Hey everyone. As I said in my introduction this will be my first year gardening. With that said I even need to make my garden yet and will be setting it up over the next week or two. With that said I do have a few questions which I would like to get some answers to so I can ensure success.
Question 1: What type of wood would be ideal for building a frame for a garden?
Details on Question 1: I plan to use some square foot gardening techniques when doing my garden. I will be have a total of four gardens in an area which will all be 3'x6' and then 8"-12" tall. When it comes wood all I know is I am going to want something that is treated. I am trying to make the garden look appealing as well so it doesn't look bad in the yard.
Question 2: Will I want to turn the ground that my garden will sit on before setting up the beds or will just be pouring my mixture into the bed right on top of the grass be fine?
Details on Question 2: Basically I live in town but have a nice size yard. With that said my garden beds will be right on top of grass. I know people till the ground where they have their garden usually but I wasnt sure if this was to be done since my gardening boxes will be raised with a compost of some sort in them.
Question 3: What would be a good soil or compost to use in my gardens and should I mix anything in with it before laying it.
Details on Question 3: I live in PA. Reason I state this is because I know in various states there are various types of soil and compost available. With my research and seeing some posts from other PA gardeners on here, I see many people talk about mushroom compost. Now I have not checked yet on the compost that is available to my area but I am pretty sure I should be able to find this. I also have seen different types of gardening where people mix different things into there mushroom compost or whatever they are using but was never sure if this was a must or just something that some like to do.
Below is an image of how I plan to set my beds. My reasoning behind the four beds rather than the one big bed was just so I could really utilize the square foot method. I felt that by having one big bed I would lose space by having to leave areas open so I could get to the center without tramping on my plants. With four smaller beds at the sizes I talked about above allow be to simply reach over any side of the bed to reach any of my plants. (This may not be true for everyone but I am over 6' tall so its at ease for me haha.) The red lines on this basic image just stand for where I will be having a chicken wire fence attached so plants that need that extra support can be planted near to use the fence as a support structure.
[url=https://img571.imageshack.us/I/outdoorgarden2.png/][img]https://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6342/outdoorgarden2.png[/img][/url]
Right now I believe those will be my main concern as I need to have my garden made before I can actually garden. So any input on the matter would be great. I have done my research and I do have my own thoughts from what I have researched but I would love to compare them to what others suggest. If I left anything out that you guys would need to know to better assist me people ask and I will reply accordingly. Thanks everyone!
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DoubleDogFarm
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eminent,
Do you have a budget?
I would build the boxes out of 4"x 4"s ( 3.5 x 3.5) Four layers of these would be 14" tall. I will also recommend that you overlap the corners, drill and drive rebar. Very strong corner.
You could strip the grass and flip it over, but I don't think it is necessary. Maybe just mow it very short, scalp, put the boxes in place and cover the bottom with heavy cardbord. Fill boxes with soil amended with 25% of your favorite compost.
Even being 6ft tall
I think you would be happier with a 2ft aisle between boxes. It's just all around easier.
I would, if possible, place the broad side South. All the tall growing plants like beans should be in the North or back of the beds. This way they are not casting shade. Maybe in PA you want shade for your cole crops?
It's a start.
Eric
Do you have a budget?
I would build the boxes out of 4"x 4"s ( 3.5 x 3.5) Four layers of these would be 14" tall. I will also recommend that you overlap the corners, drill and drive rebar. Very strong corner.
You could strip the grass and flip it over, but I don't think it is necessary. Maybe just mow it very short, scalp, put the boxes in place and cover the bottom with heavy cardbord. Fill boxes with soil amended with 25% of your favorite compost.
Even being 6ft tall
I think you would be happier with a 2ft aisle between boxes. It's just all around easier. I would, if possible, place the broad side South. All the tall growing plants like beans should be in the North or back of the beds. This way they are not casting shade. Maybe in PA you want shade for your cole crops?
It's a start.
