't forget to plant according to the way the sun moves across the garden. Some will be taller and you don't want to shade the others. What's the gardens dimensions? It looks abought 8ft x 20ft. 8X20 sounds about right. There's another plot to the left of this one that's buried under the snow that isn't fenced in and is about the same size. I'm not sure what I'll do with that - unless I decide I need to expand this year. I'll look into lights this weekend when I start transplanting to bigger pots. I was actually thinking about the location of the plants in regard to the sun recently. The way I'm facing in the picture of the 'garden' is pretty much directly north and there is nothing around to shade the garden. So, I think planting the taller plants like the beans etc on the left side (west side) would allow maximum sun exposure. Any suggestions on soil tests? On the soil test you can buy a kit or send it off to your local co ext office. You're gonna need a bigger garden. I hate to say this is funny - but - Bruins, this is funny as shit. We've all been there. You will need a bigger garden. You will find so much you want to plant it is unreal. To paraphrase a line from a movie ( paraphrase because of my CRS) - This will get out of hand quickly................ ETA - Good Luck - post pictures |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 2:56:53 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have begun researching companion gardening which was something I never thought about before. Thank you for that. I'm leaning towards constructing raised beds. Is there a type of wood I should shy away from? Any particular way I should construct them? Construct them to your liking. I did four foot wide because I can walk inbetween them and still get to the center. For wood, I can't think of one to stay away from. All pressure treated wood today is good to use. If you are looking at canning you need to maximize the output in the space that you have. Also check out the internet for ideas on how to build the beds. I would suggest 2" thick lumber with 4"x4" post set no less than 8" deep. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 3:27:08 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Construct them to your liking. I did four foot wide because I can walk inbetween them and still get to the center. For wood, I can't think of one to stay away from. All pressure treated wood today is good to use. If you are looking at canning you need to maximize the output in the space that you have. Also check out the internet for ideas on how to build the beds. I would suggest 2" thick lumber with 4"x4" post set no less than 8" deep. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I have begun researching companion gardening which was something I never thought about before. Thank you for that. I'm leaning towards constructing raised beds. Is there a type of wood I should shy away from? Any particular way I should construct them? Construct them to your liking. I did four foot wide because I can walk inbetween them and still get to the center. For wood, I can't think of one to stay away from. All pressure treated wood today is good to use. If you are looking at canning you need to maximize the output in the space that you have. Also check out the internet for ideas on how to build the beds. I would suggest 2" thick lumber with 4"x4" post set no less than 8" deep. I'll have to research that some more. I'll need to get them built and in the ground shortly... as soon as things thaw out a bit. I think I am going to have to fence in another portion. I'll have to work on the spacing of the plants to figure out how much room I will need. Maybe do 3-4'x8' raised beds and expand the fencing. I'll have to measure the fenced in portion to get a more accurate figure. I haven't started that many plants: I have 32 Tomato plants started (I assumed I'd murder a few when transplanting), 8 beans, 8 cherry tomatoes, 8 hot pepper, 8 'king of the north' sweet pepper, and the lettuce. I may visit the local garden store and pick up some more variety, looks like I'm going to have a bigger garden than I anticipated.  .
The space isn't the issue. I could have 100 raised beds and still have room to play. I'm more worried about not biting off more than I can chew the first go-around. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 4:02:15 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'll have to research that some more. I'll need to get them built and in the ground shortly... as soon as things thaw out a bit. I think I am going to have to fence in another portion. I'll have to work on the spacing of the plants to figure out how much room I will need. Maybe do 3-4'x8' raised beds and expand the fencing. I'll have to measure the fenced in portion to get a more accurate figure. I haven't started that many plants: I have 32 Tomato plants started (I assumed I'd murder a few when transplanting), 8 beans, 8 cherry tomatoes, 8 hot pepper, 8 'king of the north' sweet pepper, and the lettuce. I may visit the local garden store and pick up some more variety, looks like I'm going to have a bigger garden than I anticipated. .
