Raised Vegetable Garden

Last year, after I had already planted my garden I stumbled upon a site that had a built in program where you told it how big of a garden bed you had, chose the veggies you wanted, and it helped you build a garden with your space, automatically determining where to plant, and the number of each plant you should have.

I can not for the LIFE of me, find this program now, and I am trying to plan my 4×4 raised bed which is drastically smaller than last years garden!

Does anyone know of a site like this they can link? I’ve been googling for over an hour!

This site has pre-planned selections, plan your own design and a demo on how to use. Pretty cool!! Hope this helps.

http://www.gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html

I’m weary of watching the tomato plants surrender to sadness.

If it matters, I have a raised-bed garden with multiple beds.

Thank you for your green thumbs and white fly assassination techniques.
Forgot to add….things besides chemical pesticides, because I intend to eat the vegetables. Thank you.

Diatomaceous Earth (off white talc-like powder that is the fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton). Wear a dust mask when applying. Don’t forget to use earthworm castings in your soil, too.

100% biodegradable – safe around pets and children (bug killer you can eat)

there are brown mushroom caps popping up in my raised vegetable garden. could they make my vegetables poisonous? are they themselves poisonous? etc.

Your other vegetables will be fine. I’d pop in a description of the mushrooms on google to see if they are edible

I want to start a vegetable garden this spring.

Soil comes in cubic yards and you need 36 cubic feet and there are 27 cu ft per cu yard so you need 1.33 cu yards of soil on average a cubic foot weighs 30lb so 36×30=1080 lbs.The link below will help you out also ok.

I’m looking to build two 12′ x 4′ x 12" tall raised vegetable garden beds. Any tips on lumber to use? I’ve heard redwood or cedar but just looking to find out any info from anyone else. I don’t want to invest in composite at this point. Thanks in advance!

(Sorry to intrude… this is Kay, following up on your wool question). Linen may work, but is probably going to be more expensive than wool, and will drape more roundly than wool does. Muslin is way too light for a cloak. Look at the softly spun polyester suitings and similar for cheap. Actually, I can often get decent wool flannel and the like for $5-8/yard.)

As to your raised beds… how long do they need to last? In a cool climate, plain ol’ 5/4 cedar will last at least 5 years, more likely 10; untreated 2×4 will usually last at least 4-5. Cement block is good for permanent, and you can also just build up the bed with sloped sides — essentially a long mound — and simply repair it a bit in the spring by shoveling the washout back to the middle. This is also a much easier construction technique for incorporating compost and similar materials into later.

i’d like to start with something easy that produces quickly i’m an ‘immediate gratification’ kinda gal…

Good on you! I love vege gardens.

Although it’s now autumn where you live, you can follow this guide:

http://www.palmers.co.nz/gardening_calendar/march.cfm

It is from New Zealand, so the seasons are six months out. September is our spring, so you can follow the March instructions, which is our autumn.

Probably carrots, lettuce, and beetroot are going to be the quickest growing, but you can find varieties of pretty much anythign that will perform quickly.

I have small lawn, about 3500 s.f. There are large trees that are the edge of woods in the back. I have a small raised vegetable garden in the middle of the lawn. I also have a few small blueberry and raspberry bushes amongst the lawn.
I am using the scotts program. I am looking for some alternatives. Basically, after using step 2 weed control I noticed the bluberries look like they were damaged by it. I didnt spread it right at the base of them, but maybe gave them an 18" buffer. This wasnt enough. I am thinking that I may want to just spread turf builder by scotts for the lawn, and aplly seperate products for weed and insects. I will be applying grubex in the next few days. In mid july I plan on applying an insect control product. And would like to apply another weed application. What tips do people have on a weed application that won’t harm the bushes and garden?

What does everyone think?

For insect control, use Diatomaceous earth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

or Beneficial nematodes:

http://www.suburbanhabitat.com/pd_beneficial-nematodes.php?gclid=CM_J1Mnt6owCFRNTgQodCSoj2Q

For weed control, the best solution is to dig them up by the root. You can also pour boiling water on them. Do not use salt as this may harm your existing plants. Vinegar may work, but again, it may do harm.

I can’t seem to grow anything to full size because squirrels (or maybe even rats, gross!) are eating all of the tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini in my raised bed garden. The only veggies that seem safe from munching are my sweet banana and cayenne peppers. They haven’t found the cantaloupes yet, but I am sure it is just a matter of time. Any suggestions? Chicken wire?

We have thin fence posts around our garden with plastic grocery bags attached (breeze blows them about), coyote urine holders, two fake owls and four (one at each corner) plants called Angel Trumpets. We see deer tracks around the garden, but not through it. After woodchucks, skunks and raccoons the first year with just the fake owls out there I added everything else I noted and have had no visitors. I do believe the coyote urine really helps, however some folks think it attracts predators.

A gun works well, esp for the frustration, but takes much patience while waiting for the critters to appear. I don’t do this as I just can’t kill the durn invaders.

I have one thats 28 x 70 feet,,with aspargus,blueberries,rasberries,onions,collard greens,green beans,tomatoes,squash,purple hull pink eyed peas,watermelons,cantalopes.& sweet potatoes—-whats in yours & how is it doing? –mine is comming right along

Right now the temperature is 107 degrees at mid-afternoon. So I grow items which like the heat. Chili peppers, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, zinnia’s. In the winter I grow lettuce, spinach, all types of Chinese vegie’s, chard.
Tomatoes and cukes do very well between March amd mid-May. Once the temps get in the mid 90’s then the fruit won’t set. If one has the energy and the time you can have a year round garden.

We planted our first garden this year and it is growing pretty well but we’ve just noticed a ton of ants in our raised garden. How do we get rid of them?

Ants hate the smell of mint and cinnamon. So sprinkle some cinnamon in your bed and see if that helps. I wouldn’t recommend planting mint because it will grow uncontrollably but maybe in pots around your garden? Also Borax mixed with sugar around the plants. Ants will eat that and they’ll take it back to their nests and they’ll all die.

Ants also like dry spaces. Is your garden maybe too dry? Make sure you keep the soil uniformly moist and see if that helps too.

Happy Gardening!