More small scale raised bed stuff with photos?

Okay, don't laugh, those of you with a 2-5 (or more) acre vegetable garden but I'll bet a lot of people here are trying to do a lot in a small space. I'd be really interested in hearing more (and seeing photos if possible) of what you are doing in a small space.

We started with two small 4 foot by 8 foot beds. We double dug (went down two feet with a spade) then surrounded with 2"x12" (by 8') lumber, and have annually added compost and mulch. We are now up to 6 functioning beds in the back yard and (as of today) will have added two more, mostly aiming toward using those next year.

Here's a photo of the "alley" between beds.

Looking forward to hearing more about what you do with raised beds and small scale vegetable (and flower) growing. Thanks!! :)

Hi,
Actually, what you are doing is great!
I live in an urban housing area and I am in the process of taking up backyard grass to build raised beds for veg and herb growing.
Are you familiar with "Permaculture"? Google it. I think you will find it very interesting. A lot of the concepts are being applied to Urban living.
I have to get back to work, but your beds look real good.
Later,
Karen in Austin

Hi BDale,

I love that you started this subject and I will post a few photos of my garden. Starting with this:

another angle

using earthboxes to expand growing space

more earthboxes

just one more eb

using sunny space along wall of house for vegetables

alyssum edging for raised bed (great pollinator attractor)

another viewpoint

EssentialP, Your gardening is so full and flourishing! Cool :)

Karen in Austin, thnx for the feedback!

Hi BDale,

Thanks! I love the look of yours too, it looks like it is thriving.

Is that barkdust in the pathways? I am thinking of getting rid of the grass and planting something I can walk on. Any ideas? (barkdust would not work for me, too attractive for my cats - they will think of it as their outdoor litter box)

Hi EP,

Yes, it is a pine bark mulch available at most garden centers. This was placed on top of black "tarp" (often used for weed repellent between rows in a more standard garden, also available in most garden centers) that was placed over the grass in that area.

Initially we had grass pathways (from the lawn) between the beds. Although I love the look and feel of grass, it became kind of a pain to keep it looking nice. The mower could swipe down much of it, but always left taller grass/weeds right next to the beds which had to be trimmed by hand. Later in the summer when the tomatoes get even bushier it became more difficult to get a mower down the alley without damaging the plants, so we opted for this alternative. Plus it received a lot of foot traffic anyway so the grass was not exactly thriving between the beds (except where it shouldn't be).

I realize an alleyway takes up space when we are trying to make efficient use of limited space, but the comfort and convenience of being able to move between rows of beds makes up for it. The beds themselves are four feet across so one needs to be able to access them from all sides for trellising, caging, weeding, harvesting, etc. Thus a "garden path".

Wow!
Essential you not only have a great garden, but you live in Oregon too which should be great for growing.
When I have time I will look at all the photos. I really appreciate you posting them. It is good to see hands on gardens.
Karen in Austin

Karen, tell us more about your project with urban gardening. What's the plan?

My teenagers just visited what they described as an "awesome" urban farm in Philadelphia (transformed from some vacant lots, I'm told) while there on a church mission trip.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of some Zinnias. Behind them (in the same raised bed) are Purple Prudens heirloom tomatoes growing on those trellises. The tops of the tomatoes are about 3 1/2 foot high at this point. They will eventually get to the top of the trellis (about 6 1/2 or 7 feet) and unless I "topped" them they would keep going on into infinity (or the first hard freeze of the fall). There is also a second bed behind this one, right in front of the yellow building, which probably makes for a confusing photo. I'll try to get a better photo in the future.

Hi Essential,
I will try explaining it tomorrow when I am off and will provide links I have found.
Permaculture is a whole movement of self sustanability and working with nature. I am new to this concept (meaning I do not know how well I can explain it) which I found out about at one of my local farmer's market. I have since taken the two day weekend class and plan on taking more.
Back to work ... and not in the garden!
Karen in Austin

Oops!
Sorry Bdale ... I responded to the wrong person.
My head is very stuffed up due to HIGH mold counts.
(-:

ps
I love zinnias! This year I ordered seeds online and they are about to bloom and the reseeds from last year are blooming now. Butterflies love them.
I will post photos soon of my zinnias and butterflies...
I think that it is great posting photos to share.
Karen

www.urbangarden.com
This is a guy with a city lot.
I really have to get back to work! I could talk about plants, etc. all day.
Karen

Sorry, this is the person that started with his urban lot.
http://www.urbanfarm.org/main_menu/index.html

essentialplanet, great looking garden. I need to have more raised beds. Getting harder and harder to get up and down. I have three raised beds but the trees near them have grown too large and created too much shade. Have to find a sunnier area.

Do you by any chance know my good friends Al and Dot Rogers. We have known each other for many years. We all grow daylilies. They live on Magnolia Ave. now.

Donna

all thos gardens look great.

