How to setup new garden. I need lots of help :) Updated PICS!!

[Apopka Cluckers]

Oh, another thing that I just thought of.

I killed the grass in that area last month so it isn't growing at all. That and the fact that we haven't had any rain

If I plan on growing carrots or another vegetable that grows down into the ground, will it go through the ground that is there past the 6" bed or will I have to till the ground up underneath the raised bed to start it.

Also, for vegetables that grow up, would it be smart to put some of that black screen on the ground to prohibit the grass and weeds from growing through?

I know I'm a pest with all of these questions and I apologize. I just have NEVER grown anything

Thanks

 

[beavis]

If I plan on growing carrots or another vegetable that grows down into the ground, will it go through the ground that is there past the 6" bed or will I have to till the ground up underneath the raised bed to start it.

carrots won't grow well in hard packed soil. You want a mixture that is very light and crumbly, without too much Nitrogen, otherwise carrots will fork/split into two or more roots.

 

[Suess]

I have been told to use the black plastic stuff to keep my weeds out, I was told it would cut back on my weeding. But I have never done it, and there is something therapeutic to weeding after a poopy day at work, or just needing a reason to get outside for a while.

 

[patandchickens]

Don't put landscape fabric under your beds, especially since they are so shallow -- it will prevent your veggies from rooting down into the soil, which would be Bad.

personally I would not try carrots this year - they are really not all that easy to grow IME (high-maintenance to get them to sprout properly and start growing, and you need good soil and constant moisture levels to get anything worthwhile out of them). But if you really really want to try carrots, I would deeply work the particular part of the particular bed where they're going. Remove the dead sod, and mix VERY well-composted organic matter (carrots don't do well with fresh-ish manure) in with your sandy soil, to a depth of at least 1 foot. Be a lot easier to save for some future year's project, though, when both you and your garden have a bit more mileage and momentum

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Madfarner]

Your beds look great. But did you use pressure-treated wood? The old CCA stuf isn't made anymore, but I don't know what the toxicity potential of the new stuff is. At Home Depot, you can buy 4"X8"X16" concrete pads which are excellent for framing beds. They're a little more trouble to level, but very stable once you fill them, & of course will last forever. Here, they're $1.05 ea., or less than $50.00 for a 100sq. ft. bed. For your carrots, you could plant a short variety, or just bust open the ground w/ a spading fork before you add soil to your beds. My carrot beds were 8" high, & I had no problem.

Madfarmer

 

[Apopka Cluckers]

The wood is PT but it is, at the very least, 10 years old and has been painted on one side. That is the side that is facing to the inside. I was thinking that there might be problems after I put them together

These planks were the old deck that was torn apart. I tore one deck down and made a 10X10 chicken coop and the other deck for these boxes. I'm trying to reuse everything I can as wood is so expensive here.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try that but I think I'll hold off on carrots until I get, at least, a basic understanding of what I'm doing lol.

 

[aee96]

I just wanted to add that a book I found very helpful was "The Vegetable Garderners Bible". It has tons of good info in it and gives you growing info for lots of different veggies.

I'm on my 4th year as a vegetable gardener and I am still learning.


Amy aka aee96

 

[me&thegals]

I'm on my 4th year as a vegetable gardener and I am still learning.

I'm on about my 30th year of gardening and STILL learning! That's what makes it so fun. I hope I don't figure it ALL out anytime soon

 

[Patch of Heaven Farm]

I have found this site helpful in planning my garden. It has a garden planning tool that has the plants color-coded so it is easy to know what to plant and for crop rotation. The site is www.growveg.com . Have fun! Hope you have a great harvest!! :happy_flower

 

[vfem]

I have found this site helpful in planning my garden. It has a garden planning tool that has the plants color-coded so it is easy to know what to plant and for crop rotation. The site is www.growveg.com . Have fun! Hope you have a great harvest!! :happy_flower

You should post a seperate thread with that link! I checked out the site and I am doing a free trial now trying to 'arrange' what goes in my raised boxes now!!! Awesome!