Garden Raised Beds

When we bought our house the people had moved away and the back yard was a real mess. It had a fence about 6 foot behind the deck, enclosing all this area. In the bed in this photo there was a small pond, which would have been nice if fish weren't so expensive and I didn't have to pay to keep the pump going. It attracted frogs, which attracted snakes... so we constantly had snakes right outside our backdoor. So, we took it out and filled it in. It had some rotting landscape timbers that we took out this year and we added these brick blocks to build the area up and level it off. I have 3 rose bushes behind the fire pit planter. We got a larger fire pit so I am using this one for a planter. I planted 10 tomatoes and have 7 peppers... 5 sweet banana, a green pepper, and a jalapeno. I have room for another row of 5 plants so will set out a few more, probably tomatoes.

I am adding perennials each year to our front beds. This year I added the two white plants which will spread out. The green plant in the middle is a yellow daylilly. This bed is the place between the garage/driveway and sidewalk. I also planted some bulbs around the perimeter on both sides (the edge of driveway and the edge of the sidewalk) They were supposed to be planted in the fall but I didn't do it. So, I thought it was worth a shot to see if they will bloom next spring.

I also added these red plants this year. They are annual, but I wanted a little color and liked the flowers.

I planted these last year and am so happy they have come back. I have one more grouping of the bright pink flowers on down the sidewalk under some larger bushes.

I put pansies in my large pots on the porch. In the smaller pot geraniums that I planted last year are coming up again.

We had 4 raised beds but I needed more space. We actually had to move the beds and built the long bed (24X4) behind my other beds. My husband has one more 4X8 bed to build where the dirt is in the foreground. He put up the fence to block some of the view from the road and we will use chicken wire around the other three sides. I planted a green and a red grape and blackberry vine behind the long bed and my husband is building a trellis for them.

Another view of the beds. You can see my compost bin and rain barrel near the house. We got a scoop load of soil amendment, which was not quite composted material and tilled that in the long bed area with our red clay. The four beds I already had were already filled with pretty good soil, but we lost a lot moving them. Today I bought 16 large bags of Miracle Grow compost mix, 4 bags cow manure compost, 1 large bag peat moss, and 2 bags mushroom compost and we added that into each of the beds and worked it in with the soil we had.

This is our old fire pit planter. I have my strawberry pot in the center with herbs around it. I am going to move the strawberries though, because they are getting ripe and I am going to lose them to the rabbits and birds.

Gardening in Zone 7- January

(photo April 2007)

Here in north Alabama we have a very long growing season. I hope to learn more this year on how to extend the season with hoop houses and plastic so that I can grow some lettuces and other things year round.

In January in zone 7 you can plant:

1. spinach
2. Irish potatoes
3. letttuce
4. onion
5. English peas
6. sugar snap peas
7. asparagus
8. cabbage
9. carrots
   

In February we can plant:

1. broccoli
2. kale

We have had so much snow that it was impossible to get out and plant anything. This week is nice and sunny in the 50's so it will be a great time to get out and plant some things. I will direct seed the peas, carrots, and potato eyes and start seeds in cotainers for lettuce, spinach and broccoli. I will let those seedlings grow a little before putting them in the garden.

I am excited to get the garden going again. It is so much fun to see things grow and have fresh food to eat.

Garden 6/6/10

I didn't take a close up of the tomato bed, but have four tomatoes, two peppers, and two squash plants, onion bulbs, and then cucumbers on the arbor.

Some tomatoes in pots on the deck.

cherry tomatoes in the pot on the deck.

the squash is about to start growing some squash.

Roma tomatoes are growing. Sorry this photo is sideways. I can't figure out how to get to my editing stuff.

About to pick some green beans!

My herb pot. I cut it way back and dried the herbs so it could continue to grow.

In this bed there are green beans in the rear, okra in the front four rows and a squash. I have reseeded the okra and it just is not growing so I guess this pack of seeds was not any good. I have a few but not enough.

The front row are pink-eyed purple hull peas. The rear four rows are butterbeans.

I have more pink-eyed purple hull peas in this bed with pole beans on the arbor. I just harvested all my lettuce so I am ready to plant something else in this bed. I think I will get some more green beans.




I am joining in Tuesdays Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage

Garden May 25, 2010

I am probably just impatient but it seems like everything is taking so long to grow this year. It is so exciting to go out each day and see what is starting to flower and what has grown some. We need to eat a LOT of salad because with 95 degree weather this lettuce is on it's last leaf.

I have this tomato planted in the border bed with my roses and bulb flowers. The photo is sideways b/c with my new computer I have no clue how to get to where to edit photos.

I pulled out all the broccoli plants behind the lettuces. I have been eating the outer leaves of the lettuce. That is pink-eyed purple hull peas in the background with green beans on the arbor.

In this bed is green bush beans in the back and pink- eyed purple hull peas in the front rows. I have another bed with okra and butterbeans.

The green beans are flowering.

My zucchini plant. I have a yellow squash at the other end of the bed. I planted them under the tomatoes this year to see how they will do there.

My first three Roma tomatoes growing. I can't wait until I start having some fresh tomatoes!

This bed has 4 tomato, 2 pepper, a yellow squash, zucchini, onion sets on the left, and cucumbers on the arbor.

I cut these herbs about 3/4 down and dried the herbs in my dehydrator. Something is chewing on my sage plant.

