Raised Garden Bed!

Finally, I have a simple, organic garden bed for veggies and herbs. I am late planting and posting mostly due to enormous amounts of rain. It was to originally be 3 ft. x 8 ft., but I easily modified it to 3 ft. x 4.5 ft. Next year, I will go full size. I started with untreated lumber and simple wood stakes. I filled 1/3 with my native clay soil and some leaf mulch.

Bed1
bed2

I added 1/3 Organic mulch as conditioner and 1/3 Mushroom compost to complete the mix.

soilCond
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Lots of shovel turning and sore arms later and I get well-drained, dark, rich soil for edible plants.

GBedStart

This bed contains: Rosemary, Peppermint, Lavender, Sweet & Lemon-Lime Basil, Catnip, Thyme, Oregano, Dill, Cucumbers, Peppers, & Tomato– Early Girl, Yellow Pear, and Roma varieties. I grew most of the plants from seed, but picked up a few plants like Dill and Cucumber when mine died from too much rain.  I hope this small garden will produce enough to make a few jars of homemade canned goods. I planted the bed about a month ago and everything is filling in nicely. Will post updated pics soon.

Seed Starting

Leftover seeds & 2012 Harvested seeds                   Pod Greenhouse, More seeds, Chart Tools

2012seedsSeedPrep

 

 

 

 

 

The simple chart below keeps track of type of seed, how many per pod, planting date, when germinated, and when removed from the greenhouse. It has been so helpful to know how many plants sprout and how long they take to be ready to go outside.

Seedchart

GreenhouseIn early March, I started Cucumber, two varieties of Tomatoes, Jalapeno, Hot Peppers, Sweet & Lemon Lime Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Rosemary, Dill, Cilantro, Thyme, & Catnip seeds to plant in my first raised bed.

I have been wanting to build a raised bed for years. With the plants I chose,  I hope to can salsa, dill pickles, and tomato juice. After only a few short weeks, the seedlings are doing well. The bed is built and nearly ready for the seedlings. I will post pics of that process soon.

Seedlings