New Tomatoe Garden!

MikeP09 · Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:37 pm

Hi everyone! I'm building a raised garden with 2x8 material and was wondering how deep should my new soil be? I plan to cut off the layer of sod and figure on haveing about 8" to 10" of space to fill with good soil from a local garden co.. I will till and cover the ground remaining with a good 4 or 5 layers of newspaper and then fill with soil and compost. The area will be 16' x 5', I plan to plant 2 rows of tomatoes evenly spaced.

Am I on the right track? I'm very new at this and want to be very prepared for the coming spring.

Also right now in mid sept. I am getting about 6-7 hours of direct sunlight on my garden area. I'm figuring the sun to be a little higher during the length of spring and summer and think I will get over 8 hours. Hope this is enough.

TZ -OH6 · Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:01 pm

You don't need to remove the sod. It is high in organic matter (worm food) so you want that mixed into the soil. Either kill it off, til it under or cover it with newspaper and put your new dirt on top.

MikeP09 · Mon Sep 14, 2009 5:29 pm

Really? ok, that will save alot of work. But how about the spacing? I read another thread that says minimum of 2 foot between plants. Should I make my forms 6'x16' instead of 5'x16'? I can then place 2 rows with 2' between them side to side.

rainbowgardener · Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:46 pm

My raised beds are 2' deep and my tomatoes love it, but it wouldn't have to be that deep. One of our other mods cynthia tried the Square Foot Gardening recommendation of 6" and decided no matter how much she enriched it, that just wasn't enough. So somewhere between those extremes. Typical raised beds are often 1' deep.

I put 2 rows of tomatoes in a 4' wide raised bed, just alternating them so they aren't directly next to each and it seems to work fine. I plant a row of broccoli down the outside, but the broccoli goes in even before the last frost date. When the soil warms up some I plant the tomato plants in the middle. By the time the tomato plants are getting big, the broccoli is done and I pull it.

cottonpicker · Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:51 pm

I FULLY AGREE with TZ-OH6...... when breaking out a new garden plot I have always done it the easier way--- turned over the sod, dirt side up and covered with 3 or 4 layers of newspaper, then put some fresh soil on top. Works wonders and the worms will take care of the rest!! Your back will "thank you" too! Good luck!

Ldd