Raised Beds

yes, but that one will be slow also. Most of the plants will be ones I start from seeds.
Plus it will cost a lot to fill all of the beds with soil. The long bed in the pictures will take at least 2 yards of soil at 25+dollars a yard.

Sandy,
Your raised beds are just beautiful and I'm sure will be much easier to tend. My garden is never finished. It's always going to be a work in progress which I think is normal.

Kev, you probably will do fine with planting our hot weather crops in May. Especially all the different kinds of peas.

I love a winter garden cause I love broccoli, brussell sprouts and the little tomatoes. I haven't had any luck with reg. sized tomatoes for years. Either blossom end rot or bugs get into them. I treat blossom end rot but it has never helped.

Bonnie

Knowing what is available here in central Teaxas at the box stores for transplants the middle of May, virtually nothing, is it the same in central Florida?? I don't think I'll have enough time to start seeds, so PLEASE give me some good news.

Not sure of the duration in Lake Placid, I was planning on doing a fall garden with the cool veggies. Has the recent weather been as crazy there in Florida as it's been here in Texas? We get cold fonts through here about every 6 to 10 days, and it's been nothing like last year. It was very warm & fairly wet last spring, and it was stable, there weren't too many surprizes, this year's been opposite of what we had hoped for. We're back under drought warning again and we're not able to above ground watering, which we don't do anyway, but they are monitoring water usage via the meters, so rainwater collection is going to be more important than ever.

A rainwate collection system is in the works for next year back home, plus converting a 24 X 24 steel pole barn garage to an all-season greenhouse. The last thing on the list is a hoophouse, 12 X 40 or so, could go 60 or 70, if I get real ambitous. It's going to be a busy fall when I get back here.

You can find some veg plants at the nurseries and Home Depot

How are the beds coming along Sandy?

Waiting for the soil. Ran out of money, hoping to get at least one filled this month.

Sandy,
One of the gardening mags. I receive had a chart of what vegies cost in the stores compared what you saved growing them yourselves and it was surprising. I like to grow my own vegies simply becaause I know what they are sprayed with and can be picked at height of maturity. I have bought tomatoes everywhere and they taste like red rubber balls and I usually end up throwing them to the cows who won't eat them either.

You definitely reap what you sow.

Bonnie

I am hoping to get the tomatoes in before it is to late and plant some watermelons. But i need to help a friend first.

Here is a up day 4 beds have been built and 3 of them have been planted, 2 more will be built this week and hoping to be able to get enough soil to fill 2 more of them. The deep one will take some time to fill up.

The First picture is the upper bed in the east west long part of the "E" you can see the "deep" bed at the top of the picture.
The second picture is the bed on the other side of the "deep" bed
The two new beds will be the 16 X 3 ft bed that is at the top of the "E" and the center 8 X 4 ft center part of the "E"

The next part of the project after we get all these beds filled will be the smaller beds in the bottom opening in the "E" and to re do the wild bird feeding area in the upper opening in the "E"

Its exciting that at least some are up and running. I know it will look great and the birds and butterflies are going to be so happy.

Thanks and me too. I have a few tomato plants and some water melon seeds in the other planted one. But that would not take a very good picture yet

It's so good to see these pictures Sandy.

It just great to see them up and growing! You are going to love them. Thanks for sharing.

David

Everything is looking great and keep up the good works!

thank you

Looks great Sandy, and that soil sure looks so nice and rich. Now to watch it grow! How fun.

Yes once the water drains out of them. LOL we had a really down pour. The poor tomato seedlings went under for the 3rd time!!!

2 more raised beds are done, one is full of soil the other half way. No pictures yet as that area(they inclose the bird feeder area on 3 sided) is going to have a make over after the first of the month. Right now you would see a jumble of bird feeders.

Thank you for sharing your pictures of your gardens. It's so nice to see what other people are doing in their yards.

I hope you don't mind if I share some raised beds of mine. I recently bought some four square garden beds from Sam's Club. They are 5' x 5' and are made of composite wood. They replaced cinder blocks around our square foot garden beds. I can't believe the difference! My son says they look professional. :) They are not the standard square foot garden anymore, but we like the four squares within each garden. We might do something to mark each smaller square into fourths, but who knows. I already ordered some new netting for the back of these beds. So, we'll have some support for vining crops at the back. The garden on the left is my eldest son's and the one on the far right is my daughter's. The bed in the middle was mine, but has been adopted by both of my eldest kids. :) I included a before picture as well for comparison.

