Preparing for next year's garden

After 2 hard frosts I have nearly emptied my little garden of plants- there are 2 tomatoes remaining. I have discovered that my 3'x50' garden along my privacy fence had a flaw- the foot or so against the fence was useless except to grow weeds, which I couldn't reach because of the veggie foliage. Also, the veggies grew against the fence and were starved for sun & air. Sooooo- I just went to Lowe's and got a broken bundle of roofing shingles for half price, and pulled the soil away from the fence to that depth, laid down the shingles and staked up some 1x6 fence boards that I recycled- now I have deeper soil in the desirable place, and space behind the plants. For wind resistance I plan to use 5' metal fence posts every 5-6', connected by something- maybe wire- don't know yet. I will post photos when I figure it out! It will be ready to go in the spring, and I will stay busy while the snow flies preparing for my first attempt at Winter Sowing!

JoParrot, the shingles are a great idea! Wish I'd thought of that before "building" my latest flowerbed next to my neighbor's chain link fence which allows all kinds of weeds, grass, etc. to grow into my bed... Don't know what shingles are made of -- would there be any issues with them next to food crops? I am making my last planting area and looking forward to "shingling" the fence line! Probably more effective that landscape fabric and a lot easier to put down.
Mary

I don't know what is in the shingles- but the area under them is lower than the garden, and slopes toward the fence, so I doubt if it would seep into any veggies- I will take my chances there.We are in an arid area anyway, and what irrigation water I put on is about all it gets, so it will never be flooded or soggy. I am sure the improved air flow will be good, also more sun getting to my plants. I am ready for next spring!

Wood shingles are generally untreated cedar and weatherproofed after they are installed. I use them occasionally to mount orchids. They will rot after two or three years where they make contact with the soil.

Looks like you have asphalt shingles there. There's a stripe of something on them that will melt in the heat to seal against the shingle below it on a roof. If one were really concerned with leaching from the shingles, one could put a plastic barrier between it and the ground and baseboards. I have some left over shingles - I think I have a plan for them, now! Thanks for the idea!

Oh, I didn't look closely at the photo. Yes, those are asphalt and I'd not grow food near it. Asphalt is a by product of crude oil refining. The shingle itself might be made of either cellulose, which is okay, but perhaps fiberglass.

And, if one were to cover those shingles with a nice layer of pea gravel or other small round stones, one could add such a decorative and esthesically pleasant effect to that gynormously beautiful fence...as well have a walkway behind one's plants...^^_^^

I believe I have solved the problem of possible unwanted leaching- I took up the shingles and put a layer of 4mil plastic down as a barrier between the soil & the shingles. Any water will drain to the fence-

That was wise, Jo. I think you might not want to eat food grown in a crude oil spill. You certainly wouldn't want to eat food from your garden grown in the sludge that's left after processing crude oil. All that aside, your growing space is lovely. Can't wait to see photos when things are popping.
Laurel

Maypop, your Marconi peppers will be a star there next year!

:). Can't wait to see your garden, Jo. Here is bit of mine.

Obviously you have a big area- I love the stones and meandering plants-

that weas a good idea you had. looks great

Laurel! All that green. How nice.

Said the girl from the desert.

OK- we had a nice rain last night- here are some photos of my progress- they show my little garden from both ends of the yard-

And another- the carrots are doing very well.

This one shows my tiny back yard!
Now I'm off to get some worms to put in-

This message was edited Oct 23, 2010 10:14 AM

Tiny back yard put to good use. You planned it well. Are the carrots in the top tier of the pyramid? What's going to climb the trellis? Can't believe that tomato is still producing so abundantly!!! Good job Jo.

Nice Jo! Excellent use of the small space, and it looks beautiful to boot!

The carrots are in the whole pyramid- 2 different times planted. Only one batch is showing.The tomato is a volunteer, and I have removed the biggest part of the plant. It is way far away from my last year's cherries, so I don't know where it came from. It is a very sweet cherry, and I will be saving seeds. The trellis- a dear friend made it for flowers in his yard, and gave it to me when he moved. I plan to have Kwintus pole beans on it next year. I did have it placed so that the trellis is against the fence, but that didn't work- no air back there- so I turned it around 90 degrees. I plan to use many trellises next year all supported by the fence post system that I am planning. I want to be sure everything has ample space for air circulation and ease of harvesting. I grow nearly everything vertically-

Jo, we square foot gardened for years but now have a bigger space. Your garden has great potential for high production and, more importantly, lots of room for fun and experimentation. it's what a garden should be.

Mary, I grew up in tropical beach zone, not exactly paradise for vegetable gardening. This garden, like the house, is terraced on a mountainside. We grow in narrow bands down the mountain. It's been a twenty year, low budget, DIY project that is experimental, sustainable, fluid and meant to be biodegradable.
Laurel

Laurel, your gardens are fantastic- I just love the fences of stakes and branches.If you ever take any video that would show how it looks in it's entirety I would love to have you email it to me. I photograph and record everything-it is so fun to see later on what has evolved.

very nice and neat

JoParrot,
Very, very, nice! How long is your bed? I'm envisioning the same concept for my yard, once the new fence goes up. I like how you matched all the wood to the fence, so cohesive. Is your bed considered "raised," or in ground?

Maypoplaurel,
Such a serene view! I could spend many hours meditating through your garden paths! And, I too love the use of the branches!

Linda

Herbie, congrats to Deb about the book signing and looks like you had a great day. Hope Deb gets a million in sales and you both can retire! I'm off to bed after unloading house guests in Atlanta and expecting more of the same here at Maypop tomorrow. I spent hours planting more collards when we arrived here. Maybe truck farming is in my future.

Here's a photo from the other end of the top terrace. Jo, our video equipment is ancient but I've lots of photos from each year. We are working towards being off grid. The stick fences and posts are from the 17 acres of woods that feeds our heat and some of the cooking fuel. We renovate fence sections each Spring and tie them with degradable jute or sisal. Seed for flowers and veggies is saved each year or traded with other generous DGers. I treat myself to a few wild hairs as well.

Ahhhh, sweet Laurel, very sweet. What do you have on the pathways as 'mulch'?

This thread is getting so interesting- thanks to all of you-
Gymgirl, my garden is about 60' long and 3' from blocks to the fence. It is cedar which I keep treated with Thompson's wood seal. I also treat the boards with it that I use for structures. The soil is all raised about 12" from the original level. I keep building it up with OM as I get it.

Jo, you're gonna need to teach me about TWS after my new fence goes up, ok?

Thompson's Water Seal is a wood treating liquid- it comes in gallon cans, and makes the wood inpermeable to water. My cedar fence was treated 2 years ago, and the irrigation water beads up on it. I used the cedar tinted one, but it also comes in clear. you can get it at Lowe's or WalMart. It brushes, rolls or sprays on.

This message was edited Oct 24, 2010 7:43 AM

Jo,
How often do you treat your cedar fence? Is that what Mr. Miagi had Daniel doing in the "Karate Kid??!!". "Painting the fence" with Thompson's Water Seal!!

It looked just like yours when he was done. Beautiful!!

Thanks.

iT IS 3 YEARS OLD AND i HAVE DONE IT ONCE. wATER STILL BEADS UP, SO IT SHOULD LAST FOR A FEW MORE YEARS.(scuze tha caps!)