Planning Urban Raised Bed for Vegetables in Condo Yard

[jen ann]

Hello! I'm new to these forums (and new to gardening!), excited by all the information I've been reading so far.

SO, I live in a condo building in Chicago with no backyard, which really bums me out. With the lack of green space, we've been using the balcony (which gets west-facing/afternoon sun) to plant cucumbers and bell peppers (each in 5 gallon pots), as well as flowers and some herbs. Last year was our first year and the peppers did great, cucumbers just OK. I think we over-crowded all of them. This year we added a third pot for jalapenos and pepperoncinis, and a fourth pot for 1 butternut squash that my friend had already started and was giving away. Unfortunately, I think we've made the same mistake, and they're all overcrowded again (well, except for the squash, but, he's desperate to spread out regardless).

Now, we have some cement space in the back that we recently realized we could easily build a large raised bed for, and take advantage of more sunlight (all day long) by placing it at the north end of the property. This also will let us spread out our plants a bit more. The 5 gallon pots have been working, but I'm convinced everything needs more space (and more sun). So, we built an 6'x3' raised bed, 2' deep. It's big! We've stained it and lined it with weed fabric, and we're ready to go!

But first, I have some questions.. (sorry - I have a lot..)

1. I'm REALLY nervous about transplanting the plants themselves. Since it's already July, the plants are relatively big now and the cucumber vines are spread all over the balcony poles. We have 1 big bell pepper and maybe 6 good sized cucumbers, a couple of jalapenos, and lots of buds already growing. Any advice on how to do this without disturbing the roots too much? Should I avoid trying to move the cucumber all together? I would have to unwrap all his little arms.. or is it ok for a few of those to be sacrificed..? The cucs and bells are in plastic pots that I wouldn't mind destroying with scissors to get them out safely.. I've just never done this before and don't want to kill everything in the process!

2. I've been reading a lot about what types of soil mixtures to use as we'll need about 1 cubic yard of it assuming we don't fill it up all the way, or add some perlite rocks to the bottom. Any suggestions for what works best and is most cost effective? Should we try to use as much soil in their current pots as possible? We've already added some plant food to their current pots/soil as well.

3. Anyone on here from Chicago that knows someone who'd deliver said soil at a decent price?

4. Would anyone recommend adding worms to the soil?

5. We did a lot less herbs this year, but we do have some rosemary, basil and peppermint. Should I try moving those to the new raised bed with the veggies as well, to attract pollinators? Well, maybe not the mint. Or I could always pick up some new herbs or a few flowers. Which would work best to help out peppers, cucumbers and squash? I'm worried about the city's lack of bees the last few years.

6. This may sound silly, but at the end of the growing season.. what happens? Should we try and remove all the plants/roots and re-use the soil? Should we just mix it all together? Will all or some of the soil likely need to be replaced..?

Any and all advice is welcome on any of these questions! Thank you so much for reading this overly-long newbie post!

[Lindsaylew82]

#6 You won't need to replace the soil, but it will need to amended with good compost on a yearly basis. Mulch is your friend! Wheat straw, grass clippings, compost, any type of mulch will help keep weeds under control, help with moisture consistency, and soil temperature consistency. At the end of the season, you can either add more compost/potting soil to the top of that (some will settle) or you can mix it all up and use fresh mulch to top the Mixed product. I'm not a fan of bare soil, ever. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Wheat straw and grass clippings are my go to's.

#5. Rosemary and mint can quickly outgrow a small space. For example your raised bed. I would leave them in their respective large pots, and place them near or next to your raised bed. Your basil will transplant fine! The flowers attract pollinators! I'm also a big fan of cilantro and dill. Beneficials REALLY like those when the go to flower. They should be font inter planted in your raised bed, but will do well in large pots too.

#4. YES! Worms! But mulch, mulch, mulch. They also like newspaper and brown packaging paper. I use that as an added weed barrier under my mulch. I don't till.

#3. Talk to your local big box stores. One of the managers at my local store will save up busted bags of all kinds of stuff for people to buy for cheap! Maybe 15-20 broken bags of compost, top soil, potting soil, mulch...you name it...all bundled and sold for 5-15 bucks! Unfortunately tall raised bed cost a LOT to fill up. It takes a lot of stuff to fill that space. You'll be surprised how much!

