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crashdive123
03-29-2009, 05:39 PM
Here’s the start of this years garden. I’ve got a few more things to put in pots.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Garden/Garden016.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Garden/Garden017.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Garden/Garden018.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Garden/Garden019.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii67/crashdive123/Garden/Garden020.jpg

Ken
03-29-2009, 05:50 PM
Crash, that doesn't look like PT lumber on the raised beds. It's not, is it?

I use plastic lumber for my raised beds - it's not supposed to leach chemicals like P.T. does, and it lasts forever.

crashdive123
03-29-2009, 06:25 PM
The beds do have pt lumber. It's lumber that sat outside for 2+ years exposed to the weather prior to me using it on the beds, so there should be no leaching. I've used the plastic lumber in the stands for the planters.

Ken
03-29-2009, 06:30 PM
Crash, here's a good read on P.T. for use in gardens.

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/pressure-treated-wood-in-beds.aspx

crashdive123
03-29-2009, 06:40 PM
Good info in the link. The lumber I used was not CCA treated, but rather ACQ.

Ken
03-29-2009, 06:42 PM
Good info in the link. The lumber I used was not CCA treated, but rather ACQ.

We just want you to keep hanging around here. That's all.

crashdive123
03-29-2009, 06:46 PM
Same lumber as last year and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong. Thanks for looking out for me.

wareagle69
03-29-2009, 06:51 PM
no nothing wrong but i don't think anything was ever right either
my raised beds are going to be made of tammarack(larch) and balsam

RunsWithDeer
03-29-2009, 07:06 PM
Nice, I like your irrigation set up and the stand pipes on the containers.

crashdive123
03-29-2009, 07:14 PM
Those are the whole trick with earth boxes. You water through the pipe to a water bath (you can't over water). I've had really good success with this type of container. The smaller black container is an earthbox that I bought. They're a little pricey, so when I found a good design on the net that somebody posted.....works just as good.

Chris
03-29-2009, 07:18 PM
Crash, here's a good read on P.T. for use in gardens.

http://www.finegardening.com/design/articles/pressure-treated-wood-in-beds.aspx
Thats a really good link. I've seen lots of sources with anecdotal claims about it being bad, and other studies showing the no harm, it was nice to have it all summarized.

For those who don't want to read the article, the only leeching is within a few inches of the wood, and only three veggies uptook any of it into parts we eat, and then not very much. I think they said a carrot (carrot radish spinach were the three) uptook .5 PPM more than a control.

I just put in 2 raised beds yesterday, 4x10 12" high, made of CCA lumber. I had considered cedar, but..

1. Cedar doesn't come in 2x10s, atleast not around here, it doesn't come in 2xanything here.

2. Its like 8x more expensive.

I am going to line the interior of my beds with 6mil plastic.

Rick
03-29-2009, 07:22 PM
The EPA banned CCA in 2004. Today, ACQ and CBA-A and CA-B are used instead. Like Crash, my garden is outlined with ACQ.

If you put in raised bed yesterday then the chances are pretty good it was ACQ and it did not contain arsenic. Unless the wood was pre-2004.

Why are you using plastic to line the beds? Mulch the tops and it will hold the moisture and eliminate your weeds.

wareagle69
03-29-2009, 07:59 PM
i was thinking to do the same i'm putting my raised bed right on grass so i was going to line it also

Rick
03-29-2009, 08:13 PM
Till the area if you can. Get the ground broken up so the roots will have a chance to penetrate. It will be harder for them to set up a deep root base if you leave the sod in place. In addition, if you leave the grass then you'll have a mat of dead vegetation that will block water penetration and harbor whatever plant diseases were in the grass.

Then you can build your raised beds. Take the grass clippings from your yard and use it for mulch on top of the garden. The grass clippings will drastically reduce weeds, prevent moisture loss through evaporation, add nitrogen to the soil, help aerate the soil once you turn it under, and maintain a healthy worm population that will really aerate your garden.

Put down plastic if you want but the water is going to pool on top of the plastic and will be a barrier to root crops. Once it finally breaks down you'll have all these little scraps of plastic that keeps turning up in the dirt. I went that route years ago and learned the hard way. I don't even put plastic down for flower beds. I just mulch it.

Chris
03-29-2009, 10:30 PM
The EPA banned CCA in 2004. Today, ACQ and CBA-A and CA-B are used instead. Like Crash, my garden is outlined with ACQ.

If you put in raised bed yesterday then the chances are pretty good it was ACQ and it did not contain arsenic. Unless the wood was pre-2004.

Why are you using plastic to line the beds? Mulch the tops and it will hold the moisture and eliminate your weeds.
Oh, well, didn't know, the stuff I bought was just labeled "pressure treated" so I assumed.

