Raised beds [getting ready for SETTFest ;)] - Page 2

Suze · March 8, 2007

Looong day. Tired - I feel punchy right now. Lots of plants went in between phone calls and e-mails (I do have to get some work done occasionally

).

Most of the rest go in tomorrow, except for some smaller late starts I want to wait one more week on. I'll also be waiting about one more week to put peppers in. i started them the week after tomatoes -- and it shows, especially with the hots.

On the melons, I may work on that bed with the nasty shrubs weekend after next, and start some seed in 4 inch pots this weekend.

wilderness1989 · March 8, 2007

Worth1 what do you put down to kill the vine bores?
Thanks,
John

Worth1 · March 8, 2007

John,
I have used seven dust on the ground and on the vine; I hate to admit it though.

I try not to use the stuff and when I do it is under extreme situations.
You can use foil around the main vine and bury the main vine so it will take root.
You can also look for the bore holes around the bottom portion of the vine about 2 or 3 inches up from the ground and dig the grubs out.
A net works but then you won’t have any bees to pollinate the flowers so what’s the use.

The pro’s say they don’t bother butternut squash, cucumbers or melons, they never lived in Angleton Texas.
I couldn’t grow a vine they wouldn’t attack, it was horrible.
I have a lot to learn about squash vine borers and plan on it, I wont let them get the best of me again.
As I said before I despise the things.

Here is a link, learn your enemy!!!!8)

Worth

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef314.htm

duajones · March 8, 2007

Great looking beds Suze! Obviously a lot of work went into them. Hopefully your hard work will pay off. Good Luck!

Suze · March 9, 2007

John, I am doing about 7 plants per bed, more when it comes to dwarves, dets, and some of the more compact or wispy types.

I was going to do 8, then thought better of it.

foolcontrol · March 13, 2007

I thought you did a good job with the beds. The pics are great.

Suze · March 14, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by foolcontrol

I thought you did a good job with the beds. The pics are great.

Thanks. I hope you'll post some of your pictures when you get a chance. I remember your pics from DG last year, and think you have a really nice setup, with all the trellising, raised beds, earthboxes and such.

Bryan24 · March 15, 2007

Bryan put in the tomatoes today!

At least some of them. we have to build some more beds for the rest. Then there's the test bed/project bed I have to till out. But I want a place to grow out the bi-color, soooooo......

I think I'll be digging/tilling tomorrow.

laurel-tx

Suze · March 15, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryan24

Bryan put in the tomatoes today!

At least some of them. we have to build some more beds for the rest. Then there's the test bed/project bed I have to till out. But I want a place to grow out the bi-color, soooooo......

I think I'll be digging/tilling tomorrow.

Have fun.

I still have a few more I'd like to plant; maybe this weekend. Post piccies if you have a camera, I'd love to see them.

It's already getting hot, of course.

snappybob · March 21, 2007

Suze, that sand looks familiar. I plan on moving my self and my gardening to the Floresville area in about 4 years. I can't garden there now because I can't spend enough time there but I have bee toying with the idea of building some beds and starting to ammend the soil. Do you think that would be a smart move in the sand? Someone mentioned earlier about soil ammendments moving out of the beds and having to ammend heavily every year. Would I just be spinning my wheels? My place looks just like yours, like beach sand.

Suze · March 22, 2007

Snappybob, I think anything you could do to get a headstart on amending the soil would be good. Sand can be amended, it just takes longer. I would recommend a foot for the raised beds, not 6-8 inches like some do. Sure, amendments are going to have to be redone, but they don't all disappear overnight

. Actually, I'd rather deal with the sand instead of clay. At least with sand, one can just build the bed on top. With a heavy clay, some digging and amending below might be in order for drainage.

John -- No piccies yet! Just looks like twenty big rectangles of mulch and cages, with little dots of green interspersed. Some of the plants aren't even a foot tall yet. The only plants I even have buds on are Lucky Leprechaun, Kimberly, and Zolotoy Korol.

Suze · April 2, 2007

Attached are some some garden pictures I took today (4-2-07). Before I actually planted, we made a last minute decision to relocate the two in the back corner next to that tall cedar -- I was concerned the area might be too shady.

So now there are fourteen beds in the main area, and six beds instead of four next to the shed. Most of the plants in this smaller area are dwarves, peppers, eggplants, melons, cukes, and a few late plantings of indets I decided to do the second week of March. The white looking stuff in one of the beds is shredded newspaper I put around a recent/late planting of some hot peppers (I want to see how it works as a mulch).

All said and done, I ended up putting in 163 tomato plants, and over 30 pepper plants.

feldon30 · April 2, 2007

Should get one or two tomatoes out of all that I hope.

