Journey11's 2011 Garden - large rudbeckia with red halo, post #38

[journey11]

I wanted to show you guys my new raised bed I put in this week. Thought I'd just start a little "journal" of sorts and add to it from time to time.

I've really enjoyed working the raised strawberry bed we put in last year and I decided that I could use more growing space, so I have planned to build at least five more this spring. I have a huge pile of rough cut oak lumber that my BIL was going to burn and he gave it to us free. We were going to build a goat barn with it, but the goats are on hold for now, so I'm going to go ahead and put it to good use.

I filled this one with compost/manure/topsoil from my giant let-it-rot pile. Took 9 wheelbarrow loads to fill this 3'x18' bed.

My little garden helper and I planted it full of onions and garlic. I just turned her loose with the bag of onions. We'll "thin" them out a little later for green onions as we go.

Here's how I assemble my raised beds. They go together so quick and easy. When the boards do start to rot years down the road, both the stakes and the boards are easily replaced.

I built and filled the whole thing by myself, no help from DH!
I love this time of year. It's like I'm solar-powered or something. :coolsun

 

[rebbetzin]

That looks very nice! Here in the desert raised beds work great. You have much more control of the water and you can put up shade cloth over the beds.

When my son lived in Surprise AZ, (NE of Phoenix), he built a great raised bed system.

These are the "Before" photos

This photo is a bit off kilter.

This is a few weeks later in March.

One of my grandaughters. I think that is a bed of peppers.

 

[Collector]

Journey, great looking raised bed. You must have a large compost pile to get that much good looking material out of!
Besides vegetables it looks like you are growing a great helper also good job!

 

[lesa]

Looking good!! You will make good use of that space! Not bad enough you have green grass- it is warm enough for shorts!!! You are making me cry...Hoping to see spring next month.

 

[journey11]

Looking good!! You will make good use of that space! Not bad enough you have green grass- it is warm enough for shorts!!! You are making me cry...Hoping to see spring next month.

It's greening up, but we've had another cold spell. They're calling for a snow storm tomorrow! That's a late one, even for us.

Rebbetzin, your son sure has inherited your greenthumb. That's an impressive system he has there.

Thanks Collector! I hope she will take to gardening to some degree or another. I try to keep it fun for her.

I got my hubby to make a couple trips to the livestock market last year to get manure for me. I wanted him to get it ALL, but there are only so many hours in a day. He bought a new (used) truck this spring, so I said, "yea! you can haul more manure for me now!" Plus our chickens put out quite a lot.

 

[Collector]

Were those onion bulbs sprouting in the bag before you planted them? We bought a bag of bulbs to plant this year I havnt checked to see if they are doing that, but now I'm gonna!

 

[thistlebloom]

You're off to a great start Journey! Nice looking raised bed, I like doing stuff on my own ,so I usually try to sneak a project in before DH (aka Mr. Square Plumb and Level ) can catch me. He always wants do things right and I just want to do things! So fun gardening with little ones,sigh.... Looking forward to watching your garden's progress.

Looking good!! You will make good use of that space! Not bad enough you have green grass- it is warm enough for shorts!!! You are making me cry...Hoping to see spring next month.

Hey don't cry Lesa, just think of all the advantages gardening up north provides.... ( I know, I can't come up with any either ).

 

[journey11]

I like doing stuff on my own ,so I usually try to sneak a project in before DH (aka Mr. Square Plumb and Level ) can catch me. He always wants do things right and I just want to do things!

I got a good chuckle out of that... Usually I kick my hubby out because he won't measure or double-check things. But yes, there is nothing more satisfyingly simple as doing things your own way!

Collector - Yep, they had sprouted a little before I got to them, especially the red onions. I was a couple of weeks late getting them out because of the very wet weather we've had this spring. I hope that won't affect them adversely. I wasn't sure...

 

[journey11]

Made some improvements to my grow-light set up yesterday. It's more easily adjustable now and my sunroom is far less cluttered! I took everything out of the room and sorted it, then put in these nice kitchen cabinets I got from my MIL and a countertop (waterproof!) and I can now fit 5 flats on the same space. Woot!

The lights hang from coat closet rods that sit on brackets I mounted at the ceiling. They lift out easily and I can add more lights later or adjust their position.

The cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and dahlias are outside hardening off. Now I've got tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and snapdragons going. This is my first time growing snapdragons. I had no idea the seeds were so tiny! I may have over done it a bit. It's going to be interesting trying to thin them out.

 

[thistlebloom]

Looks good Journey! Super cool cabinets, what a great deal . I definitely need to upgrade my starting area, right now it's under my sons desk. He no longer lives here and we took over his room so he can't move back (kidding, he's welcome if he gets desperate ) however he left his desktop computer setup and my husband didn't want me to box it up yet, so he hung the lights under the desk . Oh, hey, it's really no problem getting on my hands and knees to take care of stuff ( creak...moan...). His room has also become my chick brooder room, so he would have to be real desperate to move back!