The plastic is going to line the sides only, to keep soil from leeching out of the cracks, or to keep the chemicals from leeching in. Bottom is open.



i was thinking to do the same i'm putting my raised bed right on grass so i was going to line it also

I'm going to be writing an article on my garden site about how I did it, but I did it the same way.

The bed frames, being 2by pressure treated, weigh like 200 pounds each, and that is before any soil is added. They don't need to be anchored, and... I hate sodbusting. So I just laid them on the grass, in one spot I had to dig away a little bit to keep it mostly level and prevent a big gap on the bottom. Then I put down a layer of cardboard (newspaper works too) then on top I put down a layer of garden refuse (mostly leaves and last year's daylily remains). Then I scattered a bag of myke fungus, and emptied a bag of blood meal. As all that brown stuff decomposes it traps nitrogen temporarily, so you gotta add additional nitrogen either in the form of green refuse, or bloodmeal. Next goes in my compost (which won't fill it) then a bunch of bought compost, then plants.

The grass immediately under the wood will die and rot from lack fo sun, as it decomposes that area will settle, thus creating a cradle for the wood with the sod around it. The grass under the cardboard/newspaper will also end up the same. The grass, decomposing, also will attract the worms which will work their way up from the bottom munching on all that good organic matter.

The one thing I forgot to do was put a metallic barrier of some sort on the bottom before the cardboard to keep the moles and voles and gophers out. Chicken wire works for gophers, for the smaller stuff get like hardware cloth.

These two new beds are raised 12 inches, most plant roots do not penetrate deeper than that, but ya... probably not going to work for carrots or potatoes. I'm growing mostly lettuce and brassicas and beans in these beds. The raised bed on the sunny side of my house is 3 feet tall and was built the same way, thats where I grow my carrots (potatoes in a trashcan nearby)

If you don't mind waiting a year you can build lasagna like this. A layer of carboard, then of organic matter, then cardboard, then organic matter, then cardboard, then organic matter. Until its at the top, then it'll settle, and do another layer. Do that for a year, and then plant the next spring. Its called a lasagna bed.

If you do what Rick suggests and double dig it, tilling the sod, and then having the dirt on top as well, you can do high density planting that'll encourage plants to root deeper. But from where I sit, thats more work than I want to do.

grundle
03-30-2009, 06:38 PM
That is great!

I need to upload some pictures of mine.

Now that I am thinking of it I guess I should ask. I have a plot that I tilled up in the backyard. I put down some cold weather crop and am waiting to put down the rest.

I have been wavering on whether I should border the garden with pumpkins, or if I should plant some berry yielding plants as a "fence hedge". I currently have a few blueberry, raspberry and blackberry bush that need to be planted.

I was told that pumpkin would be a good natural fence against rabbits etc. but I don't know the validity of that. Also if I want to expand in the future years I wouldn't have to uproot my berries.

Anyone have some suggestions, thoughts, or opinions?

Rick
03-30-2009, 07:19 PM
Keep the voles!! They eat insects only. They'll keep the bugs out of your garden. Of course, they can have a nasty bite.

I've got a tiller so sodbusting comes easy!!

Chris
03-30-2009, 08:43 PM
You have a tiller that will break into sod? in my experience most tillers suck unless the ground has already been worked.

Voles will eat plants actually I believe, moles don't, but I'm pretty sure voles do. Gophers of course do. But the main damage that I want to prevent is the uprooting of plants or the separation of roots from soil that messes up growth.

Chris
03-30-2009, 08:46 PM
That is great!

I need to upload some pictures of mine.

Now that I am thinking of it I guess I should ask. I have a plot that I tilled up in the backyard. I put down some cold weather crop and am waiting to put down the rest.

I have been wavering on whether I should border the garden with pumpkins, or if I should plant some berry yielding plants as a "fence hedge". I currently have a few blueberry, raspberry and blackberry bush that need to be planted.

I was told that pumpkin would be a good natural fence against rabbits etc. but I don't know the validity of that. Also if I want to expand in the future years I wouldn't have to uproot my berries.

Anyone have some suggestions, thoughts, or opinions?
raspberries and blackberries are invasive and will spread and take over if not properly contained.

Ideally you will put a barrier 12 inches into a soil around your patch.

Otherwise, they will spread and take over your garden.

I planted mine into a firepit from the tractor supply store, you know its one of those left over metal drain sections.

http://www.gardeningblog.net/2006/10/10/an-easy-raised-bed/

I later stacked rocks around them to make it look more natural. The drain bits are half buried in the soil and half raised.

And absolutely, plant them somewhere where you won't need to move them, ever.

If you don't put in a physical barrier it is recommended you put down heavy duty landscape fabric for 6 feet around your berry bushes to prevent spreading. Otherwise, you'll looking at around a 2 foot spread yearly.

