These pictures were taken a few minutes ago with my granddaughters. 
First cuke . . . it was delicious!
showing off the peas
looking at baby watermelon
standing in the corn
posing by the tomato plants
by the bananas
Posted on 05/15/2009 4:19:04 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
I’ve rather ambitiously selected a 12’ radius, making it 450sq ft, about 10’ high in the center.
Some folks use 2x4s, but I’m planning to rip 2x6s, making the vertices 1.5” x 2.75” roughly.
Do you have pictures of your partially completed passive solar raised tomato bed? Sounds like an interesting undertaking.
Don’t know which of my tomatoes and peppers have come up. Will see what they turn out as! I started Black Prince, Rose de Berne and Church tomatoes. Peppers were anaheim, jalapeno and Marconi. It looks like I only have three peppers and about 6 tomatoes, about half of the seeds didn’t germinate. Oh well. I wasn’t home to tend them and keep them watered. Have a light on a timer and DH checked them and watered them.
I bought marigolds this year, will see if that deters bugs.
I do use all of my pet fur/people hair, don't know if it deters but I'm sure it's good for the mulch pile!
Will have to tell hubby where to pee in the future... ;)
Are those preformed angle connectors?
That’s the dodgy part.
Clever folks on the internet tell me what angles to cut on the end of the vertices. The current plan to join them involves a section of sch. 80 pvc pipe and metal straps, but that’s the R&D part I’m working now.
Thanks! I’ve bookmarked the site and plan to order a boatload of the things.
LOL! It’s been both. :)
I live in the mountains in Colorado. I have been making compost for several years in a raised 16X16’ area with stacked rock sides. Last year I had potatoes come up from kitchen scraps I had buried so I am giving it a try for real this year. I have lots of critters and hope the chicken wire and the dogs can keep them away. I have mule deer, elk, moose, ground squirrels and chipmunks. I am working on a second area that will be 20X20’ and may have soil prepared for some of that this year as well. I have to screen rocks out and mix in compost. The existing soil is about 50% rocks and a few feet deep you hit rock. I have 4th of July early tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes and egg plant started indoors. The last frost is usually in late May, but can come later so I am holding off on planting the tender plants. Last week I planted seed for two types of rutabaga, turnips and two types of carrots. Yesterday I planted three types of potatoe. later will be summer squash, winter squash (butternut and acorn), pole beans and pinto beans. It got down to 28 degrees two nights ago, but the rutabegas, turnips and carrots seem to be poking up with no damage.
Add me to the ping list please.
Last year, we just had three tomato plants in 2 patio planters. Ok results. I started a raised bed garden this year. And I added several upside down bucket planters for tomatoes, peppers and squash.
I’ve got a few tomatoes growing, and quite a number of squash.
The raised bed planter has corn, onions, carrots, pole beans, cantaloupe and sweet potato.
It’s an experiment year, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m staggering the planting for staggered harvests, so I’m planting the second round this weekend.
Zone 7 planting here in the Piedmont of NC.
Veggies this year—eight tomato plants, 2 cherry in containers, 3 superboy in ground, 3 beefmaster in ground. All the tomatoes with buds except the beefmasters.
Four pepper plants all in containers.
Cukes in containers have lots of blossoms and tiny cukes.
Three zucchini, two in ground and one in container.
Onions coming along, what can you say about onions!
Cantaloupe doing poorly and is about to meet the compost pile.
Spring lettuce planted, eaten and gone! Got infested with some kind of wormy critter after about three weeks of picking.
No rabbits this year or deer, so far. A very wet spring here so the deer are elsewhere stuffing themselves.
[sigh] Can't plant those. Hubby's allergic, and I KNOW he won't stay out of them. :-)
Good luck with the garden! There is nothing like fresh basil. Not only in the tomato based sauces, but toss a chopped handful of basil in your basic white sauce and serve over fettichini. It's delicious!
I moved all my herbs to their own bed. Rosemary and oregano make pretty little bushes, and thyme makes a nice border plant, too.
BTW, if you need a place to send your rain, send it my way. LOL!
Fresh basil, fresh tomatoes and some mozzerella, man, that’s GOOD!
Do you have any problems with water and soil draining and getting on the leaves? I wondered if soil-borne diseases would be a problem with this growing method. Maybe the use of sterile potting soil would prevent diseases?
You sure do have a lot to overcome to get a garden planted! I admire your attitude and persistance. I think my dogs have been keeping the squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits at bay.
These pictures were taken a few minutes ago with my granddaughters.
First cuke . . . it was delicious!
showing off the peas
looking at baby watermelon
standing in the corn
posing by the tomato plants
by the bananas
This will only be my 3rd year to have a garden and each year is a big experiment for me so I know how you feel. I know what I have done in the past and am doing this year has been done for ever, but never by me so everything is new.
Yesterday I got my soil ph tester and tomato blossom set spray from Jung’s online store. I plan to try the spray on tomatoe and squash blossoms. Neighbor has had problems with blossom drop with tomatoes, probably due to windy conditions or temperature getting too cool at night. I ordered too many potatoes! I got kennebec, red pontiac and yukon gold. I planted the area I had planned for the potatoes and only used half of the potatoe pieces that I received. Trying to speed up preparation of my second raised bed area so I can get the rest of the potatoes in!
We bought 4X4s for the corner support, and then used 2 2X6s for each side. Put down weed cloth under them. One bed is double that in height for things with deeper roots.
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