Imaexpat2
11-03-2014, 03:22 PM
Oh yeah, I am doing everything I can. I was thinking about starting some raised beds to start growing assuming that uses store bought soil so I can get my land ready. Ideally I can get a big enough area to provide all of the fruit and veggies I need, year round, canning when I can to keep stock when not in season but still be able to stock pile long term. My goal there is to get enough soil ready as I can, however long it takes, but then start small...maybe a 5x5 area and then as I get it under control, expand it as I go.
That would be awesome. I would suggest though that you do beds no wider than 4 foot unless you have the arms as long as an orangutan so that you can work it from both sides of the bed or harvest as appropriate.
While there are many methods to construct them with the method I prefer the most is the use of cinder bricks. I prefer these for a number of reasons. Number one they will last for ever. Number two if I want to increase the size of a bed its stupid easy with little effort or expense to do so. Third is a very cheap route to go. Fourth, I can move them if I need to, to make better use of the space I have available. Firth they are easy to convert into cold frames to extend your season. I have a couple that I grow strawberries or Spinach in that I put a cold frame on top of the bed and that works out great. I usually stack my cider bricks two high to give me a nice reasonable deep bed to start with. The other thing I like about the cinder bricks is they have 2 holes in the top of every brick used. This is most excellent for growing Herbs or growing some flowers to attract bees to better pollinate my veggies and give me more fruit per a square foot than I otherwise might get.
I cant remember the exact mixture that I used in my best beds but I believe it was 2 bags of cow manure and a bag of compost/humus until the bed was filled. This has given me some very rich soil right out of the starting gate and bumper crops. It seems to be a good solid mix of nutrient rich soil with enough compost in it to keep it from compacting and hold enough moisture to survive the hot Texas summers here with out massive amounts of watering required.
Just a few suggestions...I would recommend.
That would be awesome. I would suggest though that you do beds no wider than 4 foot unless you have the arms as long as an orangutan so that you can work it from both sides of the bed or harvest as appropriate.
While there are many methods to construct them with the method I prefer the most is the use of cinder bricks. I prefer these for a number of reasons. Number one they will last for ever. Number two if I want to increase the size of a bed its stupid easy with little effort or expense to do so. Third is a very cheap route to go. Fourth, I can move them if I need to, to make better use of the space I have available. Firth they are easy to convert into cold frames to extend your season. I have a couple that I grow strawberries or Spinach in that I put a cold frame on top of the bed and that works out great. I usually stack my cider bricks two high to give me a nice reasonable deep bed to start with. The other thing I like about the cinder bricks is they have 2 holes in the top of every brick used. This is most excellent for growing Herbs or growing some flowers to attract bees to better pollinate my veggies and give me more fruit per a square foot than I otherwise might get.
I cant remember the exact mixture that I used in my best beds but I believe it was 2 bags of cow manure and a bag of compost/humus until the bed was filled. This has given me some very rich soil right out of the starting gate and bumper crops. It seems to be a good solid mix of nutrient rich soil with enough compost in it to keep it from compacting and hold enough moisture to survive the hot Texas summers here with out massive amounts of watering required.
Just a few suggestions...I would recommend.