Ken
03-30-2009, 08:49 PM
You have a tiller that will break into sod?

Yes, I do.

Between me and my Honey, we have 5 of them. They all have names and have been to/are going to/or plan on going to college. :smartass: And each of them has the unfortunate habit of liking to be fed regularly. :munchies:

TEAM WORK. I LOVE IT! :toomany:

grundle
03-31-2009, 10:36 AM
raspberries and blackberries are invasive and will spread and take over if not properly contained.

Ideally you will put a barrier 12 inches into a soil around your patch.

Otherwise, they will spread and take over your garden.

I planted mine into a firepit from the tractor supply store, you know its one of those left over metal drain sections.

http://www.gardeningblog.net/2006/10/10/an-easy-raised-bed/

I later stacked rocks around them to make it look more natural. The drain bits are half buried in the soil and half raised.

And absolutely, plant them somewhere where you won't need to move them, ever.

If you don't put in a physical barrier it is recommended you put down heavy duty landscape fabric for 6 feet around your berry bushes to prevent spreading. Otherwise, you'll looking at around a 2 foot spread yearly.


Oh, the plot is already tilled. You are right, sod is a pain to get through, especially if the ground is wet. If you have a midrange tiller you will have to go over it about 5 or 6 times before it becomes good and pliable and deep enough. Previous year plot is ready after two passes.

With those berry bushes I figured I would be pruning them back every year, so I don't think they would become too invasive unless I let them go for a few years without maintaining them.

It would be more troublesome if they became a hideout for the rabbits instead of a preventative measure...

Rick
03-31-2009, 11:36 AM
I put blackberries out last fall on a trellis. I plan to keep them pruned and I can mow around it so it shouldn't be a problem. Raspberries the same way. I'll keep them pruned, too.

Chris
03-31-2009, 12:36 PM
Oh, the plot is already tilled. You are right, sod is a pain to get through, especially if the ground is wet. If you have a midrange tiller you will have to go over it about 5 or 6 times before it becomes good and pliable and deep enough. Previous year plot is ready after two passes.

With those berry bushes I figured I would be pruning them back every year, so I don't think they would become too invasive unless I let them go for a few years without maintaining them.

It would be more troublesome if they became a hideout for the rabbits instead of a preventative measure...
It isn't the pruning, it is the underground runners. They can come back if just a bit of root is left in the soil, and they will send underground runners out two feet from the mother plant (or more).

IF you can mow around it great, that should keep it in check, but otherwise, you need a physical barrier.

Some aluminum flashing buried around them can be enough, but I highly recommend something.

trax
03-31-2009, 02:44 PM
We just want you to keep hanging around here. That's all.

We do? Oh, ok....

grundle
05-04-2009, 12:05 PM
I finally got my garden "fully" planted this weekend.

I have had potato, onion, peas, lettuce and beets growing for some time. With the heavy rains we had lately when I went out to plant on Saturday I could smell the onion from my back door. It was almost overpowering yet I found the odour pleasant as I mucked about my work. It brought a tear to my eye knowing that my little babies were growing (pun intended).

I decided to plant my tomato and pepper plants, and was quite pleased after my work. I bought several different varieties so that I could compare and contrast and decide which ones I favour more. The following are the types of tomato I bought.

1) Mortgage Lifter - The name alone sold me on this one. With my mortgage payment suddenly increasing the week before, it was only appropriate. Plus a footnote said that Thomas Jefferson planted this variety as well. If its good enough for him, then it sounds like a great idea to me

2) Pineapple - I liked the though to of a pineapple tasting tomato. Being in a non-tropical zone, that should be a nice treat for my wife.

3) Cherry - I like the smaller size of these. These are almost like a snack, rather than a food additive in my book.

4) Champion - I liked the name so I thought what the heck

5) Early Goliath - I liked the name so I thought what the heck

I got several bell pepper and jalapeños as well, but I can't remember the exact varieties. I'll post some pictures as soon as I clean off my camera.

Finally I decided to finish planting my started beans, and put a few rows of kentucky poll beans down for good measure.

With the potatoes peeking up and the lettuce overflourishing, things are looking good indeed!

crashdive123
05-11-2009, 09:17 PM
We had some nasty weather come through this afternoon. One minute hot and sunny, the next instant thunderstorm and micro burst. 75 mph winds took their toll on the garden. Hopefully the doctoring following the storm will save most of the garden.

erunkiswldrnssurvival
05-12-2009, 09:13 AM
Same lumber as last year and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong, and there's nothing wrong. Thanks for looking out for me. chatter, shake, vibtate}*&{Pddddd udd. next time i wont eat the wood i promise! (watch those tomatoes though) russle,snap, crunch.dang! you caught me!