Raisin’ the Beds
This past week (between the sunburn from hell, the work week from hell, the doggy week from hell, flu pandemics, and thunderstorms…) I managed to get some more dirt into the raised bed in the back and to transplant all the tomato and other plants that I’ve had patiently waiting in containers.
The dirt level settled by over seven inches.
In one area of the bed, I still have onions growing from sets. They’re hopefully getting towards the end of their season, but they’re still growing (and the occasional flower, whereupon I harvest the onion) so I don’t want to pull them just yet. However, the new bed level would be more than six inches higher than their current height!
Solution: I put in a divider. It rests on the top of the walkway and the edge of the garden, and let me fill one area back up without having to fill the onions back up.
Divider and onions are on the right; a 2nd divider with kohlrabi is on the left.
Where the divider meets the edge of the garden
Where the divider rests on the walkway.
The end result is a much happier, fuller garden with much better dirt (lots of store-bought (unfortunately) compost, as mine isn’t ready yet, and manure).
Mostly filled back up...
You may have noted the lack of ’square foot’ dividers in the new areas … I took them out since they were getting in the way a lot. Frankly, the irrigation system (drip hoses) and my mind provide enough of a ‘grid’ for me… I think the important part of the square foot system is the message to interplant things with different heights but similar needs, and I’m hip and cool and smart enough to go gridless.
And I don’t use Mel’s Mix either because it’s got so much peat moss in it. So there! Hppbt!
Yeah, I’m with you on the peat issue. I have used the Al mix for two years now and I really like it so I am still trying to figure out what to replace the peat with in the mix. Coir may not supply the acidity that peat did so I may have to supplement whatever I choose with coffee grounds from Starbucks. Also, I am growing all the stuff on my beds on just 6 inches of dirt, even carrots, short varieties of course (Nantes and Mignon). Al says, and I have found to be true, that if you give the plant enough nutrients, the root will not need that much dirt. I grew two HUGE tomato plants on 9 inches of dirt in a different bed. I line my beds with garden fabric and have yet to see a root break through. This has been my experience here in Kansas. I cannot vouch for this under different a climate.
Breakin’ all the rules! Actually, I just found out about SFG a month ago (got the book out of the library, and everything), but I didn’t put any grids on my raised bed. It seemed to me that I already had the basic idea and that gridding would be extra work for no purpose. I might put in a grid next year, or I might not.
As for peat, I didn’t mix any into the bed, but before I read your last post’s link I’d already bought a big bale to use in planting various things. The local extension’s website said to use peat as an amendment when planting blueberries, for instance. So now I have all this peat and what to do? I’m using the bale as a doorstop in the short term. Works great.