Erin

Very nice I have not seen them before

Thanks. :) It's the composite wood that isn't supposed to rot. Before the cinder blocks I had untreated wood, but it didn't last but a few years. I was excited to see these on a visit to Sam's Club. Several visits later I finally purchased 3 of them. I wish I had gotten them sooner!

Erin

I wonder if Amazon.com carry them??? What is their full name?

The ones I got were 6 inch, not the 8 inch. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009IAOH0C/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

Greenland Gardener (four square), which I don't think the link above has. Only $30 on Amazon. Won't rot and you could stack them to have deeper beds.

Erin

Thank I have a couple of places that these would work better than the ones we are building

Thank. I like the idea but I think it is cheaper to use the landscape timbers specially when I can get them on sale.

No problem. I just like that I won't be replacing them (at least not as fast as my untreated wood) and they are more attractive than cinder blocks.

Erin

Another bed is finished an planted and the bird feeder area has been done except for the stepping stones.

This picture was taken when the bird feeder thingie was 2/3 done. I have added pipe lower down and on 3 sides. i will post a new picture after I get the feeders up. There are raised beds on 3 sides.
The next picture is of the bed that is on the left side. The bed on the far right was also planted today, except for the small patch of corn and okra that is on the far end of it.>
The middle bed was planted last month

That really has come along. I know you and the birds are going to love it.

Thank you I just came in from hanging the last of my bird feeders and filling all of them up.
Very muggy out there
Will get another picture later

Looking good!

I had hawks again this morning around the bird feeders. I guess they didnt eat much during the rain. I saw a very large bird sitting on the rail going into a little church yesterday. As I sat at the stoplight, I realized it was too big for a hawk, no white head for an eagle. I then noticed it had a stub of a tail. Looked it up when I got home and it turned out to be a juvenile eagle. Apparently they dont get their white head for 4 years. Darn that bird was big tho. Just beautiful.

We have a few hawks (they nest in the big trees) around here but they go for the rock doves mostly(city pigeons) and the squirrels which is fine by me.

I am thinking about putting fence wire across the top-this might keep some of the pigeons out and protect the smaller birds.

Here is the picture of the finished bird feeder "stand" or at least for now, am really thinking about putting up the fence wire

That looks great Sandy. Things are really coming along. I must show my husband these pictures of your raised beds.

GG, Eagles used to be a common site here since we live off Lake Jesup, but they took down a lot of the woods and built fancy houses and I don't see them very much now. I remember when the boys played baseball over there and when an Eagle would fly over they'd stop the game and all the boys took their caps off and watched it, was a great way to teach them patriotism.

Thanks everyone

We still have eagles flying around here. I have seen them a number of times even flying over the Regency Square area and that is a built up a

Sandy, I really like that bird feeder station you've got there. Great idea!

Thanks

SANDY,
YOUR BEDS LOOK GREAT AND BIRD FEEDER STAND IS GOOD IDEA.
WHEN IT ALL FILLS IN IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL.
BONNIE

It is getting there. I did catch a cat out there this afternoon but it disappeared when I let the brat out.

I need to get some more pictures.

Sandy

well have finally get more raised beds built. I have tomatoes growing in one of the older ones and they are doing great still.

The one nearest the camera is 2 feet high and 4'X3' I am going to put a pond liner in it and plant some bog plants in it. The other 3 new ones are 1 foot high for now(may increase the height before next summer) 8'X4'. 2 have soil in them, once it settles I will start planting in it.
We will build another long bed and another small bed beside them but right now need that space to stack the landscape timbers. We plan to use them to build some ponds with.

I love your raised beds! I'm jealous!!! They look great Sandy, I wish I would have saw your raised beds before I Did mine, my 3 beds are 9' x 3' and 24 " high. I like yours better!! Anyway, this has been a long summer, I'm getting ready for a road trip, leaving here Sept.2 and coming back Oct. sometime, so all will be good to go here, my neighbor will take care of everything that needs taken care o, but I can't wait to get back home, cooler air, and more gardening time!!!
I love your raised beds! Can't wait to see them filled with goodies!!!

thank you. Have a safe trip
The bed behind these has tomatoes still growing and producing, I think it is the shade that has kept them
growing.
I still have to get more soil-the deep bed to the right of these still does not have soil in it. Plan to put shrubs in it, so no hurry

Sandy