My soil is heavy clay so this summer I built the raised bed garden. 12X24 inside dimension. First laid down some metal roofing around the perimiter then built the rock walls on that so I don't have to weed wack. I can drive the lawn mower over it. Then filled it with 30 yards of topsoil one pickup load at a time. The rocks came out of local farm fields and the farmers were glad to have someone pick them up as they damage their tilling equipment. Thank God for my all terrain pickup.
Below is the raised Bed I put in for the fruit. Started with the metal pool wall that a friend had knocked down by the wind it was kinked and he could no longer use it. Put cinder blocks with the openings facing upward and staked them in place with old rebar stakes then filled them with dirt along with the box. Laid carpet (Remnants from a dumpster on a job site) over the block and burnt a 1 1/4 inch hole in the center of each block then planted the strawberries in the block. Once the berries took hold there were no weeds under them. The blueberrys are down the middle of the box mulched with about 8 inches of pine straw. The bird netting is suspended on an old canopy frame that the wind destroyed (I had to replace the uprights with galvanized pipe and used closet rod to make the span. the outer fence is made of PVC tubing and 18 inches up from the pool wall there is aluminum expanded metal for gutter guarding a friend was going to turn in for scrap. Again drive the lawn mower over it and no weed wacking.
My final project for the summer was the Shed. 12 x16 feet with 10 foot sidewalls including a 4x12 foot loft overhead on each side. lots of storage, plenty of room to work and a 60 amp service.
This summer it will be onto the chicken coop (Thank you BYCers for all the great innovations) and the hog pen. I just turned 60 so I have kept a close eye on keeping everything LOW maintenance. The older I get the longer things take. A local farmer leases the ten acres right behind the house so that will pay the taxes in my old age and if he stops farming it fruit trees will be the order of the day. There are also another 15 acres behind that with plenty of wild game a pond stocked with fish and about 8 acres of old growth woods that was just logged 5 years ago. Should I decide to put in a small wood burner.
Below is the raised Bed I put in for the fruit. Started with the metal pool wall that a friend had knocked down by the wind it was kinked and he could no longer use it. Put cinder blocks with the openings facing upward and staked them in place with old rebar stakes then filled them with dirt along with the box. Laid carpet (Remnants from a dumpster on a job site) over the block and burnt a 1 1/4 inch hole in the center of each block then planted the strawberries in the block. Once the berries took hold there were no weeds under them. The blueberrys are down the middle of the box mulched with about 8 inches of pine straw. The bird netting is suspended on an old canopy frame that the wind destroyed (I had to replace the uprights with galvanized pipe and used closet rod to make the span. the outer fence is made of PVC tubing and 18 inches up from the pool wall there is aluminum expanded metal for gutter guarding a friend was going to turn in for scrap. Again drive the lawn mower over it and no weed wacking.
My final project for the summer was the Shed. 12 x16 feet with 10 foot sidewalls including a 4x12 foot loft overhead on each side. lots of storage, plenty of room to work and a 60 amp service.
This summer it will be onto the chicken coop (Thank you BYCers for all the great innovations) and the hog pen. I just turned 60 so I have kept a close eye on keeping everything LOW maintenance. The older I get the longer things take. A local farmer leases the ten acres right behind the house so that will pay the taxes in my old age and if he stops farming it fruit trees will be the order of the day. There are also another 15 acres behind that with plenty of wild game a pond stocked with fish and about 8 acres of old growth woods that was just logged 5 years ago. Should I decide to put in a small wood burner.