Eric
A Pa. guy talking to another Pa. person! I would put gardendening into catagories like standard -experimental organic inorganic! I try them all!
===Planting ver the grass is fine if the bed is 8 inches or more deep! I would however put some news paper about 4 sheets thick over the grass and maybe a inch of sand or river sand ontop of the paper for good drainage!
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The soil I come to like is what I mix myself and buy a cubic yard at a time! I buy a 1/2 yard shovel of strained top soil that looks good and a 1/2 yard of mushroom manure on top of that top soil on one load on my pick up. It would cost about $25 to $30!. I mix the two as I unload it and use it in my beads and in my composts and add anything else like natual fertilizer like blood meal or cottonseed meal but very light!
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Ask where you buy the mushroom manure where it comes from and call the mushroom farm and find out what they use. The one in Pa. I buy from used manure, corn cobs ground, peat moss. lime, . The spent or mshroom manure you buy is not hot and contains many mushroom roots and dried up stems. It has been composted and then added over the mushroom spores or spawn and sets there for a month or so as the spawn sends tiny hair like roots all through the mix. It can be very dry so mix it with the top soil!.
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Once the mushrooms start to emerge every 11 or 13 days there is a flush of many new mushrooms that are cut at the base of the stem and the roots left in! I am not sure how long one bed works but I really like the mushroom manure and have used it for 30 years with no problems! I even grew mushrooms in my basement floor one year with the spawn I got at the mushroom farm that they spilled when they mixed the peatmoss with spawn.
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If you have some nice leaves put them on top of the paper that is placed on top of the grass in you new bed. Turning the grass over with a shovel before you make your new bed is pobably better in the long run but still do the same thing with the leaves or paper!. This is what I would do and have done many times. Grass is the worst thing in a garden but dead grass and roots are rich for the soil structure! Good luck!
===Planting ver the grass is fine if the bed is 8 inches or more deep! I would however put some news paper about 4 sheets thick over the grass and maybe a inch of sand or river sand ontop of the paper for good drainage!
+++
The soil I come to like is what I mix myself and buy a cubic yard at a time! I buy a 1/2 yard shovel of strained top soil that looks good and a 1/2 yard of mushroom manure on top of that top soil on one load on my pick up. It would cost about $25 to $30!. I mix the two as I unload it and use it in my beads and in my composts and add anything else like natual fertilizer like blood meal or cottonseed meal but very light!
+++
Ask where you buy the mushroom manure where it comes from and call the mushroom farm and find out what they use. The one in Pa. I buy from used manure, corn cobs ground, peat moss. lime, . The spent or mshroom manure you buy is not hot and contains many mushroom roots and dried up stems. It has been composted and then added over the mushroom spores or spawn and sets there for a month or so as the spawn sends tiny hair like roots all through the mix. It can be very dry so mix it with the top soil!.
+++
Once the mushrooms start to emerge every 11 or 13 days there is a flush of many new mushrooms that are cut at the base of the stem and the roots left in! I am not sure how long one bed works but I really like the mushroom manure and have used it for 30 years with no problems! I even grew mushrooms in my basement floor one year with the spawn I got at the mushroom farm that they spilled when they mixed the peatmoss with spawn.
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If you have some nice leaves put them on top of the paper that is placed on top of the grass in you new bed. Turning the grass over with a shovel before you make your new bed is pobably better in the long run but still do the same thing with the leaves or paper!. This is what I would do and have done many times. Grass is the worst thing in a garden but dead grass and roots are rich for the soil structure! Good luck!
Hey guys thanks for the replies.
DoubleDogFarm - I do not really have a budget. I hate putting a budget on a hobby expecially one like this as I feel its something that is worth spending that extra dollar for better results. I'm glad you mentioned about the overlapping corners when building the boxes. I asked my cousin the other day about his thoughts on building the boxes and he as well mentioned about using rebar but didn't say anything about overlapping corners and I think its a great idea. When you are saying about the 2' aisles were you meaning between each bed or did you mean only doing 2'x6' beds instead? The reason I as is because I did plan on having 2-3ft gaps between the beds to be able to move around easily, I just didnt show that well in that images as its not a scaled image. And yes I will think about the arangement of my crops as Iagree they should be set in the correct direction. I'm just one of those neat freaks with everything I do and love things to be symmetrical when I build something haha.