Bdale,

Nice picture, and no - not confusing at all, I can see the second bed in the background. Please do post more though!

Ruth: no I don't know Al and Dot

everybody: More pictures, please!

Here's a "Thomas Edison" dahlia next to a stake (yet to be tied) and just beyond it (with the bright orange/yellow blossoms) is a "Floridor" summer squash. It may seem like there is a lot of bare space in the bed but the squash is prone to expanding to fill the entire space available to it and (I'm told) the dahlias will also expand to a certain extent, although this is our first year with these flowers so I may be overestimating space requirements. That's the trade-off when growing plants that require a little more "elbow room" but we've also found that a couple of squash plants can really produce abundantly for the family table so it seems worth it. And what is life without flowers?

I've got 2 (very) raised beds, each approx. 4' x 10'. Up til now I've mostly grown tomatoes in them over the summer, but I'm starting to get more interested in growing other veggies and trying to figure out how best to do it. I've got the overhanging tree giving shade (a mixed blessing), and one bed was situated flush up against the wall, making it very tricky to access. The saving grace for all of this is the irrigation system... I'd be lost without it!

I had to build a PVC framework and drape everything with bird netting. By the time the plants get big enough to poke through, I've gotten enough of the early tomatoes off that I'm no longer desperate for something that tastes like a tomato, and I mind a little less about sharing them!

I'm thinking about doing a small trial run with the "Square Foot" system this fall/winter, to see if it helps me use my space better.

Glad you started this thread--it's inspirational to see what other backyard gardeners are doing!

Hi T-jill!

I like what you've got going there. Did you construct the beds yourself or did you "inherit" them from a prior resident? Either way they have accomplished above ground what we've tried to do by digging deep with our beds. Less bending over when you garden with your beds, along with a good clear view of the plants from the "ground" level.

I've always done a variation on the theme of the "Square Foot" gardening method. I'm very supportive of the basic idea. I think it is well worth doing and definitely is the premier method for maximizing the space available to your garden. If you've got two 4x10 beds that is 80 square feet of garden space, so lots of room to plant! Consider some lettuce or other greens for some of the shadier spots to go along with your tomatoes. Good luck and thanks for sharing your ideas and photo!!

Thanks, BDale! We did have the beds put in, but I was just starting to learn about gardening at all, and there are some things I would do differently now that I now just a little bit more. The biggest problem is that they're *so* high up, it's hard to get to taller things like tomatoes. The bed that's flush up against the masonry wall also has access issues; I'm trying to remember to plant things that don't need frequent access along the back so I don't have to clamber in and out quite as much. The shade is, as I said, a mixed blessing. Even though most veggies want sun, out here in Tucson that can easily be too much of a good thing. The tree is semi-deciduous, though, so during the winter I get good light in that bed as well. I've tried snap peas this last winter and they seemed pretty happy, I'm thinking that's a good place for greens as soon as it cools a little. We have some odd timing issues with veggie growing; since it's so hot and dry in the summer and mild in the winter, we do a lot of things in unusual seasons.

Here's another view where you see the tree giving us the shade:

Sorry for the rambling; coffee hasn't quite hit the brain yet this morning!

Hi T-Jill,

Hey, neat photo!!

We are definitely dealing with different kinds of weather and seasons for our gardening adventures. I live in the Snow Belt (with "lake effect" snow, often on a daily basis, throughout the winter months stretching into April and sometimes beyond) so not much outdoor winter gardening to speak of up here. We don't have to contend with the sort of scorching heat you have either. On Monday morning at about 7 a.m. I noticed that the flashing time/temp clock in the middle of our small downtown was registering 44 degrees. Admittedly that's cooler than the norm (and it warmed up considerably by later in the morning) but I'm sure you haven't felt that temp for awhile. This is a great place to live and garden. It sounds like you have figured out the opportunities and obstacles of your situation, and from all appearances you've produced a thriving garden, with fruit-filled plants literally brimming over the side of your raised bed. Way to go!! (If you decide to raise zuchinni you'll have no excuse for missing any and letting them grow into giants, since you can look squarely at them at ground level when you are gardening). LOL

I did do zucchini, once, about 4 years ago. One plant. So prolific that I still have frozen zucchini in my freezer. No joke! And, thanks to the Zucchini Fairy, they *still* grew to be giants. Just, perhaps, not so many of them... :)

Hi,

I also do the square foot gardening and I love it! In my second photo you can even see the strings I used to divide the bed in squares. The bed behind it is so grown up you can't see the string anymore.

Some beds are all one vegetable (like the 4X4 onion bed).

I am getting ready to harvest garlic, and to plant my winter crop of vegetables. Last year I did no planting for winter, this year I am learning of the possibilities for winter harvesting in this climate and now I am excited!

I like it Dale. Same thing that I want to do to help keep all my good soil in one spot. And it makes it easier to add fresh manure each year. Except I want longer beds. 30 and 60 feet long.
Keep up the great work.