#2. There are lots of differing opinions on the "best" mix. For my pots, I like 1/3 vermiculite (horticultural kind), 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost. I make most of my own compost, but there is never enough to go around. When I buy compost, I like to mix up the brands that way I'm getting a more complex and diverse mix of sources. I mix everything well, dump and then mulch, mulch, mulch!

#1. Your peppers will transplant fine. Just tease a few roots loose and transplant the whole root soil ball. There may be a little stress, but they will revive quickly. I would NOT transplant the cukes or squash. But you can let them ramble over the new soil. They'll put down tap roots at the joints that touch the mulch.

Hope this helps!

[Lindsaylew82]

Oh! And you can pull plants, or you can cut them at the soil line.

[JC's Garden]

Welcome to the forum.
#5. I started out this year wondering if I would ever get pollinators in my garden. I did a lot of pollinating by hand (my wife got a kick out of that). Finally, I quit using anything for garden wide pest control except Bt (it only kills caterpillars & such) and started seeing several species of native bees I had never noticed before. I still use neem oil but only in the area of a serious problem. In addition to the bees, I have lots of ladybugs. chameleons, praying mantises, predatory wasp and flies and, AND the Honey Bees are back.

[catgrass]

You say your raised bed will be sitting on concrete. If you bed will have a bottom, you will need some drain holes-possibly drilled in the sides near the bottom. You will need to water more often, too.

[jen ann]

Thank you, everyone! These tips are a huge help and also gives me some reassurance that we're doing things OK

Lindsay - we're definitely going to start collecting our grass clippings! Have you ever used coffee grounds? I've read great things about eggshells and banana/orange peels as well. Do you usually chop all those things up before mixing them in? And thanks for the tip on cilantro and dill - I think we'll do that! We had cilantro last year but didn't use much of it. If it helps brings back the bees and good guys, I'm all for it, though. Moving the cukes and squash next to the bed is a great idea and solves my problem of worrying about their roots. But, the cuke is really already attached to our balcony poles, so I'm worried that'll be too much stress even to try and move him down off the balcony. Think it's worth trying to unravel him to bring him downstairs? Also, when you mention cutting the plants at the soil line.. what do you mean by that exactly?

JC - we actually don't use anything for pest control at the moment. I guess we probably should, though.. I'm not really sure what to look for in regards to knowing whether we have pests or not as I'm only in year 2 of this stuff What is Bt? Our upstairs neighbor said he found a praying mantis on our roof of the building the other day, so I'm hoping that's a good sign he'll come back and bring friends!

Catgrass - Our bottom boards are actually spaced out about an inch or two between each one, so they aren't quite touching. That's why we lined the whole thing with weed fabric, to keep the soil/dirt from running out between the boards. I think that should work ok! Hopefully. Would you still recommend drilling some holes along the sides though?

[Lindsaylew82]

I would leave your cukes where they are. But you can plant more in your new beds. They are usually quick to produce. There is still growing time, too.

When my plants are done, I cut them at the base of the plant to remove them. My weed barrier remains intact and the roots rot and add to the soil.

I do use coffee grounds and ALL kitchen scraps in my compost pile. They break down quickly in the pile. I also save coffee that doesn't get consumed or goes cold. I pour that right on my plants. I read somewhere that it kills slugs, and for a while I was spraying it on the foliage. Idk...
I DO side dress.

Are you commuted to organic gardening? If no, I highly suggest it! If you have questions about organic pest control and gardening in general, there are LOTS of gardeners here that are committed to organic practices who would be very happy to answer all your questions!

Hand picking is the BEST way to control pests in the small garden. I'm squeamish about bugs...very... And I manage that in 2 ways. The first is to employ my child, who has been taught by her dad that touching bugs is SO COOL!


And I also use a pair of hemostats or a plastic doing stick. Both were unused disposables I acquired from work. Every time I go out into my garden, which is daily, I carry a cup of soapy water. I knock the bugs in the water, pick the bugs and put them in the water, or manipulate my child into an "ultra cool, big girl" bug picker!

[tomc]

Now, we have some cement space in the back that we recently realized we could easily build a large raised bed for, and take advantage of more sunlight (all day long) by placing it at the north end of the property.

