Gardening Patio

[hendi_alex]

Our main garden is made up of raised beds on a concrete slab. That is because we have a yard full of dozens of large trees and a conventional garden can not compete with the tree roots. The wood frames are being replaced with more permanent cinder block caps, about $40 per 3.5 foot by 6.5 foot bed. My garden method would best be called intensive gardening with no chemicals other than modest use of slow release fertilizer and very occasional organic approved bug spray.

[applestar]

Great to see you @hendi_alex! Welcome back

I remember your struggles and various trials to deal with those roots — How long ago did you decide to lay down the slab?

[hendi_alex]

There used to be a home with carport on the back side of our home site. I put raised beds on the concrete pad probably 30 years ago. Those beds were so productive compared to in ground that I expanded the pad to about 35 feet by 50 feet. It cost about $2000 but keeping the beds in production year round, I figure that it only took about five years to recoup the expense. These are the first beds being placed in 2015.

[imafan26]

It looks really good. It also keep everything clean and you don't have to do much maintenance between the beds. The fence and the slab should keep out almost all critters that want to feast on the garden. Your beds look to be one tile high with a capstone, about 10 inches deep. It should work for most things, Deeper containers would work for plants that need deeper root space. The concrete would help reflect the sun and keep the beds warmer. The concrete pad is pretty thick. It was a good solution for the tree root problem. It also helped to clear some of the space between the garden and the trees. You could even convert it to a hoophouse in the future to extend the season more.

[PaulF]

Very nice set-up. Thanks for sharing.

[lakngulf]

It is great to see hendi_alex back. I learned a lot from him back in the day, as we dealt with some of the same struggles. Always impressed with his garden's production. I have a HUGE oak tree near my garden and find roots everywhere. I am about 90% growing in large containers now.