The space isn't the issue. I could have 100 raised beds and still have room to play. I'm more worried about not biting off more than I can chew the first go-around. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have begun researching companion gardening which was something I never thought about before. Thank you for that. I'm leaning towards constructing raised beds. Is there a type of wood I should shy away from? Any particular way I should construct them? Construct them to your liking. I did four foot wide because I can walk inbetween them and still get to the center. For wood, I can't think of one to stay away from. All pressure treated wood today is good to use. If you are looking at canning you need to maximize the output in the space that you have. Also check out the internet for ideas on how to build the beds. I would suggest 2" thick lumber with 4"x4" post set no less than 8" deep. I'll have to research that some more. I'll need to get them built and in the ground shortly... as soon as things thaw out a bit. I think I am going to have to fence in another portion. I'll have to work on the spacing of the plants to figure out how much room I will need. Maybe do 3-4'x8' raised beds and expand the fencing. I'll have to measure the fenced in portion to get a more accurate figure. I haven't started that many plants: I have 32 Tomato plants started (I assumed I'd murder a few when transplanting), 8 beans, 8 cherry tomatoes, 8 hot pepper, 8 'king of the north' sweet pepper, and the lettuce. I may visit the local garden store and pick up some more variety, looks like I'm going to have a bigger garden than I anticipated. .
The space isn't the issue. I could have 100 raised beds and still have room to play. I'm more worried about not biting off more than I can chew the first go-around. We harvested almost all of our tomatoes last year from only 12 plants. Those were in one 4' x 16' bed. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 4:16:18 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We harvested almost all of our tomatoes last year from only 12 plants. Those were in one 4' x 16' bed. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have begun researching companion gardening which was something I never thought about before. Thank you for that. I'm leaning towards constructing raised beds. Is there a type of wood I should shy away from? Any particular way I should construct them? Construct them to your liking. I did four foot wide because I can walk inbetween them and still get to the center. For wood, I can't think of one to stay away from. All pressure treated wood today is good to use. If you are looking at canning you need to maximize the output in the space that you have. Also check out the internet for ideas on how to build the beds. I would suggest 2" thick lumber with 4"x4" post set no less than 8" deep. I'll have to research that some more. I'll need to get them built and in the ground shortly... as soon as things thaw out a bit. I think I am going to have to fence in another portion. I'll have to work on the spacing of the plants to figure out how much room I will need. Maybe do 3-4'x8' raised beds and expand the fencing. I'll have to measure the fenced in portion to get a more accurate figure. I haven't started that many plants: I have 32 Tomato plants started (I assumed I'd murder a few when transplanting), 8 beans, 8 cherry tomatoes, 8 hot pepper, 8 'king of the north' sweet pepper, and the lettuce. I may visit the local garden store and pick up some more variety, looks like I'm going to have a bigger garden than I anticipated. .
The space isn't the issue. I could have 100 raised beds and still have room to play. I'm more worried about not biting off more than I can chew the first go-around. We harvested almost all of our tomatoes last year from only 12 plants. Those were in one 4' x 16' bed. Yeah I think I started too many but I have no idea how many will make it. I don't know how well this particular type will do/how much it will produce. This is all very new to me so it'll take a lot of trial and error to get things just right. I think I should transplant them into bigger pots but I've been told not to worry about that for a while. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 5:45:52 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yeah I think I started too many but I have no idea how many will make it. I don't know how well this particular type will do/how much it will produce. This is all very new to me so it'll take a lot of trial and error to get things just right. I think I should transplant them into bigger pots but I've been told not to worry about that for a while. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I have begun researching companion gardening which was something I never thought about before. Thank you for that. I'm leaning towards constructing raised beds. Is there a type of wood I should shy away from? Any particular way I should construct them? Construct them to your liking. I did four foot wide because I can walk inbetween them and still get to the center. For wood, I can't think of one to stay away from. All pressure treated wood today is good to use. If you are looking at canning you need to maximize the output in the space that you have. Also check out the internet for ideas on how to build the beds. I would suggest 2" thick lumber with 4"x4" post set no less than 8" deep. I'll have to research that some more. I'll need to get them built and in the ground shortly... as soon as things thaw out a bit. I think I am going to have to fence in another portion. I'll have to work on the spacing of the plants to figure out how much room I will need. Maybe do 3-4'x8' raised beds and expand the fencing. I'll have to measure the fenced in portion to get a more accurate figure. I haven't started that many plants: I have 32 Tomato plants started (I assumed I'd murder a few when transplanting), 8 beans, 8 cherry tomatoes, 8 hot pepper, 8 'king of the north' sweet pepper, and the lettuce. I may visit the local garden store and pick up some more variety, looks like I'm going to have a bigger garden than I anticipated. .
The space isn't the issue. I could have 100 raised beds and still have room to play. I'm more worried about not biting off more than I can chew the first go-around. We harvested almost all of our tomatoes last year from only 12 plants. Those were in one 4' x 16' bed. Yeah I think I started too many but I have no idea how many will make it. I don't know how well this particular type will do/how much it will produce. This is all very new to me so it'll take a lot of trial and error to get things just right. I think I should transplant them into bigger pots but I've been told not to worry about that for a while. Wait until they get their first set of true leaves. Hereis a thread that I started last year about my gardens. You will see that I put down a lot of hardwood mulch in both of my gardens. This helped a lot with controlling water and made weeding virtually non existent. It works really well and I will be doing the same thing this year on a much bigger scale. |
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Posted: 4/2/2014 5:47:49 PM EDT
[#28]
Double post
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Posted: 4/2/2014 6:30:41 PM EDT
[#29]
Wow, nice garden.
