Hello all... Feeling slightly disorganized thinking about my little veggie garden project for the forgotten corner of the yard. It's a very odd space, 25 ft long by only 4.5 feet wide and gets nice sun most of the day. Tomorrow my contractor guy is coming around to see about building me a raised veggie bed. I am thinking of 2 feet wide and 12 feet long, maybe 16, so not very big. How deep should I make it? I was thinking about 1 foot. Is two feet wide too narrow? I am planning to try the no-till layered garden approach in the box. On the rest of it, not sure -- a lot of invasive vines grow back there so am trying to think about how to control them. I was also thinking of putting a composter bin that someone gave to me back there, and a separate compost heap. I have never composted before so that will be an experiment to see which way I like better. If anyone has any advice for my project... it would be so welcome. I'll be buying plants this year -- this idea came to me too late to start anything from seeds. Are there some veggies that could be sowed directly? It's been years since I grew a veggie, other than tomatoes in pots. I seem to recall sowing lettuce seeds into the soil. Thank you, veggie experts!
Your idea of a two foot wide bed, by 1 foot deep and 12-16 feet long, sounds like it should do the trick for you as most plants are pretty "shallow rooted". I'd look into the square foot planting method as well as companion planting to utilize every inch of space you possibly can, and don't be afraid to interplant marigolds throughout: these are super little "bug fighters" both above ground and below. As for the invasive vine issue: you might consider placing the bed on 16 inch by 16 inch pavers before filling, also lining it with contractors fabic which will allow water drainage PLUS help stop root invasion of vines as this can be a nasty problem! Lettuce; small-rooted carrots; beets; green/wax beans are just a few veggies that can be direct seeded into the bed and should grow with no problem. For GREAT information, contact your local Extension Service (or Master Gardener's Assoc.) and request info on raised bed growing, best veggies for your area, square foot/companion planting and COMPOSTING while you're at it: it's all free and will definately answer many of your questions! HAPPY GROWING!!
Thank you for your ideas, Weeds n Seeds -- they increased my excitement. I recently read an article about companion gardening, yes, what a great idea. As are your other ideas. I will have to post some "after" photos. There is a "before" already in My Garden. I was out there today looking around. It is going to be a lot of work to prepare for the plants. I hope I can manage it -- feels like time is of the essence. Fingers crossed!