Bobberman - Glad to hear from you too. With what both you and DoubleDogFarm said I will be flipping the grass and adding a layer of cardboard or newspaper to it and then add some leaves on top of that before putting in my mix. What I would like to ask you is about the top soil. Is there a specific type I should be looking for? For instance I can remember off the top of my head at a home depot they sale bags of scotts premium top soil. Is this something along the lines of what you are talking about? Obviously I wouldn't go buy this as I need a much greater quantity but for comparision purposes is this what you are talking about? Also since you have confirmed that the mushroom manure works well for you I believe I will be looking around for that because I hear great things about it.
Thanks again to you guys and if anyone else has any input it will be much appreciated.
DoubleDogFarm - I do not really have a budget. I hate putting a budget on a hobby expecially one like this as I feel its something that is worth spending that extra dollar for better results. I'm glad you mentioned about the overlapping corners when building the boxes. I asked my cousin the other day about his thoughts on building the boxes and he as well mentioned about using rebar but didn't say anything about overlapping corners and I think its a great idea. When you are saying about the 2' aisles were you meaning between each bed or did you mean only doing 2'x6' beds instead? The reason I as is because I did plan on having 2-3ft gaps between the beds to be able to move around easily, I just didnt show that well in that images as its not a scaled image. And yes I will think about the arangement of my crops as Iagree they should be set in the correct direction. I'm just one of those neat freaks with everything I do and love things to be symmetrical when I build something haha.
Bobberman - Glad to hear from you too. With what both you and DoubleDogFarm said I will be flipping the grass and adding a layer of cardboard or newspaper to it and then add some leaves on top of that before putting in my mix. What I would like to ask you is about the top soil. Is there a specific type I should be looking for? For instance I can remember off the top of my head at a home depot they sale bags of scotts premium top soil. Is this something along the lines of what you are talking about? Obviously I wouldn't go buy this as I need a much greater quantity but for comparision purposes is this what you are talking about? Also since you have confirmed that the mushroom manure works well for you I believe I will be looking around for that because I hear great things about it.
Thanks again to you guys and if anyone else has any input it will be much appreciated.
Some soil in bags is fine but buy a bag and see what is in the mix first. There are so many different kinds. I like to buy the top soil strained at the places they sell it by the truck load or scoop! I look at the soil and if it looks good and has a nice color I buy it with the mushroom manure. You can mold most soils to what you want by mixing organic things wih it!
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Bag soil or potting soils are good for the top 2 inches because of no weeds! I bought a few bags of soil at big lots for $7 &$8 for 2 cubic feet and it was pretty good for my seedlings over the top soil I had underneath! The $7 bag was nicer than the $8 one! I bought 5 different bags of soil mixes this year at about $4 a cubic foot average and they were all really different wih bark and moss and pine materials mixed. Some bags tell you what is in the mix! Family Tractor had three different ones with a different name for each like top soil, potting soil & seed starter all about $4 a cubic foot bag that was easier to handle than the 2 cubic yard ones! The top soil was a mix and was the one I liked best for the seeds!
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Bag soil or potting soils are good for the top 2 inches because of no weeds! I bought a few bags of soil at big lots for $7 &$8 for 2 cubic feet and it was pretty good for my seedlings over the top soil I had underneath! The $7 bag was nicer than the $8 one! I bought 5 different bags of soil mixes this year at about $4 a cubic foot average and they were all really different wih bark and moss and pine materials mixed. Some bags tell you what is in the mix! Family Tractor had three different ones with a different name for each like top soil, potting soil & seed starter all about $4 a cubic foot bag that was easier to handle than the 2 cubic yard ones! The top soil was a mix and was the one I liked best for the seeds!
