Ambitious certified black thumb- I’m in over my head SOS pls send help

[campingshaws]

Saw this on Facebook today. Any thoughts? Might help me expand “beds” if I can’t get a tiller.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Saw this on Facebook today. Any thoughts? Might help me expand “beds” if I can’t get a tiller.
View attachment 1268555

I think i would use some boards to close in the ends or even add wider boards and raise them up more. I would still dig up and amend the soil.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't see much benefit of using the pallets. They would provide opportunity for slugs, ear wigs, mice, voles and other undesireable creepy crawlies to hide out, also be hard to adequately fill with soil. Instead, I'd salvage the lumber from the pallets, and use it to frame up raised beds. However, I think raised beds, at least in the traditional sense are highly over rated. People build raised beds simply b/c it became a popular thing to do, when their actual environment may not even indicate that raised beds are beneficial.

Raised beds are helpful where: The existing soil is shallow, full of rocks, the garden is sitting on ledge, there is poor drainage, copious amounts of rain.

Raised beds can be made without having any structural framing at all!

Raised beds may actually be contra-indicated where there is good soil, soil structure is good, drainage is good, or the climate is dry.

On the other hand, those pallet beds provide little opportunity for weeds to sprout between the "rows" of veggies!

Try it, but don't limit your entire garden to that method, and report back about how well it worked!

 

[campingshaws]

I don't see much benefit of using the pallets. They would provide opportunity for slugs, ear wigs, mice, voles and other undesireable creepy crawlies to hide out, also be hard to adequately fill with soil. Instead, I'd salvage the lumber from the pallets, and use it to frame up raised beds. However, I think raised beds, at least in the traditional sense are highly over rated. People build raised beds simply b/c it became a popular thing to do, when their actual environment may not even indicate that raised beds are beneficial.

Raised beds are helpful where: The existing soil is shallow, full of rocks, the garden is sitting on ledge, there is poor drainage, copious amounts of rain.

Raised beds can be made without having any structural framing at all!

Raised beds may actually be contra-indicated where there is good soil, soil structure is good, drainage is good, or the climate is dry.

On the other hand, those pallet beds provide little opportunity for weeds to sprout between the "rows" of veggies!

Try it, but don't limit your entire garden to that method, and report back about how well it worked!

Thanks! Our soil is literally sand (there’s a quarry nearby) and we get tons of rain. We’re about the same as Houston, if that helps with any sort of geographical visualition: semi-coastal. I’m about 2.5 hours from the Gulf of Mexico, as the crow flies.

I think I’ll try a couple, for science! I was planning to put landscape fabric on the bottom and edges, then maybe just do the lettuce types.

 

[mlm Mike]

Saw this on Facebook today. Any thoughts? Might help me expand “beds” if I can’t get a tiller.
View attachment 1268555

Interesting, probably cut down on some weeding.

 

[Kiki]

Camp I had mentioned I start seeds in a damp paper towel on top of the fridge.
All are cucumber
These I just threw on top of a paper towel in a little cherry tomato container on Monday:

These I had placed in between two damp paper towels and the put it in a zip lock baggy and stuck it up on top of the fridge. These were started last week and forgot to get a picture of them still in the bad but this is what they look like today:

 

[campingshaws]

Camp I had mentioned I start seeds in a damp paper towel on top of the fridge.
All are cucumber
These I just threw on top of a paper towel in a little cherry tomato container on Monday:
View attachment 1272513
These I had placed in between two damp paper towels and the put it in a zip lock baggy and stuck it up on top of the fridge. These were started last week and forgot to get a picture of them still in the bad but this is what they look like today:
View attachment 1272514

That’s awesome!! My corn on top of the fridge is very tall, same corn on the bench near the window hasn’t started. I need to water everything today and start a few more things.

 

[Kiki]

That’s awesome!! My corn on top of the fridge is very tall, same corn on the bench near the window hasn’t started. I need to water everything today and start a few more things.

Get pictures!

 

[campingshaws]

how long can the seedlings live in the little trays?

Yellow squash and evening sun sunflowers

Lady fingers popcorn and lemon queen/autumn mix sunflowers

White sweet corn (don’t remember the exact name).

 

[greengirl1961]

Morning! Might I recommend that since you have raised beds and you are descibing using a commercial dirt preparation, that you add greensand, or vital nutrients? When we moved, I had to begin beds all over again, and the time it takes for the microbiome to grow can really hinder immediate planting and sufficient optimization of nutrients. I would even do this before composting as it also takes time and in my experience, is best to install compost in new beds in the fall the first time so that it has a winter to decompose. Worms are a must also, as suggested. My hubs is from LA, and also notes that you may need some small rocks if you do not have them mixed in the dirt, in order to make sure that there is sufficient drainage for the typical extra rain water. As to the greensand, sometimes they can be located at your local feed store, usually in a large quantity or you can purchase some here: https://www.gardeners.com/buy/greensand-fertilizer ....a bag per bed would be best initially. Best of luck and let me know how it goes! Since you are working with kids, you might also want to research some pyramid information and experiement with how very tall your tomatoes will grow under a simple 4 stick, 7 foot tall pyramid!