Raised beds [getting ready for SETTFest ;)]

[Suze]

Twenty 12L x 3W x1H beds finished and ready to plant in. Finally. Talk about some hard work! The mix seems nice and light, but not too light. I used 1/3 peat moss, and 2/3 of a custom mix I had made that is about half compost and half sandy loam. Amendments included dolomitic lime, epsom salts, and organic fertilizer (sustane and bluebonnet farms) worked in. I also plan on ringing the plants with a little slow release fert once they've been in a couple of weeks.

I'm on solid sugar sand here. My yard is like a beach, so the raised beds really made sense.

I start planting tomorrow -- probably when all is said and done, I'll have about 140-150 tomato plants in (including dwarves). One bed will be devoted to peppers, another one-half to cukes and one-half to eggplants. I suppose I'll manage to shoehorn some of the various basils I like to grow in one of the beds, then again, they may go into the ornamental beds out front.

Here's 16 of the 20 beds:



Another view:



The other four:



Room for expansion in this area, but plan to wait until I have someone out to talk about having a well put in. Just want to make sure I don't fill all potentially good spots for that with garden...

Anyone else with pics of their planting areas?

[feldon30]

My two measly tomato beds:


4x8 bed


4x16 bed -- did a few peppers and yes, I initially used those small cages which don't accomplish much. Replacing them all. Gardening is 'spensive.

[Worth1]

As a matter of fact yes, I dug holes and filled them in with a 2/3 mix of top soil which looked to me to be sandy loam and 1/3 composted manure with some organic material in the mix.

This area will have 17 tomato plants on a drip along with peppers.
It is along the driveway to the house.

Other plants will go elsewhere.

Worth

Just click on the pic's

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[feldon30]

Those beds look really fantastic Suze. My fear is that all the good nutrients you are adding like compost, etc. will subside into the "beach" within a year, requiring you to add expensive quantities of compost every year just to try to stay ahead of desertification. I would have almost built 2' deep sealed bottom beds with raised platforms on the sides.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Worth1]

You wouldn't believe the tomatoes and peppers I have grown in sand like that.
AND if Suze doesn't grow melons in that sand well I just don't know what to say.

Suze do you need some really cool melon seeds? I have plenty.
let me know and I will tell you what I have.
Feldon what about you?
I might get generous and post on the seeds to give away forum.
We shall see!!!
Worth

[feldon30]

Seeds, I got. Space, not so much.

I do intend to build one or two more beds this year.

[Suze]

Morgan, it'll be fine -- I'm an old school compost wacko and have plenty of raw materials to work with (mostly outrageous amounts of leaves). Besides, one doesn't really have much choice out here but to compost. Either you compost all the leaves, burn them if the conditions allow, or pay someone to haul them off - no city trash pickup, it's all private.

It's just easier to get a chipper/shredder and go with the flow. I've already got a ginormous shredded pile of leaves cooking to use on the beds next fall. I may also amend with a topdressing of manure at least every other winter and turn in before spring planting. I also plan on continuing to add organic feed, mostly stuff like corn meal, alfalfa, etc., whatever is easy to come by.

[Worth1]

Cotton seed meal for cows works great.
And its cheap
Worth

[Suze]

Worth, yep, melons grow great in a sandy type of soil. I have seeds for Blacktail Mountain and Charentais. Still toying with the idea of starting a few here about mid-month.

They just take up so much room to grow... and I'd have to use one of my tomato beds. I may trellis a few just for kicks.

Do you trellis yours or just let them sprawl?

[Worth1]

Suse I have tigger and golden sweet seeds, both small melons.
In that soil you don't need to put them in the beds just dig a hole and put in some of your soil (no hills).
They will do great trust me. They came from Baker Creek!

[Suze]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Suse I have tigger and golden sweet seeds, both small melons.
In that soil you don't need to put them in the beds just dig a hole and put in some of your soil (no hills).
They will do great trust me. They came from Baker Creek!

You're saying I can plant them in what is pretty much straight sand? I could make hills and amend just a little though, if necessary. I've still got a small pile of that garden mix that I had delivered left over. Hmmm, I may have to try that.

[feldon30]

Burpee.com even recommends just splitting open a bag of garden soil and a bag of compost, mixing them, and planting seeds. Melons like Blackberries and Raspberries, want compost/poo!

[Suze]

Originally Posted by feldon30

Burpee.com even recommends just splitting open a bag of garden soil and a bag of compost, mixing them, and planting seeds. Melons like Blackberries and Raspberries, want compost/poo!

I'll probably amend a bit, if I even have time/space to bother with them this year. But it will be after I am done messing with getting the tomato plants and peppers in.

There's an ornamental bed in the back side yard that has a couple of ugly shrubs in it, and I may just dig out those shrubs and use it as a melon patch. Looks like the previous residents amended the soil a bit, so I wouldn't be starting from scratch. It's only one landscaping timber high, but drainage really isn't a problem here. It's up against the fence (but does get good sun), which might make it easier in terms of trellising. I really do want to trellis them - I am kind of in the country and there are a lot of critters out here.

Out of curiousity, when does your new gardening book say to plant cantaloupe type melons (specifically Charentais)? In the past, I've just started them when it warms up at night - probably early-mid April.

[Worth1]

Suze I’ll chime in here as someone that has been in this area for years.
Start seeds now, you have to beat the grass hoppers and it is fixin to get hot soon.
Did they tell you about the grass hoppers, ‘around here they come by the trillions?
If you don’t have a fairly large plant you will go outside and find little stumps where the plants used to be.

I start mine in little containers and then plant them in the ground after they have their first true leaves.

I do NOT direct sow, in this way I know I have good plants to start with and it gets a jump on the hoppers.
Then there is the vine borers keep and eye on the bottom of the vine for bore holes and remove the little devils.
I’ll have to admit I put out poison for them so they die before they get into the plant.
There is nothing worse than having a big beautiful plant drop dead over night.
I mean flat on the ground.
Some years they are horrible and some they don’t even bother me.
I despise the things more than any other pest.
Just my opinion,

Worth

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by Suze

Out of curiousity, when does your new gardening book say to plant cantaloupe type melons (specifically Charentais)? In the past, I've just started them when it warms up at night - probably early-mid April.

Dr. Bob Randall's "Year Round Vegetables, Fruits, and Flowers for Metro Houston" says March 15 - April 21 is the time to sow seeds outside for cantaloupes, recommending March 22 - April 14 as the best time. Watermelons are a narrower Mar 15-31.