Might as well throw a few of my own pictures in here.

Click for Larger Size

The cages are all linked together with little hooks, and stapled to the raised beds. I will add a wood framework a little later on and attach the cages to that as the plants get heavier and loaded down with fruit.

And the fronts of each cage are accessible ala bully's cages, although I did not use T-stakes.

Click for Larger Size

Suze · April 3, 2007

Very creative! Those should work well, be sure and post more pics when you add the framework.

duajones · April 4, 2007

your plants look great, both of you. Do your cages have extensions suze?

March 8, 2007	#17
wilderness1989 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 5b - Effingham, Illinois Posts: 59	Bore killer. Worth1 what do you put down to kill the vine bores? Thanks, John __________________ I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. ;-)

April 2, 2007	#28
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Should get one or two tomatoes out of all that I hope. Might as well throw a few of my own pictures in here. Click for Larger Size The cages are all linked together with little hooks, and stapled to the raised beds. I will add a wood framework a little later on and attach the cages to that as the plants get heavier and loaded down with fruit. And the fronts of each cage are accessible ala bully's cages, although I did not use T-stakes. Click for Larger Size Last edited by feldon30; April 2, 2007 at 10:48 PM.

March 8, 2007	#16
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	Looong day. Tired - I feel punchy right now. Lots of plants went in between phone calls and e-mails (I do have to get some work done occasionally ). Most of the rest go in tomorrow, except for some smaller late starts I want to wait one more week on. I'll also be waiting about one more week to put peppers in. i started them the week after tomatoes -- and it shows, especially with the hots. On the melons, I may work on that bed with the nasty shrubs weekend after next, and start some seed in 4 inch pots this weekend.

March 8, 2007	#18
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	John, I have used seven dust on the ground and on the vine; I hate to admit it though. I try not to use the stuff and when I do it is under extreme situations. You can use foil around the main vine and bury the main vine so it will take root. You can also look for the bore holes around the bottom portion of the vine about 2 or 3 inches up from the ground and dig the grubs out. A net works but then you won’t have any bees to pollinate the flowers so what’s the use. The pro’s say they don’t bother butternut squash, cucumbers or melons, they never lived in Angleton Texas. I couldn’t grow a vine they wouldn’t attack, it was horrible. I have a lot to learn about squash vine borers and plan on it, I wont let them get the best of me again. As I said before I despise the things. Here is a link, learn your enemy!!!!8) Worth http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/veg/ef314.htm

March 8, 2007	#19
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	Great looking beds Suze! Obviously a lot of work went into them. Hopefully your hard work will pay off. Good Luck!

March 9, 2007	#20
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	John, I am doing about 7 plants per bed, more when it comes to dwarves, dets, and some of the more compact or wispy types. I was going to do 8, then thought better of it.

March 13, 2007	#21
foolcontrol Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Cypress, Texas Posts: 53	I thought you did a good job with the beds. The pics are great.

March 15, 2007	#23
Bryan24 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 176	Bryan put in the tomatoes today! At least some of them. we have to build some more beds for the rest. Then there's the test bed/project bed I have to till out. But I want a place to grow out the bi-color, soooooo...... I think I'll be digging/tilling tomorrow. laurel-tx

March 21, 2007	#25
snappybob SETTFest™ Coordinator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 214	Suze, that sand looks familiar. I plan on moving my self and my gardening to the Floresville area in about 4 years. I can't garden there now because I can't spend enough time there but I have bee toying with the idea of building some beds and starting to ammend the soil. Do you think that would be a smart move in the sand? Someone mentioned earlier about soil ammendments moving out of the beds and having to ammend heavily every year. Would I just be spinning my wheels? My place looks just like yours, like beach sand.

March 22, 2007	#26
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	Snappybob, I think anything you could do to get a headstart on amending the soil would be good. Sand can be amended, it just takes longer. I would recommend a foot for the raised beds, not 6-8 inches like some do. Sure, amendments are going to have to be redone, but they don't all disappear overnight . Actually, I'd rather deal with the sand instead of clay. At least with sand, one can just build the bed on top. With a heavy clay, some digging and amending below might be in order for drainage. John -- No piccies yet! Just looks like twenty big rectangles of mulch and cages, with little dots of green interspersed. Some of the plants aren't even a foot tall yet. The only plants I even have buds on are Lucky Leprechaun, Kimberly, and Zolotoy Korol.

April 3, 2007	#29
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	Very creative! Those should work well, be sure and post more pics when you add the framework.

April 4, 2007	#30
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	your plants look great, both of you. Do your cages have extensions suze?