Ok thats good to know. Ill look around here and see if I can find an ideal place that will have both a nice strained top soil and mushroom manure. I question I just thought about that I did forget to ask is In my beds how full should I fill them with the mix. Should I level it or should I let a few inches without soil or what? I read mix reviews on this so your input would be great.
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rainbowgardener
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Four 3x6 beds 12" tall (do make them at least that tall, you will regret it later if you don't) will take pretty much soil to fill, probably more than a cubic yard. It will be WAY cheaper and easier to have a cubic yard of topsoil trucked in or if you have a truck, go somewhere where they will load it up for you. Then you can add some bagged amendments to your basic topsoil.
I agree with the 4x4's. I built my raised beds out of stacked 4x4 pine fence posts, held together with rebar pounded down through them. The fence posts are pretty cheap and they have lasted way longer than boards did. My previous residence I built boxes out of boards and even though I reinforced the corners and every thing, they warped and fell apart after only a few seasons.
Incidentally the commonest size bed is 4x8. I'm about a foot shorter than you and I have 4'wide beds, which I can (just) reach into from the various sides. I never step in them. It's easy to find 8' long fence posts, which you can cut in half for the short sides.
I agree with the 4x4's. I built my raised beds out of stacked 4x4 pine fence posts, held together with rebar pounded down through them. The fence posts are pretty cheap and they have lasted way longer than boards did. My previous residence I built boxes out of boards and even though I reinforced the corners and every thing, they warped and fell apart after only a few seasons.
Incidentally the commonest size bed is 4x8. I'm about a foot shorter than you and I have 4'wide beds, which I can (just) reach into from the various sides. I never step in them. It's easy to find 8' long fence posts, which you can cut in half for the short sides.
For those of us on a budget, I get wood for my raised beds from HD in their cull section. 51 cents a board for pine. I know it will rot, but I'm ok with it. I can more cheaply replace it and it still looks good. I just always look for the right sized wood each time I'm there. I'm building many more beds this year and my garage is quickly filling with culls so that I'm ready for spring. I do have loam delivered by a landscaping company, it is much much much cheaper.
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DoubleDogFarm
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Hey everyone thanks for all the help.
Rainbowgardener - Thanks. I do plan to get my topsoil and manure both from a place which I can buy by the truck load. I was just talking about bags for comparision purposes. Also due to everyone talking about 4x4's I will be going with these.
DoubleDogFarm - Thanks for clearifying. I thought that was what you were talking about but just wanted to double check. I will be taking a trip to Home Depot soon so ill check out the 4"x4" wood to see what they have.
My one question does still remain about the height I should fill to. If I have a 12" tall bed do I want all 12 inches filled with my mix or do I want to leave a little free space?
Rainbowgardener - Thanks. I do plan to get my topsoil and manure both from a place which I can buy by the truck load. I was just talking about bags for comparision purposes. Also due to everyone talking about 4x4's I will be going with these.
DoubleDogFarm - Thanks for clearifying. I thought that was what you were talking about but just wanted to double check. I will be taking a trip to Home Depot soon so ill check out the 4"x4" wood to see what they have.
My one question does still remain about the height I should fill to. If I have a 12" tall bed do I want all 12 inches filled with my mix or do I want to leave a little free space?
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DoubleDogFarm
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DoubleDogFarm
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alaskagold
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thanks eminent for bringing this up.
I do not use wood raised bed (yet). I have 10, 24" tall 4' wide stainless steal culvert. I want to also do raised bed with wood so this is a great thread!
I know DDF and a few others are going to ask how it works.... and the culvert works great. I need to get my pics downloaded to show you all.
I do not use wood raised bed (yet). I have 10, 24" tall 4' wide stainless steal culvert. I want to also do raised bed with wood so this is a great thread!
I know DDF and a few others are going to ask how it works.... and the culvert works great. I need to get my pics downloaded to show you all.
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DoubleDogFarm
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