I'll look into getting mulch too. I usually re-mulch my trees so maybe I can get some extra and cover the raised beds with it. I really like what you did with the solo cups, I think that might be a cost-effective thing for me to do as well. I'll take your advice and wait until the leafs come. I've read a few articles online about raised beds and I actually kind of like the idea of 4'x4' beds, we'll see what happens when I price everything out. I'd like to see how your garden turns out this year! |
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Posted: 4/3/2014 10:28:53 AM EDT
[#30]
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Posted: 4/5/2014 4:57:04 PM EDT
[#32]
Nice Job.
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Posted: 4/8/2014 2:07:12 PM EDT
[#33]
Semi-update:
I think I have decided that I will not build raised beds this year. I think I will till in some compost and give it a go. The existing allocated garden space will have to be increased 3-4x to accommodate the variety I want. The expense of buying tools, the wood etc. is a lot for me at this point. If I am successful then maybe next year I will go all out. I am in the process of getting a few blueberry and strawberry plants (I hear having at least two is a must, cross-pollination etc.) In need of suggestions for the blueberry/strawberry plants: I have heard that planting them in cement cinder blocks helps with creating more heat for the plant? Should I go that route or should I just put them in the ground? Any sage advice from veteran gardeners? |
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Posted: 4/8/2014 3:59:59 PM EDT
[#34]
Make sure you get the right blueberry plants for your area. Don't go to lowes/home depot/walmart. They do large bulk purchases and sell whatevers cheapest, then ship the same plants nationwide, usually not what's correct for your zone. For the two varities make sure they overlap thier blooming season. A local nursery should carry the correct cultivars and be able to recommend two that will cross bloom.
For strawberries, don't plant them in the ground unless you want to lose the majority of your crop to slugs, bugs, and mold. Do a strawberry tower or something similar. If you want fresh strawberries to eat buy Everbearing, if you want strawberries to make jam with grow June bearing. The difference is Everbearing set fruit all summer a little at a time, June Bearing set fruit all at once and usually crop heavily during a 4-5 week period so you'll have larger batches to process. |
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Posted: 4/8/2014 5:18:23 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Make sure you get the right blueberry plants for your area. Don't go to lowes/home depot/walmart. They do large bulk purchases and sell whatevers cheapest, then ship the same plants nationwide, usually not what's correct for your zone. For the two varities make sure they overlap thier blooming season. A local nursery should carry the correct cultivars and be able to recommend two that will cross bloom. For strawberries, don't plant them in the ground unless you want to lose the majority of your crop to slugs, bugs, and mold. Do a strawberry tower or something similar. If you want fresh strawberries to eat buy Everbearing, if you want strawberries to make jam with grow June bearing. The difference is Everbearing set fruit all summer a little at a time, June Bearing set fruit all at once and usually crop heavily during a 4-5 week period so you'll have larger batches to process. Good advice, thank you. I will go to the local garden store this weekend and inquire about what is best for my area. |
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Posted: 4/17/2014 4:46:59 PM EDT
[#36]
So. I think I have decided to construct some raised beds. I'm thinking 4x4 posts for the corners and two 2"x6"x8' stacked to equal 12" of depth.
I'm not super handy but I think I can manage it. If I build two of those that should get me started (may require 3 or 4 ). The start up is a lot but it should last years and make gardening easier.
