2012 Garden

Raised Beds at Last!

Raised beds in Summer

At long last, we finally got around to putting in raised beds. Ultimately, the cinder blocks were cost prohibitive and we decided to go with 2x12 boards. The raised beds in the vegetable garden are 4 foot wide and 12 foot long-there will be 10 total, plus one 6x4 when we finish them. For the flower beds, we decided on 4 foot square beds-there are 13 of these, two of which are tiered beds for strawberries. We also have two 2 foot wide hexagon beds for flowers, and plans for larger tiered hexagon beds for next year. The bed configuration I like best, is the 4 foot square bed set diagonally, with 4 triangle beds surrounding it, that greets you when you enter the garden.

Yarrow in a hexagon bed.	Assorted bed shapes.
My favorite bed configuration.

Building the beds was quite an undertaking and took us much longer than we expected it would. What we thought could be done in one weekend turned into two weekends and every evening of the days between-and that was just the start. In the end, it was well worth the effort. The first step was to sit down with pen and paper and draw up a plan. Plan in hand, we headed to the lumber yard to buy supplies-some of it we were able to claim from cull lumber which made it even more cost effective. Then we hauled it home, stacked it in the most level place on our property-previously decided on as the "work space", cleared the garden area, tilled, and marked the corners of the beds. The next step was to shovel and rake the topsoil out of the designated bed area. Meanwhile, Steve assembled the bed according to the directions found in the book The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith. We then carried and placed the bed into the cleared area. The bed was leveled, and the subsoil turned with a shovel. Thus prepared, the bed was filled half with composting horse manure, and then the topsoil was replaced. After allowing it to settle for 5-7 days, and topping off the soil as needed, the transplants were planted, mulched, and watered. Here's how:

Supplies unloaded and stacked on location.

Garden area cleared except for perenial herbs.

Steve assembling a garden bed.

Transporting the bed.

Leveling the bed.

Adding composted manure.

Topsoil added and second tier in place.

Strawberry beds-to be planted in 5-7 days.

Strawberry plants planted and mulched.

Happy strawberries and one rooster.

When we decided to put in the first long bed for the vegetable garden, we did not stop to consider how much heavier a 12 foot bed would be. I cleared the site for the bed while Steve was assembling it, and then we discovered that there was no way the two of us could lift and carry a 12 foot bed. We had some electrical conduit pipe in a pile behind the barn and put it to good use. Our daughter was in charge of laying pipe ahead of us as we traversed down the driveway (thank goodness we were at the top and had a down hill run most of the way!), I used a lead rope attached to one end and Steve pushed from the other. It was rather comical, but eventually we got the bed in place and we learned a good lesson: build the long beds on site!

Moving the long bed into position.

Long beds marked with stakes and twine in the vegetable garden.

The first long bed in place and filled.

Setting out transplants.	Planting seeds in raised bed.
Mulching with old alfalfa hay.

Vegetable gardens in late spring.

We were a bit late getting the beds finished so most of the spring planting was done with transplants. What a joy it was to plant the raised beds. They are easy to plant, easy to tend, easy to harvest from, and a pleasure to see. Once the beds were planted, I turned my attention to creating the habitat I have always dreamed of. I can not remember ever having so much fun in my gardens before! In keeping with the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words, I will share some of the fun with you now...

The Garden Fairy Fountain.	Butterfly house in front of asparagus.
	The wheelbarrow.

Lettuce-we improvised for shade cloth.

Bronze birdbath.

Bumblebee house.

Corkscrew Vine on arbor.

Zucchini.

Asparagus beds-first year.

Hibiscus surrounded by stevia in center of mellon patch.

Butterfly house in back of garden.

Snapdragons, Chamomile, and Eggplant.

Frog fountain/birdbath.

Flower garden in summer.

Three tiered fountain.

Butterfly bush with zinnias.

Watermellon.

Hibiscus.

Kale.

Brussel's sprouts, onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs, marigolds, and tomatoes in back.

Vegetable garden in late summer.	Cabbage
	Toad houses and pond.

Extending the season with low tunnels and molded hay bales.

We will be building ten new beds in 2013. We also have plans to install four additional fountains~though I'm not sure the fountains will be completed in 2013~they may be restricted to one a year. See you in the gardens...........