My no work, money saving vegetable garden.

[pampam]

They were talking on the radio, and they said one of the best ways to get your child to eat veggies is to have him help out in the garden. If he plants what he likes, or waters, even watching it grow he takes more of an interest in veggies.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

I used cedar for my raised garden beds. Last year was my first year and they worked great! I grew all kinds of veggies. The only thing I had a problem with was yellow squash some sort of bug got the best of them.

I also would caution people in using plastic! When it heats up it leaches into the soil! With all the plastic scares as of late you really need to research the type of plasic you are using. Turn it upside down and look at the number on it. Very few plastics do not leach chemicals when heated up. Plastis is not intended for heat. I the summer think of how hot they get. I do not know what # plastic is safe for heat. But it is worth looking into!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've done raised beds for years. But we do get weeds in ours. The seeds blow from other areas of the yard and get in my raised beds.

I weed once a week, fertilize once a month if needed that depends on the fertilizer I'm using and have to water once a week if it doesn't rain.

We grow carrots, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers till the plants die usually in July, eggplant, tried potatoes and onions last year but they didn't do well, tried watermelon but the plants died.

I'm thinking of doing a mexican garden and an italian garden this year.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

I grew broccoli and it grew really well. I usually do green beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, mint (tea), strawberries, we have an apple tree and last year I planted grapes. I did not consider doing carrots but great I idea! I will this year. I also have a yard composter and a worm composter in my basement. So I use the worm cassings as my fertilizer each year. The worms eat my food scraps all winter long so it goes full circle back to my garden. I also replace dirt each year or throw some of it back into my composter because they dirt looses nutrients each year. I garden vertically and the beans, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes grow up my fence each year.

 

[pampam]

I grew broccoli and it grew really well. I usually do green beans, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, mint (tea), strawberries, we have an apple tree and last year I planted grapes. I did not consider doing carrots but great I idea! I will this year. I also have a yard composter and a worm composter in my basement. So I use the worm cassings as my fertilizer each year. The worms eat my food scraps all winter long so it goes full circle back to my garden. I also replace dirt each year or throw some of it back into my composter because they dirt looses nutrients each year. I garden vertically and the beans, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes grow up my fence each year.

I've considered worm composting but was concerned about a smell. I wouldn't want any bad smells in the basement. DH is concerned with my outdoor compost in case it attracts vermin, so I need diffferent ideas. He has layed the law down on my outside composting.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

I've considered worm composting but was concerned about a smell. I wouldn't want any bad smells in the basement. DH is concerned with my outdoor compost in case it attracts vermin, so I need diffferent ideas. He has layed the law down on my outside composting.

The worm composting does not smell. This is what I use:

http://www.amazon.com/Tray-Worm-Bin...4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1237670976&sr=8-4

they also have a 4 tray one for less. I though I would need more trays for over the winter but I think I am only on my 2nd tray still. But I also use the outside composter. The out side composter which is not near my house has a few mice living in it. But better there than in my house. It does not attract anything other than mice, bugs and worms because you do not put any animal scraps in it. No meat, no cheese, no chicken, fish or dairy at all. I do put all veggie scraps, legume, bean, fruit, leaves, torn up cardboard, paper, lint from the dyer and even dog hair in it. It also does not smell. I do see a mouse run out of it when evern I turn it (which is weekly). But that does not bother me. Mice do live outside and there is nothing I can do about this. I have so little garbage now that I compost and since I recycle. It is unbelievable how much I reduced my waste!

 

[pampam]

As was posted on another site, old doors can make a great box too. I don't suppose they mean the hallow mahogany doors. They wouldn't stand up very well. But if someone had access to solid doors, that would work great. You might need some metal angle brackets to help keep them together, or go with the old standby- 2x4s.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

you need to be really careful when using old materials. Old doors may have old paint which may have lead in it. Go buy cedar planks from menards it will last for years. I add new boxes each year as my budget affords it.

 

[disneymom3]

We are doing some raised bed gardening this year too. Intended to last year but it didn't work out in time. THis year I am ready early.

I would suggest looking into Square Foot gardenign also for those who do not have much space. Just do a google search for that and you will get lots of info.

I am SO excited about this harvest we will be having. Trying to start small but there are several things I want to grow!

 

[MomofCKJ]

I'm glad I found this thread again! I had seen it last week and wanted to come back and read it all. I would love to try this out this year. I have done containers on my deck of tomatoes and some herbs but I'd love to expand and try this. I told DH already I would like to. I think it would be fun for the kids and I to work on and have our own foods to eat through the summer!

Thanks for all the helpful tips!

