Raised Bed Book

[Ridgerunner]

I'm looking for recommendations for a book that tells me about plant spacings in a raised bed garden. How far apart can I plant certain things and what can I plant next to each other. I'm not that concerned about whether a plant likes another but how do I manage shade and competition for space. @majorcatfish had suggestions for corn which makes sense to me but I'm interested in other things too. I don't know what I'll be growing down here or when. In South Louisiana my growing season has all kinds of opportunities.

I plan to start out with six raised beds, 4' x 8' each. They will be separated 4' lengthwise and 3-1/2' width if that makes sense. I started digging this afternoon as you can see, just removing the turf which is stacked against the fence. Eventually that turf will go into a compost bin which I can't build until I get some drainage work done. Hopefully that will be by the end of this month but you know contractors and their schedules, especially when their work depends on it not raining.

I don't plan to take the beds that high. A neighbor did not and has some nice looking stuff. His okra is over 9' high and the tomatoes look really nice. I'm undecided but am leaning toward using treated 2x8"s for the sides and fill them with good garden soil, leaving about 2" clear at the top for mulch. The entire area gets good sun practically all day.

My eventual plan is to cover everything that is not raised bed in that area with cardboard left over from the move and covered with mulch to hold it in place. I want to eliminate all the grass back there so it isn't constantly trying to invade my beds.

So does anyone have a recommendation for a decent book. Maybe on square foot gardening?

 

[majorcatfish]

when i got hooked on raised beds all i did was google and looked in amazon, once home will look and see if any of my books will help you.........

 

[thejenx]

I've only got 2 raised beds, but I like them a lot. Learned the hard way that wood rots away so now most is replaced by dry stone walls.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I figure mine only have to last 10 to 12 years. Based on family history I probably won't be in physical condition to do much beyond that. I figure treated wood will probably last long enough.

 

[digitS']

Well, there is Mel Bartholomew's book on "square foot gardening " His book was from the early 80's and started quite a movement.

I read it and decided two things. Mel's Mix looks like real good soil but I'm not gonna buy all that for a veggie garden! And, the spacing is really tight. Many of the plants require vertical supports and some would need pruning.

Before Mel, I was influenced by French Intensive and Peter Chan's gardening. His book (click) was revised and he seems to put more effort at blending American and Asian techniques later on. He is a plant pathologist at an Oregon university and I liked his early attitude in writing. It was kinda like, "hey, what's the big deal? The Chinese have been doing this for centuries."

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not planning on mixing my own soil but get garden soil by the yard, I figure three yards should be enough to start with. The dirt underneath is what you'd expect in a area that all the spare dirt between the Appalachians and the Rockies has washed and settled out of muddy water forever when the river flooded. I plan to get an soils analysis but it should be very rich with many nutrients but a fine grained silty clay or clayey silt. It doesn't drain real well and dries hard. It is very sticky when wet, not the best thing to work with. Thinking about it as I type I may chat with the extension office about how to go about it. I'm sure they are familiar with the issues. I was going to talk to then about sources anyway.

Steve, I know you like your Chinese greens. How well do the veggies Chan talks about fit the more regular veggies we grow or is it limited in that respect? Both books sound interesting.

 

[ninnymary]

Check your library to see if they have them. Then if you like them, you can buy them.

Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Good suggestion Mary.

 

[majorcatfish]

well @Ridgerunner thought i had books on beds..... guess not..... do have books on just about everything else related to fruits and veggies...

if you do not have this book it's very informative..

"the vegetable gardener's bible"

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/136-4150286-1627033?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=the+vegetable+gardener's+bible

hope you get your beds made in time for a fall harvest....

 

[Ridgerunner]

Keep the thoughts and suggestions coming. I plan to take Mary's suggestion and go talk to the librarian next week with a list of books. Usually if they don't have them they can get them from another library system.