Some of my potted tomatoes and strawberries


I am linking with

Tuesday's Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage

Garden 4/30/10

We put up four arbors for the climbing vegetables. We surrounded the beds with chicken wire until we can get our yard fenced. We have bunnies that come out and eat all my beans if I don't.

I have 4 tomatoes and two different peppers that will all be staked. I planted cucumber to climb the arbor. I am also trying to grow squash and zucchini at the base of the tomatoes and see how that does. In the two rows to the left you can see the tops of sweet onions. I am not sure how well they will do in here, but I thought I would try it to see if I can maximize the space.

In the two middle beds I have bush beans, climbing beans, okra, butterbeans both bush and climbing, and Pink eyed purple hull peas. I have reseeded the bare spots. Not sure why so many did not come up.

In this bed I have two types of lettuce, broccoli, and have seeded PEPH peas and climbing beans on the arbor. We have been taking the outer leaves of the lettuce and enjoying fresh salads.

I have herbs and strawberries on the deck in pots. This is thyme, basil, and oregano.

Hydrangeas

I planted two bushes about 3 weeks ago and they are full of blooms. I love hydrangeas and love being able to bring them in to enjoy.

Early garden

Lettuce and broccoli growing in the garden.

I have four 4X8 beds to plant. We just recently put up the chicken wire fence to keep out the rabbits and other critters. When we get a fence up we will put a small picket fence around my raised bed garden. I can't wait to plant the summer vegetables. I have tomatoes, peppers, and squash started. I have also started 10 pots of flower seeds for my front steps.

Tomatoes

I picked all these tomatoes yesterday off my two plants. These plants are covered in tomatoes this year. I picked them a little early because something is eating them if I let them get fully red. Whatever it is will chew almost half of the tomato and move on. They are really larger than they look in the photo. That cucumber is really too big. I didn't know about it and just happened to see it. And, my first jalapeno. With my painful stomach this week I will have to take other's word for how it tastes.

The start of the garden of 2009

It's not finished but I couldn't wait. We worked all day in the yard. My husband tilled the area behind me in the photo and also the area to the left of the two raised beds. They will be two more beds that we still have to make.
I planted the 7 rectangular pots in the background with onions. The two in the foreground are two different lettuces, and the round pots are flower seeds.

I planted 4 broccoli plants in the left bed and then put onions between them until the broccoli grows too big. I will just pull the onion early when it is crowded and have small onions. I have carrots in 3 squares in the right bed and two collard green plants. In the pots are 5 broccoli and 2 collards. I also planted 3 broccoli plants in the front flower bed.

This is from the street looking towards the back of our property. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I planted over 100 corn seeds in the bed to the right. When it comes up I will plant green beans at the base of the corn stalks and let the beans run up the corn.

After tilling and planting we had the kids gather sticks and started a fire in our firepit. They roasted marshmallows.

Some burned the marshmallows crispy.

This is our neighbor kid.

Spring Garden 2009

I am so excited to have started my garden. We have had 75 degree weather and I am about to bust to welcome Spring. I know that we will have some more cold weather come before Easter, but for now I am pretending and preparing for Spring.

I got out and weeded and tilled up my two raised beds to prepare them for planting. In the fall we put a layer of leaves on top of each bed, so I worked them into the soil. We got a truckload of top soil when we made the beds last year and mixed it with composted manure. Around here, top soil is red Alabama clay. I know what the mixture is for the square foot gardens (please don't leave me comments) and even had a couple of people tell me that nothing would grow in the clay. Our garden did well and this year is much richer and looser. When I planted things in it last year I dug a hole and added fresh compost. It may take a little longer but it is better to start and let it mature with each season rather than not start because of the expense of all the proper soil materials.

I planted some strawberries in my strawberry pot on the deck. I have never planted them before and they were all bunched together and I was ripping them apart because the package said it contained 10 plants. Well, after I did about four I saw they had a rubberband around them, so hopefully I didn't damage them.

I have started indoor seeds of green pepper, jalapeno pepper, chili pepper, cherry tomato, beefstake and another tomato, eggplant, daisies, thyme, basil, broccoli, parsley, watermelon, zinnias, snapdragons, and marigolds. Today I planted some onion bulbs in rectangular pots. I didn't have enough soil to fill the other rectangular pots to plant some lettuce and spinach, but will get some and plant those in the next few days. I also have some flower bulbs to plant. I am growing the onions, lettuce, and spinach in pots and will keep them around the deck so that I don't take up space in the raised beds. I thought I had carrot seed but will have to buy some seeds and get them planted. I ordered all my garden seeds through an heirloom seed company but they have not arrived so I am using up what I bought last year.

I am in awe of Little Homestead in the City. They inspire me to work with what I have and not wait to have acres of land. I hope to one day be able to grow most of our vegetables and some fruit. The one thing that I cannot ever plant enough of to feed our family is corn. I am going to plant an area on the side of the house that is about 30 feet by 6 feet wide, but with an average of 3 ears per stalk we won't get much. Maybe one day we will be able to buy some land that we could build on in the future when the kids are not in school. We could plant fruit trees and corn and take a camper there. That is my dream. Then, one day I would build a small house and a root cellar or basement. We could build a barn for the grandkids or they could just sleep under the stars. They could bathe in the creek. And we could have a great big chocolate tree just for me!