Raised beds?

[ShrekDawg]

WOW! Those are amazing! I would love to have something like that eventually!

 

[thewatsonfarm]

Hey kdogg, last year after I had one knee replaced my husband built me very deep raised beds. So far they are working out wonderfully. I did plant my tomatoes elsewhere otherwise they would be way over my head. I am currently enjoying radish and lots of lettuce. It looks to be a bumper crop year with little effort, always a good thing for me.

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Oh, these are absolutely beautiful! !! Wow!!!

 

[thewatsonfarm]

So I'm basically new to gardening and am kind of looking for the best/easiest way I guess.

I was thinking raised beds? My brother's girlfriend's father made them two and they look nice so I thought I could make some too? Theirs are only one board high though, I was thinking two or three? Is this a good way?

I figured I could just fill it with some soil and compost and plant in it.

But then I've also seen other ideas like I just found lasagna gardening and composting teas and all this stuff too and I don't really know what any of it means. There's soooo many different gardening methods and everyone always says there's is the best etc. And I always get intimidated and confused. and like for example, I found this whole article once about how mulching/hay really wasn't a good idea even though it was popular. Everything seems to contradict everything else.

I'm thinking maybe I should just stick to old fashioned methods for now and just learn how to garden first? Ha

ANYWAY.

Will raised beds work?

Oh and btw, I want to grow vegetables. I already have tomatoes and peppers started and herbs too. The tomatoes and peppers have already way outgrown the tray, I really need to transplant them haha

And is it too late to start more plants and/or direct sow?

Sorry, I know this post kind of jumps around a lot but yeah, are raised beds good to grow vegetables in and if yes, what's the best way to go about it/what do I fill it with?

Raised beds are awesome. Important piece of advice though: if you're building them in the yard, and something else is growing there now, be sure to put down a weed barrier on the ground before you start filling up with soil! I made that mistake & it's a huge pain! I spend a lot of time pulling weeds/grass. Ugh!

I'm weird & didn't want to commit, but also didn't want to replace wood sides. So my tomato garden is dry-stacked cinder blocks. It's held together well for 8 years now.

I also have a big horse trough that I use for an herb garden. It's quite deep, and I worried about drainage & filling with so much soil. I filled the bottom with empty (and cleaned) plastic milk bottles (gallon size). It takes up space but ensures proper drainage.

There's no "best" method. Grow what you like to eat & then experiment with new things. I read somewhere recently (maybe here) that if you don't kill some plants along the way, you aren't stretching yourself as a gardner. I like that because I think it's all about continual learning of new things and enjoying your connection to nature. Do something a little different every year & share what you learn. Give away extra tomatoes to people you love. And let your chickens into your garden when your harvest is over, so they can have fun too. That's my best advice for you, OP.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks for all the info! Sorry i never replied, forgot haha I'll go back and read the newesr replies later but thanks everyone

 

[mickeymushroom]

yup... made some too! the tomatoes will require a ladder!

 

[thewatsonfarm]

yup... made some too! the tomatoes will require a ladder!View attachment 1048942View attachment 1048942

These are just beautiful! I just hate when things are too low to the ground. It's tough on my knees and then I don't get out and do the weeding and whatnot that I should. These are lovely!

 

[mickeymushroom]

thanks <3 kind of a fifty B-day present as I gave up on my gardens two years ago. Esp. after the tomato blight hit. it killed everything including my will.

 

[thewatsonfarm]

thanks <3 kind of a fifty B-day present as I gave up on my gardens two years ago. Esp. after the tomato blight hit. it killed everything including my will.

Well they are spectacular! When it's a mess out there, I lose my will too. Last summer we had major construction going on, and the workers were all over the yard, and we had animal issues.... managing the garden was just too much, so I just didn't. This year I bought some pretty new things as inducement to get out there and clean it all up. Whatever it takes to motivate us, right?

I think it will be really fabulous to have to get your ladder out to harvest tomatoes. That will be worthy of photos to post & share!

 

[NorthTexasWink]

I've used airpots for the past 3 years or so, which is the pot shaped version of those fabric/felt beds shown above. My tomatoes grew well over 6feet tall and produced very well until late blight hit them, all 12.

This year I built raised beds from dry stacked cinder blocks, used bricks, used stone blocks, and small logs/branches harvested on site. A variety of sizes, from 3 x 2 ft to 5 x 18 ft. Most areetween 8-16 inches deep. I laid cardboard over the live turf (mostly Bermuda grass and weeds)making sure each piece overlapped the next by a good 6 inches or more on all edges. POOF! No weeds! I posted some pics on the "What did you do in the garden today?" thread if you'd like to get a glimpse. I mix my own soil, since my native clay is unusable until I improve it more. Takes years.

One huge advantage of raised beds, especially if you mix your own soil or use GOOD quality premixed, is that you can plant intensively. HE (husband equivalent) calls it my food jungle. I pretty much cover the soil surface with plants, which also keeps weeds at bay. I don't use chemicals for weeds, bugs, diseases, or fertility.

Gardening can get technical, but most of it is really common sense. Observation and thinking about your goals in any situation will often lead to the solution for any issues you have. You have plenty of resources here too!

I wish you much joy in your new garden and a bountiful happy harvest!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks for all the info and help everyone!!