PICTURE HEAVY first attempt at raised beds

[Laura]

I am attempting to do raised beds. I am putting them where my "row garden" has been for the last 7 years. The beds are 10 X 3, made with 2x10 pieces of lumber.
The first thing I did was to till the 'clay'.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4089-2.jpg

The next thing I did was to add gypsum to the hard clay

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4092-1.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4095.jpg

Next, I filled the beds 1/2 way will well tilled topsoil full of big fat juicy worms!!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4093.jpg

more to come..............

[Laura]

NEXT, I added some 'soil goodies' since my soil was void of N, P, and K. Nice.
My PH was awesome......

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4096.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4097.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4099.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4094.jpg

[Laura]

I mixed those yummies into the soil and then filled the box to the top

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m169/gokings13/Raised%20Bed%202010/100_4102.jpg

I have the running long ways north to south. They are about 3.5 feet apart, so I can get the push mower inbetween them. I hand loaded all the dirt into the boxes, so it is not 'stepped on packed down'.

If I did something wrong, please tell me.
I was thinking of doing 5 in a row, and then another row of 5 with about 8 feet between those two rows of 5.

Suggestions?
Thank you for your input!!!

[Native87]

Excellent Work. They all look great. Thanks for the pictures.

[SPIKE]

With all that good soil mixture, your plants should jump out of the ground and produce well. Thanks for the pictures and take share more when the crops are up.

SPIKE

[Anon001]

I think it's looking great.

Paul

[Steve_L]

Some folks recommend a weed barrier to prevent weeds in the soil below from coming up through your raised beds.

[Laura]

Would grass clippings and a little bit of news paper suffice as a weed barrier? Would it be good for the soil?

My MIL is giving me a huge tumbler type compost thing.....like a 55 gal drum that has a spin handle......well I will use what compost that makes to add to the garden too.

Can I just tell you how excited I am? NOW IF my stupid seeds would grow, that would help :mad:!!

Just finished the 5th box today, will be procuring more lumber to make 5 more.

Have I mentioned how pumped I am about these boxes?:shout:

[nhlivefreeordie]

Looks great Laura!!

[Deberosa]

What a beautiful garden that will be! Are you going to do square foot gardening in the boxes? I have a few set up - used the new square foot gardening idea and I love them. Very easy to control. I still have the typical row crop areas too for stuff like beans and squash and corn and peas.

[Laura]

If square foot gardening is 'cramming as much as I can' into the box, yep! that be what I am doing!!

My garden area was 60 x 60 last year, so I will leave some of it for my corn and such. But the rest will be grown in the boxes!!

[SPIKE]

Would grass clippings and a little bit of news paper suffice as a weed barrier? Would it be good for the soil?

My MIL is giving me a huge tumbler type compost thing.....like a 55 gal drum that has a spin handle......well I will use what compost that makes to add to the garden too.

Can I just tell you how excited I am? NOW IF my stupid seeds would grow, that would help :mad:!!

Just finished the 5th box today, will be procuring more lumber to make 5 more.

Have I mentioned how pumped I am about these boxes?:shout:

You can put a layer of newspaper in before you start to fill your boxes and it will be a good weed barrier. It will decompose and add to the soil. Save the grass clippings for your compost thing or for mulching plants if you think there are not a lot of seeds in the clippings.

Excited? Who's excited? This is the kind of excitment that is good for you.

SPIKE

[jonvee]

Laura,

I use old multi-layer paper feed bags, not the woven mesh type. I just slit them down the sides to open up and lay them flat between my raised beds. Then I add chipped up stuff or grass clippings. Eventually they do break down.

You beds look nice. I have eight 4x8' in two rows of 4. They work great because I can attach my little greenhouse frames to them so the birds don't eat the seedlings. One of the hazards of having an organic yard with trees and shrubs and places for the birds to hide out.

This is my kind of excitment, so don't feel like your different. I think there's lots of us out there.

Happy growing:)

[Boots]

Those beds look great, I am doing the same thing this year. Have not done raised beds before so your information is helping me out as you go !

[Pigzzilla]

This year we are doing raised beds, too. Son #2 built 11 boxes 4'x16' with 2x12s and 2x6s so I have 5 that are 18" deep and 6 that are 12" deep. And one box that is 4'x8' cause of a scrawnny little oak in the middle of the garden. These all have 1/2" mesh hardware wire stapled on the bottom. We are infested with gophers and I'm not planning on sharing with them. We also have 3 beds that are 3'x16' for the grape vines and berries.

Son #1 decided to plant some corn and then it rained- hard- for 3 days. Probably drowned the seeds, but at least he used the older seed so if it doesn't sprout, I can replant. I planted a block (4x3) of mixed lettuce seeds and they poked their little leaves out yesterday. Yay!

Pigzzilla

[Laura]

I now have ten, 10 x 3 beds.
I planted 72 onions in one of them.
I am getting ready to head out of town, but am totally excited for when I get back. This week is supposed to be warm and sunny!!!!

[MYellowRose]

Laura you might want to check out the book Lasagna Gardening by Patricia Lanza as she uses newspaper as a weed barrier in her beds.

[Steve_L]

Humm. Think I'll finish the trailer (son snagged my truck) so I can go get some lumber and do raised beds. I'll miss most of the growing season, but maybe I can get my hands dirty by summer.