Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => GARDENING AROUND THE HOUSE => Topic started by: Little John_NC on April 18, 2009, 08:08:17 pm
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My wife was reading in beemasters the other night. Figure she was reading about bees. She was in the gardening section. :'( She said something about Square foot gardening to me ,I said I reckon that would work ,sounds like a good idea honey :roll:
Well guess what I been doing today :hissyfit: We worked hard at it today and finished the boxes. Fill them with soil ....Tomorrow Ill layout the grid for her in each box. And build what ever else she my need for her new garden.
(http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9039/dscn4974.th.jpg) (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn4974.jpg)
Note 4/4 quarter by 6 cypress lumber ....Bottom boards and tops mind you.
(http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8328/dscn4976.th.jpg) (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn4976.jpg)
She happy and thats what counts :-D
(http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4791/dscn4979.th.jpg) (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn4979.jpg)
One wasnt enough had to have 3 boxes. .....Hope this works :-D
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It is time and $ well spent. You will be surprised as to how much you can grow in those boxes. Great family project. I started out with two 8x16 boxes, now I garden 50x150.
Steve
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So what ya gonna plant little John?
...JP
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We are talking it over now and over supper. Me and her grow up on small farms all long row crops. They was 7 in our family our garden looked like a feild,little more than a 1ac. For sure there gonna be some Okra and pink eye purple hull peas. How do you plant okra and peas in a box ? :'( We reading the book now trying to figure this out....... :? HELP !
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You have to make little rows for the okra. Can't remember if you can do a trellis for the pink eyes, but if so, would give them more room to wander and enables you to be more productive with that box.
...JP
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Pinkeye peas are bush plants. In a box the size of yours, I would sow them over the entire box. Do you have deer? They LOVE purple hull pea plants.
Squash, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and and cabbage will do well in your boxs.
Steve
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the food taste better when you grow your own
Johnny
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Only 3 raised beds? When I get down with my garden it will have between 25 and 30 plus a green house. I ordered the green house today, 8X6 for $379.99. BTW, my garden spot is about 100X100. Beds are 2X10 and 3X10.
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I love the raised beds and you probably will too. I have 20 raised beds of various sizes from 2x4 to 4x8 and I get all the wood (cedar) for free.
The fence companies around here put all of their scrap wood in front of the yard and in boxes for the taking.
We got the larger ones by taking apart these huge cedar pallets and using the wood to make frames and all of the smaller ones that are 2x4 or 4x4 that I would not normally build that small came already assembled.
I have no idea what they used them for but the wood is all cedar and looks brand new and they are screwed together into frames already.
I got 12 more of the small ones yesterday, already assembled and ready to go and I used those for the potatoes.
Those are good for planting potatoes in, you can just keep throwing another frame on top of another as the plants grow and you keep adding the dirt.
Then when you want to harvest you just pull the frames off and the potatoes are right there in the mound of dirt, no digging.
I planted 12 kinds of potatoes this year.
You can grow alot in those beds, I have done lettuce, corn, various squashes, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, garlic, kohlrabi,beets, radish, carrots, beans, broccoli, cauliflower etc.
There isn't much you cannot grow in a raised bed. I even planted watermelon in one last year but they climbed out and grew along the ground, it looked cool though ;)
You can put a stick or bamboo teepee in the middle and plant runner beans or climbing peas up them and then plant lettuce, spinach or swiss chard around the bottom.
It looks awesome.
I do the companion planting-the three sisters and I also do the square foot gardening methods.
They all work and they are all fun to experiment with and just play around with.
The soil warms up faster in the spring and drains better in raised beds.
I wish you lots of fun and success, you will keep adding more and more beds you know, it never stops....
Man, I love the fence company!
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Thanks for the replies.
JP I saw the trellis. Man that be nice no crawling around on you knees looking for cucs. I saw pumpkins on one website on a trellis :? hate to have one fall off on my head :shock: Reckon we need to make one or two 4'x 16' x6 inches for my peas and butter beans.
Brian I got 5.26 ac here, 2 ac. are open with a creek that run through the back 1ac. This back ac. runs down hill bout 15 degrees down grade to the creek droping of 3o feet to the creek, mostly wooded area. If these beds work out then Ill add more. Green house oh how my wife wants one of these ,Id have to have two one for the garden then one for her house plants :-D
Natalie
Thanks for the tips. Potatoes (Tatters) I was wondering how you plant them in boxes,Now I know. :-D I had heard of a few folks doing this before as you said. I never tryed it. I need to look at more running types of veggys. I remember my Dad getting the wrong butter beans one time instead of the bush they where runners and boy did he cuzz them things when they got in the corn. :lau:
Wood no problem for me . Im a sawfiler by trade. I sharpen the big bandsaws in the sawmill.
I work here you mention pallets Edwards Wood Products (http://www.ewpi.com/) watch the vidio click under the picture on the front page. Thanks again
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What kind of soil do yall use in your boxes ? The garden soil you get in those bags gets kinda pricey dont you know. I bought the bags and mix it up. I hate weeds....Any of you composting ? An how do you do your compost? I saw a barrel type at Tractor supply for 140$ not bad. Or do yall know something better......Thanks John
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Well I just love the photos of your wife sitting there and your captions. I just love a man who loves his wife!!!!
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What kind of soil do yall use in your boxes ?
John, there is a guy in Wadesboro who sells landscaping stuff -- soil, mulch, rocks, etc. I think it's out 74 towards Marshville. I don't recall his name but his wife runs Fancy Crafts, you might check with her, Google the store name for the phone number. Probably could find some good topsoil in Rockingham as well.
I got my soil from someone near me and mix it with my sister's horse manure, compost, and some red clay and sometimes sand. My sister just dumps the stall muck into plot sizes, waits 6 or 8 months, and plants directly in it. I make manure tea with the fresh stuff. Know anyone with horses?
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I get my soil from a local place. I get a 50/50 mix of compost and loam.
I pay $20.00 a yard and I love the stuff. I between last year and this year I have bought 20 yards and you can grow anything in it.
Thats really the way to go if you want to be able to plant right away. If you start mixing things you need to amend the soil too much and you don't have the time for that if you want to get to planting right away.
Trellises work great, you can grow just about anything that is of a vining habit up a trellis. Cucs and squash grow straighter too when they grow vertical.
Good deal for you on getting the wood. I would hate to have to pay for anything that is just going to have dirt thrown in it.
I have two raised beds made of granite that I found on the property, looks nice too, wish I had more of it.
I made herb gardens out of those because its right off the house.
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Hey ERI
Thanks Fancy Crafts I know right where that is next to the bank .Danny moved out on hwy 52 north.
Danny Beachum's is on Hwy 52 North just north of the intersection with Hwy 74, Wadesboro, NC.
704-475-2625. I'll give him a call....Thanks again........John