Welcome Jen,
I would want something in writing from your landlord before making semi-permanent changes. Your patio may only be a final destination for your potted garden.

1. I'm REALLY nervous about transplanting the plants themselves.

Jen I don't think you should try to build a raised bed and transplant all this year.

2. I've been reading a lot about what types of soil mixtures to use as we'll need

Jen If you really do have an iron-clad approval for a raised bed, in the fall I would start with the soil you already have in pots and a whole bunch of autumnal leaves or straw on top. Inasmuch as your living very near your neighbors I would limit any kitchen waste to coffee grounds. Somewhere near you should be a starbucks that you can get spent grounds from.

3. Anyone on here from Chicago that knows someone who'd deliver said soil at a decent price?

The (cost of) soil by the truck load isn't the issue. The cartage will be. Expect a $ 150.00 + charge to ship your dirt.

4. Would anyone recommend adding worms to the soil?

If you use autumnal leaves as part of your yard waste, they will contain ample worm egg cases.

6. This may sound silly, but at the end of the growing season.. what happens? Should we try and remove all the plants/roots and re-use the soil? Should we just mix it all together? Will all or some of the soil likely need to be replaced..?

Organic material is made of mostly carbon. The NPK portion is a tiny fraction. By the time your 2015 garden is spent in the fall there will be a whole lot less soil in your self contained bed. It will be time again to refill it up with decomposing yard waste.

I might also invest as you build you new raised bed, in some bean innoculant.

[jen ann]

We're not necessarily committed to organic gardening, but we're certainly not opposed to it, either! Any organic tips are much appreciated, for sure. As far as picking out bugs, I guess I just don't know which are good ones and which are bad ones.. I also don't have quite as good of a little helper as you do, but my guy doesn't mind taking that role when necessary

tomc - we're in a condo building, so we are our own landlords It's also a very small building, only 7 units, and we're very friendly with everyone in the building. I'm not concerned about using the communal space. The people we've talked to agree that it'll help spruce up the space a bit.. and we also plan to share if anyone in the building is interested in some veggies! The bed is already built and ready to go, so we'd like to use it at least for something this year. Thinking of attempting some garlic, too. We brew coffee daily ourselves, but checking in at the local shops is a great idea too. What is bean innoculant? And what is that used for?

[tomc]

More than one would-be gardener has been bitten on their back-side by HOA's or other covenants. Covering yourself in writing will make for fewer tears later.

Its not that big of a deal to fill a raised bed with no-smell, no critter food waste. Autumnal leaves, or grass clippings leap to mind. As they break down they become your new organic soil, and your fertilizer. Spent coffee grounds, look just about like dirt, once the paper filter has been removed, fresh from the machine.

All legumes team up with mushroom families to get the mycoriza to do some of the heavy lifting mining nitrogen (the "N" of NPK) out of the air. Because your new raised bed is self contained, you can wait for it to find its way to your garden or prime the pump with what and farm-garden or seed catalog will call innoculant.

There are two pretty common legume innoculants, one fer beans and another for peas.

[jen ann]

Awesome, I will look into that more! Grass, leaves and coffee grounds will be very easy for us to do, so that's a no-brainer.

There is a chocolate factory near us that sells their old roasted cocoa shells very cheap to use as mulch. I wonder if that would work with veggies, or would be better for a lawn? Though I have read about the danger it presents to pets, it would smell delicious.

[tomc]

Low "N" mulches work fine to grow towards an organic soil. Oh your potted soil will have some lignin rich peat in it. If its given a chance to decompose, will. As will coconut or coca hulls. You want an idle season (like winter) for the decomp you want to take place.

Said the boy born in Elmhurst long and long ago.

[catgrass]

The spacing that you indicated should be ok. A note considering the cocoa hulls-they are extremely poisonous to dogs, so you need to consider that

[JC's Garden]

Try this link to learn about Bt. I use it because it won't hurt my pollinators but will keep the caterpillars under control.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis
You can find it at any big hardware store. I get mine at Lowe's.

[jen ann]

Awesome. Thank you again all for all of the tips! tomc - I grew up not far from Elmhurst, over in Deerfield