Well, I can't believe it's already time to start seeds for my fall garden here in the Orlando area. The spring season was a bit of a bust, due mostly to herbicide damage (when had my backyard re-sodded). I also continued to deal with animal issues, which seem to be a problem in the spring but not the fall. Even as the plants recovered, animals ate off new blossoms as quickly as they appeared.
In any case, I am hoping to get some opinions on my fall setup. Currently, I have two different growing methods - in raised beds (two 4x4' beds) and in EarthTainers (kept on my screened-in pool deck so that at least SOME plants will be safe from animals).
The plants in the beds have understandably had many more disease issues than the EarthTainers. I am wondering if it makes sense to just use regular old buckets with a high-quality potting mix sitting on top of the raised beds, instead of planting in the beds. I can replace the drip lines in that bed with individual drippers for each container. I have had pretty good success with SIPs in the past but would like to get away from it if possible due to the maintenance (cleaning and repairing between seasons, running the risk of it running dry, etc.).
Any thoughts or successes/pitfalls in Zone 9B are greatly appreciated.
|