I must be easily influenced by the power of suggestion. After a year of other gardeners regaling me with posts and photos of vegetables I thought I should try growing my own. I've never had a vegetable garden before. Although, I did plant tomatoes one summer when I lived in Albuquerque.
After wading through the plethora of resources on the Internet. I decided on a square foot garden. I was able to find an inexpensive plan for a raised bed that uses cedar dog eared fence pickets for the sides and adapted it to suit my needs. I opted to err on the of side of caution and made a 4 x 4 bed. Sunset magazine has a beautiful raised bed plan that I nixed because I wasn't sure if vegetable gardening would work for me or if I would lose interest after the novelty wore off.
Unfortunately, the problem with using fence pickets is that I didn't ensure they were all straight before I brought them home. Another mishap that I had was remembering to level two sides, but not the other two. I also discovered that it is relatively easy to make my raised bed into a hoop house. I only needed some PVC pipe, galvanized brackets and some wood screws.
My apologies for all the garden detritus in the photos. I had to pull up landscape cloth and move some mulch around to put the raised bed in. Voila, the finished product!
My apologies for all the garden detritus in the photos. I had to pull up landscape cloth and move some mulch around to put the raised bed in. Voila, the finished product!
Made it all alone? You woman? My respect :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of myself for finishing it. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I'm happy with how the raised bed turned out.
DeleteHey way to go. That's impressive. You wouldn't think that would be enough space but when I see some of the veggies grown in small pots, it is. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I'm excited to see how it does. I didn't want to go too crazy because there is so much to do with the perennial beds.
DeleteLooks good! I'd like to be able to grow some vegetables, especially tomatoes and peppers, but I'm afraid my light situation is not on my side. Good luck :)
ReplyDeleteThanks I have three tomato plants and one pepper plant. I think that's enough to start off.
DeleteFine idea – and work, Theta. Looks tasty, already. Good luck with the crops.
ReplyDeleteI'll need the luck. I need to get some lettuce and spinach seeds in the ground and then the bed should be fully planted.
DeleteI predict you're going to love square foot gardening, and will make more next year! Yours looks very nice. I bet it's going to be very productive! Smart thinking about using the pvc piping!
ReplyDeleteI thought the PVC piping would be more complicated than it was. I managed to break things down into small steps so I wouldn't get overwhelmed by the process.
DeleteHooray! Nice work! I can't wait to see what you grow. :)
ReplyDeleteAngela, you are one the gardeners who inspired me to grow veggies. You grow so many yummy things in pots.
DeleteYou are going to love veg gardening...I love your sq ft garden...I started small and have added a bit more each year...looking forward to future posts!!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll love it, too. I enjoyed researching and reading about veggie gardening.
DeleteThat turned out great! I think it is smart to start small and grow bigger. Vegetable garden is very challenging but also very rewarding. Can't wait to see how your first season grows!
ReplyDeleteI think the lack of moisture here also makes growing vegetables challenging, but I'm excited to see how things go.
DeleteYou are a gardener after my own heart. I can tell you want things to be good looking as well as functional. Good luck with your home grown veggies! There is no comparison to store bought!
ReplyDeleteI got the pretty blue tomato cages because I read that leaves can be singed in the by the metal ones. The heat can be unrelenting here and I also liked that they are whimsical as well as utilitarian.
DeleteThanks Greggo. I hope everything makes it because I gave away my extra plants!
ReplyDeleteI too think this is a fine looking garden bed. The veggies are going to do really well. You can really pack in veggies too some careful planning.
ReplyDeleteThe hoop house is brilliant, GirlSprout! I know some people here who switch between heavy translucent plastic in the winter and light shade cloth in summer and manage to grow things all year round. Hope your veggies go nuts in there!
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