Florida Gardening: My first raised bed garden for vegtables, 5 by jamibad

jamibad wrote:
Thanks everyone, I try to stay busy, but am starting to wonder if I'm hooked on gardening ! This is the first year I've been able to do a BIG garden, my hubby thinks I'm crazy, he get's in there when I need his help, but mainly I'm the one pulling the beds all together, he digs with the roto tiller, and I plant the seeds. OK, the new picture's I'm posting here are at the end of what I'm doing, I figure I have another 2 weeks of putting seed in, damp too the cold nights we've been having, what's up with that, I had to pull out every sheet, and spare material I had, the night of 3-13-13, I think it was, and cover all this stuff up, everything came out beautiful, didn't loose anything this time, but a few weeks ago when we had another freeze, I did loose 6 bean plants, and "maybe" 2 tomato plants, I left them in, and they look to be getting better, I waited a few days before I pulled the damaged limbs from them, but so far so good ! The picture's here are of the "finished shed", we painted the porch pole's, my DG says the paint color I chose is to " bright", but I like the look, kinda Keys, in a way, as I love the Florida Keys with a passion. He also surprised me when I woke up the other morning, he went out and cut the shed door into 2, like a barn door, the top can be open, and the bottom closed, so snakes crawl in, lol, if they did, it'd be the last time I sat foot in the shed. I also took better picture's of the green house, this is amazing, but the temps reach 100 or more in there during the day time, so I have a fan that i sit in the door way to blow in some cooler air, circulating the hot air! I have to figure out how to build a window into this greenhouse, I don't think I could utilize it during the summer here as it would get to hot!!! And than today, I started the last part of my 1st garden, finishing the perimeter, I have corn, and cucumbers going in here, egg plants, and some marigolds too, I read where they ward off some pest that like to go after cukes, and the cukes ward off some pest from the corn, and the egg plants grow well with cucumbers. They grow great together, so I'm going to give it a try. The corn here is going to be sweet corn bi-licious hybrid, it's a white and yellow corn, not my favorite, but a test to see if I can grow corn, the other fenced in garden is going to grow my favorite, a sweet corn, goes by the name of Sweet Opal Hybrid, an all white kernel corn. When I plant the corn in the other garden, I'll also be putting in bush beans , some head lettuce, and some watermelon, and at the end of the garden, cantaloupe! I think by than I'll have enough to eat, give away, and freeze for the next winter coming up. I'd sooner have my own than buy, and I think by than I'll have enough to take care of with out over doing it. My DH is already shaking his head, but when you have the room I say plant it with things you can eat, not all grass, and flowers, and water mongering bushes and trees, I knew when we looked at this house, it was meant to be our's. And in 2 months, we have transpired our landscaping into food!
So far , the deer are here, but keeping there distance, I see there poop everyday, when walking around the garden, they could jump in, but won't because they know they can't jump out, we have racoons, and a lot of other animals who just need a place to live seeing how Palm Coast keeps building, we're backed up to a preserve, so we have lot's of lady bugs, bee's, birds of all kinds, deer, and I think 2 bear, from what neighbors have told us. I love taking picture's of the wildlife as I see it, red headed wood peckers, hawks, a few deer at night, even though the picture's don't come out:(, I had a whole heard walking down the street 1 night, ran to get the camera, and couldn't get the flash up! Talk about being mad!
Anyway, enough of my rambling, I'm just so excited to be back with DG, and actually have something to talk about. I was last here in 2009, on Mosaics, and Florida Gardens, than we moved to Thailand for a year, and came back a year and a half ago, we first went into the town house, and than 2 months ago, Jan 2, 2013, we moved here.
Yes, we did a lot here in a few months, but this is as good as it get's when we're done, it's all about upkeep, nothing new other than a pool going in soon, than we are done, and the gardens will be our only up keep. I pray for healthy gardens,and for our health, to see us through many more years here, to enjoy what we have accomplished, Our wish for those who are also doing what they enjoy, may you have many prosperous years of gardening, and enjoying your hobby's, as we do!
I'll keep you all up to date on my garden, I am hoping for the best, and in the down time I'll be working on my mosaics, I get many joy's from working in the garden and than later in the evening or during bad weather working on my crafts, Thank God, I have an understanding hubby, but he has his own hobbies, and isn't one for the internet like I am:) Otherwise, I don't know what we would eat , as we share in the cooking! Just a quick laugh, as some days, I can be out there all day, and we wouldn't eat if it wouldn't be for him, and he's a great cook!
Thanks for reading , see you all tomorrow, or the next!