Allyson

 

[disneymarie]

We have some friends who do the tomato plants in the 5 gal pails UPSIDE DOWN. It works great so we will give it a try this summer. She cut a hole in the bottom of a pail and worked the tomato plan through so the root was inside the pail and the stem poking out the bottom. them fill with dirt and hang it up. (they used an old swingset to hang the pails from) The tomatoes grow down. It looks weird but worked really well!
OP- Have you ever done this??

OMG that sounds perfect for me. I just never knew anyone that actually did it. I can;t weed and bend anymore. to stake and tie along with the animals around here this could be great.

I have large sq buckets that litter had come in that could work. I can hang from the Fort attached to the wood swingset.
I wonder what I can plant in my railing boxes? We have wild blackberry's, strawberries, huckleberries, tea berry's and grapes. Grandson loves it.

Our Cherry tree the birds get no matter what netting we use.

Lots of critters that would get in the garden.....Oh and a Bear that likes the garbage, pumpkins and Sunflowers.
He went after the 8 ft ones, this one was 14 feet tall and took first place at the Bloomsburg Fair..
That is ds, dd, and dh

 

[pampam]

We have some friends who do the tomato plants in the 5 gal pails UPSIDE DOWN. It works great so we will give it a try this summer. She cut a hole in the bottom of a pail and worked the tomato plan through so the root was inside the pail and the stem poking out the bottom. them fill with dirt and hang it up. (they used an old swingset to hang the pails from) The tomatoes grow down. It looks weird but worked really well!
OP- Have you ever done this??

I just saw some Topsy Turvy's advertised on tv, and it reminded me of this post. With the Topsy Turvy tomato planter, you insert the tomato plant through a piece of foam, and put it in the bottom of the topsy turvy bag, top it with dirt, and hang. Of course I would save myself the $20 for the cost of the topsy turvy bags and use pails. I wonder if your friends put the small tomato plants in anything to stop them from falling out of the pail? It also said on this commercial to water daily, so it would have to be hung low enough to reach the top of the pail to water. It suggested planting eggplant and cucumber as well as tomato's. I might even try zucchinni.

 

[8esther8]

I've done a lot of research since this thread was posted, and have done several gardens but never a raised bed. Both Lowe's and Home Depot let me know that you can use landscape timbers now, to build your raised beds. They've STOPPED using arsenic several years ago and only use a copper ion that makes the wood bug and rot resistant. Lowe's said they had a fax from a chemist that said they were perfectly safe to use. If you use regular untreated wood, it will only last a year or two, at most. And it will be full of termites, since the wood has direct contact with the soil. I bought untreated wood, then landscape timbers after this info. I'll use the untreated wood to build a bin for my compost.

If I knew how to post a picture, I would. My garden bed is 4' X 8', and I built two. It's 4 landscape timbers high. I took my drill and used a router bit and easily made a 3/4" hole through each end of each timber. Measure 1.5" in on each end and drill. Then pound a 18" (not sure of it's length, could be 24") of rebar in the ground, and slip each timber onto the rebar. Voila!! Lowes and HD sells the rebar in short, already cut lengths. I had a truck of "Black Gold" delivered from my mulch place, 5 scoops of beautiful soil, for $125. or so, plenty to fill each spot heaping over the top. You may not want to spend that much, but I wanted to give you an idea of how much is needed. I've been wanting to do this for years! Hope this helps someone....

 

[micheleq]

Thanks to the OP -- this is an awesome thread!

I've been wanting to build a garden in our yard, but we have deer in our area. Any suggestions for things deer won't eat or plantings that will deter deer (I thought Marigolds deterred some animals)? We had tomatoes an basil in containers the last two years by our back door, some of the tomatoes were eaten by the deer.

More pics please! I love to see everyone's progress!

 

[pampam]

We too, have deer in our area. They have never gone to the garden, probably because it is up against the garage in our back yard. However, they have visited the garden during the winter when I used it as a compost heap. I suppose food is more plentiful in the summer, so they have never needed to put themselves in danger for raiding my garden. Of course in the winter they were probably hungry enough to eat my apple peelings.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Thanks for the post! I had been thinking about a garden this year and this kind of helped me decide!

 

[Goofyzgurl]

I've been wanting to do a garden for years. If nothing else I'm going to try the bucket garden that someone suggested...no digging through the dirt for me with the buckets and I can bring them back out next year. I keep seeing the commercial for the topsy turvy tree but I think i can make something that I can hang the buckets on. This is going to be so much fun for the kids and I.

 

[CTdiznymom]

Haven't read thru the entire thread. Can't wait to get started. Found this link which is straight forward and fun.
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Build-Raised-Garden-Beds-59797501

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

We always had a garden growing up. I would love to do watermelon, cantelope and cucumber. Wouldn't I need a very large space for these?

 

[pampam]

Can anyone explain the differences in the types of soil in bags at the garden centers. Someone said once that they might have stones in them instead of good soil.