I've decided that I'm going to look into adding a few blueberry and strawberry plants... possibly even blackberry or black raspberry. I have the space to do as much as I want I just want to make sure I have the time to keep up with it all. |
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Posted: 4/18/2014 3:43:50 AM EDT
[#37]
Don't forget good screws and don't forget to pre drill near the ends of the boards. No matter what type of screw you are using.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_323960-1278-LP212STT5_0__?productId=3240874&Ntt=deck+screws&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Ddeck%2Bscrews&facetInfo= |
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Posted: 4/18/2014 1:17:39 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Don't forget good screws and don't forget to pre drill near the ends of the boards. No matter what type of screw you are using. http://www.lowes.com/pd_323960-1278-LP212STT5_0__?productId=3240874&Ntt=deck+screws&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Ddeck%2Bscrews&facetInfo= Absolutely. That's the plan. I think I'll construct them upside down and then just dig out holes for the corner posts and drop them in. I'm not going to worry too much about how level they are as long as soil isn't spilling out over the edge or out of the bottom. I don't really have the resources to put up a large fence like you did Dimmu so I think I'll think I'll throw up some chicken wire and stakes around the beds. I've heard of people putting netting on the bottom of their beds to keep burrowing critters out. It's something to consider but I don't think I'll run into much of an issue. This week I'll do some research and talk to some local garden centers about the berry bushes... |
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Posted: 4/18/2014 2:48:45 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Absolutely. That's the plan. I think I'll construct them upside down and then just dig out holes for the corner posts and drop them in. I'm not going to worry too much about how level they are as long as soil isn't spilling out over the edge or out of the bottom. I don't really have the resources to put up a large fence like you did Dimmu so I think I'll think I'll throw up some chicken wire and stakes around the beds. I've heard of people putting netting on the bottom of their beds to keep burrowing critters out. It's something to consider but I don't think I'll run into much of an issue. This week I'll do some research and talk to some local garden centers about the berry bushes... Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Don't forget good screws and don't forget to pre drill near the ends of the boards. No matter what type of screw you are using. http://www.lowes.com/pd_323960-1278-LP212STT5_0__?productId=3240874&Ntt=deck+screws&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Ddeck%2Bscrews&facetInfo= Absolutely. That's the plan. I think I'll construct them upside down and then just dig out holes for the corner posts and drop them in. I'm not going to worry too much about how level they are as long as soil isn't spilling out over the edge or out of the bottom. I don't really have the resources to put up a large fence like you did Dimmu so I think I'll think I'll throw up some chicken wire and stakes around the beds. I've heard of people putting netting on the bottom of their beds to keep burrowing critters out. It's something to consider but I don't think I'll run into much of an issue. This week I'll do some research and talk to some local garden centers about the berry bushes... While the soil doesn't necessarily have to follow the depth of the bed, it's still nice to have everything nice and level when it comes to watering. Starting with a level bed, it's easy to make furrows that will let water soak in without running off immediately. Even soaker hoses have problems if there's much of a slope to deal with at all. A little time spent getting things level while building the beds may turn into something you're thankful for later on.
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Posted: 4/18/2014 3:25:15 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
While the soil doesn't necessarily have to follow the depth of the bed, it's still nice to have everything nice and level when it comes to watering. Starting with a level bed, it's easy to make furrows that will let water soak in without running off immediately. Even soaker hoses have problems if there's much of a slope to deal with at all. A little time spent getting things level while building the beds may turn into something you're thankful for later on.
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Don't forget good screws and don't forget to pre drill near the ends of the boards. No matter what type of screw you are using. http://www.lowes.com/pd_323960-1278-LP212STT5_0__?productId=3240874&Ntt=deck+screws&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Ddeck%2Bscrews&facetInfo= Absolutely. That's the plan. I think I'll construct them upside down and then just dig out holes for the corner posts and drop them in. I'm not going to worry too much about how level they are as long as soil isn't spilling out over the edge or out of the bottom. I don't really have the resources to put up a large fence like you did Dimmu so I think I'll think I'll throw up some chicken wire and stakes around the beds. I've heard of people putting netting on the bottom of their beds to keep burrowing critters out. It's something to consider but I don't think I'll run into much of an issue. This week I'll do some research and talk to some local garden centers about the berry bushes... While the soil doesn't necessarily have to follow the depth of the bed, it's still nice to have everything nice and level when it comes to watering. Starting with a level bed, it's easy to make furrows that will let water soak in without running off immediately. Even soaker hoses have problems if there's much of a slope to deal with at all. A little time spent getting things level while building the beds may turn into something you're thankful for later on.
Alright... fine...
I might as well put forth a little more effort if I'm going to go this far... |
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Posted: 4/19/2014 1:33:19 PM EDT
[#41]
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Posted: 4/21/2014 2:16:24 PM EDT
[#42]
Lookin' good! Can't wait to see the results!
Best of luck from Dimmu's Ball and Chain. |
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Posted: 4/25/2014 1:13:21 PM EDT
[#44]
I'm thinking about adding another 2x6 to make the beds 12" tall. Would it behoove me to make them 12" tall over 6"?
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Posted: 4/25/2014 1:48:33 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm thinking about adding another 2x6 to make the beds 12" tall. Would it behoove me to make them 12" tall over 6"? I did that. I think most designs are 12" tall and it would help for carrots, potatoes, and anything that likes deep roots. They'll actually be 11" tall.
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