My new vegetable bed

Just have to brag to all my friends here.... growing vegies can be a challenge, sometimes, with the fungi, snails, slugs, etc.etc.etc. - so Bob made me this 'table'....it is all from recycled material except for the cinderblocks. Advantage? I don't have to bend down, fewer weeds and i have better control over the bugs.

In it I have planted: chard, daikon, spinach, bok choy, tat soy, chinese cabbage, kale, amaranth, lettuce. It is out under a shade cloth but still gets lots of sun/warmth. I have chard growing in some pots (up next)...and beans in another spot and will be putting in leeks, rhubarb (these will be experiments), green onions, strawberries....

I hope to grow all we need, and share too (David...you there?)...and I have already swapped chard and beans for 1.5 doz. fresh eggs!!!

Here is one of the 3 chard pots....I raised them cause I hate bending down. The new chard planted will replace these....

Great idea Carol! Looks like you've solved most of the problems to raising vegetables!

Looks great Carol!!

Well...let's hope, David! I also planted wing beans, green beans, red beans, long beans, chinese snow peas and oregon sugar snap peas. Have some squash going in too and hope to keep the fruit flies away with more lures. Growing strawberries in hanging pots...

I am going to have MORE than enough to share, David...you gotta help eat this!

Certainly Carol! Can you use some Citrus?

What a great set up! I've got nothing but groundcover planted in the ground. Everything else is in big and tall pots so I don't have to bend much. No one will be able to say you're not eating fresh food. Looks great!

Thanks...but...tons of it!!! The vegies are still growing...it'll be a wee while yet!

WoW! Nice set up! Good job! You will really enjoy the fruit or veggies of your labor, that's for sure!

What a super set up, and how very nice not to have to bend down to say nothing of all the hungry critters that decimate the veggie patch. I am wondering what type of soil you used to fill the beds up with?

Wish I lived closer to be involved in the swaps!

Are you having the rain over there on the BI? It's been pouring here all day!

The storm is just starting to pick up here. Hope Carol's greenhouses will be ok.

Is that the area that you had on your list to clean up nearby the Hoyahut? (my name for it)

We had snow this week!

This was the australian fern tree.!!

Check out this weeks blog in the Houston Chronicle (it's me)
http://www.chron.com/channel/houstongardening/commons/persona.html?newspaperUserId=rjudd&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3arjuddPost%3ab0a57813-fd13-4f2d-976a-5fd7daa338bc

What a wonderful article RJ, and how lovely your garden looks with all the statuary. Did you have much damage from the snow? It's quite a sight to see all of your tropicals covered with snow - once in a lifetime pictures coming from you and Jeanne!

Nasty storm...ghouse OK...Thelma's nerves totally rattled with the thunder (she's our dog), we watched a movie! lots of water!!!!!

Randy...wow...yes, its out in bob's shade house. Your snow is awesome...hope you don't lose anything!!!

XXOO

No, didn't loose a thing, they're all carrying on today..back in the warms again

Everything here looks great! Just a couple of banana trees with brown leaves, but they will come back in the Spring. Whew! What a relief!

Carol, beautiful veggie bed! I'll start my first veggie garden sometime beginning of next year, in big pots: some peppers, beans and peas. I also need herbs, I usually have some growing. While I love leafy greens and tomatoes, I don't think I'll do that, they look intimidating...

RJ, thanks for the article. Are those beautiful images after the hurricane (the result of your restoration efforts)?

What storm? (asks a lost-in-time goofy)

The islands got bombarded with rain, some flooding....it was on the news. Glad to know everyone is OK.

We had rain this morning. 72* here.....really pretty out.

Alexandra, if you can do orchids you can do leafy greens and tomtatoes, LOL!

Jeanne

Applause on your veggie growing. Great to barter too!!

The rain isn't pau yet! More lightning on the way too. Some folks lost homes on O'ahu and Kaua'i.

We had over an inch of rain between early morning and mid morning. Fire in fireplace all morning...I AM COLD!!! Hey, don't laugh!!!!

Sorry, gotta laugh. LOL!! It's now spitting ice outside. Ugh.

oops, didn't know... hope everyone is safe.

I'm not laughing... I'm in the living room, where the temp is 80F (so in the bedrooms it keeps at 70-75), with a sweater and leggings plus pants... I am more laughable.

You'll see how I manage with the peppers and beans for my first time... in the meantime, I'll visually eat Carol's crops! The people in the SW forum (most of them from AZ) say they either grow tomatoes late spring/very early summer or in the fall, apparently in the summer the plants just bake. I would appreciate a flavorful tomato for a change though...
Yesterday we went grocery shopping and the orange and red bell peppers were over $1/each! If it were up to my appetite and cravings, I would alone eat over $50/month just for peppers... one of my favorite veggies, as you can see.

Nice article, RJ... interesting that you mentioned Toscano. I purchased several gargoyles from them when I lived in Houston about 8 or 9 years ago. I was then employed by CIGNA. I put them all around my desk to ward off bad spirits... didn't work!

....yes, good article!!!! Toscano wanted to charge me an extra 27$ to ship to Hawaii...were very unpleasant and since then have murdered a bunch of trees sending me catalogues and I can't get off their list!!!!

Oh well

Thanks..lol, that's funny about the gargoyles. Next time purchase them to ward off bad people....

Shipping charges are so rediculous. Sometimes, the shipping cost more than the item you bought!