DH and I have been discussing building a raised bed for a veggie garden next year. What's the best way to begin? Where do I find fill dirt?
Building a Raised Bed
Find a soil company. You want a very loose, well-draining mix like a landscapers or garden mix with at least 30% compost. To fill a 3 x 12 garden bed to 8 inches requires 24 cu ft of soil which is just shy of a cubic yard.
No matter what they deliver, I would still add 2 bags of:
* Black Kow composted manure ($4.62/bag)
* 1-2 month aged horse manure
* Sheep manure
* Cotton burr compost
or any combination of those.
I'd then be prepared to fertilize with a slow release fertilizer such as GardenTone, TomatoTone, etc. Tomatoes are heavy feeders.
We've looked at the soil Silver Creek offers and considered that since we're organic. They're also local, so we could go pick it up in our truck. They'll have to dump it in our driveway anyway since there's no access to the back yard and we'll have to haul it with the wheel barrow to the back. (Sounds like scads of fun, doesn't it?!?)
I'm curious how to keep the original grass/weeds out. Should we put down newspapers or cardboard first, then put the dirt on top of that?
We did the lasagna thing because we had to cut down a huge tree and it had monkey grass all around it. Have been very happy with the results. It was necessary to make it 18'X21'x20". Thought that would be way too big and of course, could use it twice that large. We put down the layers of newspaper and wet them. It was October so that was handy for leaves from us and our neighbors. The cannas had to be cut and they were the green. Used bags of manure from HD. Then the coup-de-gras, the dirt. Got it from "Living Earth Technologies". Go to their website for the analogy of the special mix for our area.
Wound up with 8 cu. yds. 7 in the bed and top dressed the rest of the flower beds. Like magic. Started in October and did not plant until mid-March and later. Expect it will be even better next year when everything has mellowed out.
Good luck.
Christi
wrong picture
This message was edited Jun 5, 2008 9:14 AM
Try again.
Forgot, also added alfalfa pellets and dried molasses to help get the micro-whatever a jump start.
Had to dress it up a little. Besides nasturtium is eatable and is a good companion plant.
WOW Christi! That bed looks wonderful! Thanks for your insights. We'd do something in the fall for sure. No way I'm going to do anything outside in the dead of summer! LOL
How thick was the newspaper you put down? I would imagine you'd need more than one sheet thickness!
Probably ten layers of newspaper. We didn't unfold, just put down folded sections as you would be reading it. over lapped. Would have used cardboard too but we didn't have any. Need to expand the rose garden so we will do the same thing this fall. We will never dig again.
Christi
Christi, that's a fantastic looking bed. I like the height. I wonder if cardboard will keep Bermuda out of the bed and for how long? I have a terrible problem with it. Two summers ago, I placed several large 24" tall pots directly on the ground. By the end of that summer, Bermuda grass had grown up the drainholes and out the top. Two years later, I'm still pulling it out of the pots whenever I see it. I may have to resort to painting the emerging shoots with straight Round-Up.
Bermuda grass is what killed my yen for a veggie garden 30 years ago. I fought it for 5 years and finally gave up. I believe monkey grass is a close first cousin to BG. This is our first attempt at lasagna and I couldn't be happier. Seems to be working for now. There is a tree stump 5'x6' under all of that and we didn't put anything on it but the newspaper , etc. No chemicals. It hasn't shown anything.
Our problem is pecan seedlings. Neighbor has beautiful trees that I absolutely love, that is until they germinate in my flower and vegetable gardens. Grow faster than a weed. Guess there is no solution for every single thing. Expecting this garden will be better this fall when we turn and add more of special mix soil. Then by next Spring...Katy, bar the door!
To finally answer your question. I do believe lasagna style will kill bermuda. BUT, YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY OPEN SOIL or it will just go there and come up again. As in covering the soil with paper except where the plants are now. If you take the plants up and cover the bed solid, and then replant, it will work.
Sure have liked not buying that expensive lettuce this year. This was $1.79 pkg of seed. Just snip the tops and it grows back. yum
Christi! You're such an inspiration!! The appealing part to us is the nutritional value, especially since we garden organically.
Will your lettuce grow throughout the summer or will it be toast once the dead of summer sets in?
Now we just need to decide how big we want the bed and how deep.
If you are not doing a garden until next year,and not getting your soil until fall, you could plant some alfalfa for a winter cover crop to add nutrients to your mix, unless you are doing a winter garden.
First vegetable garden I have had since I was a very, very young woman. All different now. Never grew lettuce before. The buttercrunch was a separate row and it bolted the first 90 degree day. I have cut it off but don't think it will taste good even if it comes back. The mesculun seems to be hanging in there. I, too, am trying to be organic but most especially with what I am going to eat. I have too much nitrogen working right now and the plants are gorgeous but not as much fruit as I would want. The snow peas are gone. They are a cold weather plant and we had two really good meals from them. I would not do cabbage or brussel sprouts again. Planted while it was still cold but the white cabbage moth has done a number on both of them. Not ready to pull them yet going to let them go as far as I can. The new potatoes have turned yellow (leaves) so we are going to dig all of them tomorrow. Have had banana peppers for weeks and they just keep producing. The tomatoes have lots of fruit, nothing ripe yet. The cherry tomatoes were great while they lasted. First 90 degrees stops a lot of things. The squash is really funny. Farmerdill says the bees are not finding the blooms because they have too many other choices. Therefore, they are not be pollinated and are not making. Carrots are just getting started good. Have onions all the way around the edge and am letting them make full size instead of shallots. Oh, have herbs stuck in every flower bed. Had 1/2 a pkg of blackeye peas and just threw them in. They are doing fantastic. Actually, just planted them because they are supposed to be a great cover crop to put nitrogen in the soil. Looks like we will have new potatoes, squash and blackeye peas tomorrow. Maybe an onion and pepper or two. The okra is only about 4". It will shoot up pretty soon.
My lord o'mercy. Look what I have done. Talked your leg off.
This is fun and distracts from all the real problems of life. Have also been fighting fire ants as they think the soft soil in the raised garden is just for them. Haven't found a cure for that yet.
Christi
Think I have already sent this picture.
Yep. Same picture above. Guess I must like it.
This message was edited Jun 5, 2008 8:45 PM
Stephanie.... You need to try Whiz-Q-Stone in east Fort Worth along 820 loop. We have gotten a soil mix over there that has screened top soil, compost and sand in it. Would get it again if I needed a bunch. You can fill bags yourself or have them load a pickup bed. Or if you want to pay delivery they do that too. http://www.whiz-q.com/ Just type mixed soil in the search box for pricing.
Lou, I am wondering if some of our bees were killed off with the web worms last year like the butterfly larvae. I have only see two or three so far and only about a dozen butterflies other than the whites. Sad.
This message was edited Jun 6, 2008 10:38 AM
We have visited there, Sheila and they have everything you "didn't know you wanted". Really neat place. If they don't have it. You don't need it. Bought supplies for our pond and drooled over a lot of other things.
Christi
They are the ones we got out Large pond kit, stones, liner and all, from in 2001. The pump just went out this year. I thought that was pretty good for a 24 hr a day run. We don't currently have fish, so we have emptied the pond moved out the cobbles, gravel, cleaned it, and are looking for bids to rework the waterfall and raise the sides. DH and I don't need another back surgery. We did it ourselves and it was beautiful until a flood rearranged all of the area.
This message was edited Jun 6, 2008 1:58 PM
very, very nice, Sheila.
Christi