New garden for 2012

We just redid the garden so this is our first year with it.  I stick my details in a spreadsheet...not near as pretty as the drawings.  The boxes are actually separated - 3 feet down the middle and 2 feet between the rest with a path about 1.5 feet around the sides and then a deer fence.  The numbers are the date I plan to plant.  If they have a () beside it that means I've already planted!  I'm trying onion, parsnip and rutabaga for the first time.  I'm going to add in pole beans beside the peas - that's why there's so few of those per square.  I have a straight trellis for the pea/bean row and am making a "tent" trellis to let the squash and cucumbers climb up toward the center of their shared square.  The lettuce and radish will be under the shade of that tent.  The tomato and zuc will be planted more centered and take up multiple squares.  It's just hard to depict with my sheet...but you can get the idea.

My old garden was clay so I'm looking forward to have "mel's mix" to plant in.  It's been a lot of work this year-1 but I'm very excited!

Wow, you have been busy! Have fun and gook luck, I love the MM too!

Here's my try at posting a picture! I'm a big picture/person so hope I can get this figured out! Here's the six squares all filled with MM...and the posts ready for the deer mesh. We put the mesh up tonight, but it was dark when we finished so no pictures yet



Thanks for the warm welcome!

Beautiful!

Looks like you're off to a good start!

O I like that, especially the square with the squash, cucumber, sunflower tent for summer lettuces! Great idea

Beautiful SFG @darci!

wow they look great!

cant wait to see them filled up with lots of green lush

really like the color you chose for the box's

hugs

rose

Looks good Darci. Those boxes looks like the ones I purchased at Home Depot. Any concern about the deer fence being close to your boxes ? Not much room to maneuver on those sides.

Rick

That's where I bought them Rick! They were a great price...sure hope they last!

There are four boxes that only have a path around three sides, but I'm trying to plan for that. The two in the middle have a nice path around the full box. The path in the center is the only one big enough for a wheelbarrow, but the rest of the paths are fine for me to get around in.

I've finished digging in block (stained green) for a border and built the front flower boxes today. More pictures soon!

Here's my work in progress. I'm very excited that all of the squares in the first box have sprouted!! The peas will be climbing soon! I still need to get the front flower boxes dug in and leveled a bit, and I'm going to plant marigolds in the brick surrounding the garden too!

This picture shows the size of the side path a little better. Room enough so far to work those sides of the boxes. The "tent" trellis will host acorn squash up the tall side and cucumber up the shorter. It's a year of experimenting!

What a great looking garden layout I like the tent trellis. Keep posting pics so we can see how it works!

@darci - things are looking really good! Keep the photos coming!

I filled the front flower boxes with MM tonight and added a few flowering plants to give them some early color.

Wow...the new garden is officially born! Funny, but this was so much effort that I'm feeling odd with it being set up. I have been running from my job each night, unfortunately quite late each evening - rain or shine, and then working in the garden until well past dark. We started this process April 1st (somewhat appropriate) and now here we are 39 days later...and it's done! From now on it's just the normal - plant, weed, harvest, and add compost.

I took one "birth" picture tonight just to have one, but it was pretty dark. Tomorrow I'll get out there for a sunny picture. I think I'll schedule a massage for my aching back soon! So exciting!! Happy Birthday my sweet garden!

looks awesome!

Looks super. The tent/trellis for the lettuce should work well for you. I did something like that last year and I was very pleased with it.

You've got a great looking plot there Darci I can't wait to see everything planted and growing.

Yay Happy birthday, garden!

It's now June and our garden is looking much greener! It takes so long when you live up north...

Here's a shot from the main road.


And here's one of Box#1 - Peas, pole beans, turnip, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, beats, onion,
carrot...and an empty square (harvested radish) that I'm still thinking
about filling again.


It looks like a patchwork quilt! I'm really enjoying my SFG!

madriver50 wrote:Looks good Darci. Those boxes looks like the ones I purchased at Home Depot. Any concern about the deer fence being close to your boxes ? Not much room to maneuver on those sides.

Rick

I just bought the last one my HD had! Have you had yours long? How are they holding up? Are they deep enough?

@Darci - you are so organized! I envy you. The boxes look great - nicely placed. Can't wait to see those tenting cukes and squash! I like the idea and will use it as well!
Lee

SwampCatNana wrote:

I just bought the last one my HD had! Have you had yours long? How are they holding up? Are they deep enough?

@Darci - you are so organized! I envy you. The boxes look great - nicely placed. Can't wait to see those tenting cukes and squash! I like the idea and will use it as well!
Lee

This is my first year with the new garden Lee, so I can only tell you the boxes have held up since April and they have been deep enough for radish, spinach, and leaf lettuce (the only things I've harvested so far). I'm really 'testing' them this first year with root crops so I'll report back toward the end of the season!

I'm excited to see how the tent works/looks with the cukes and squash climbing. I like the look of it in the garden now, and love the look my imagination gives me with the vines covering it. I have a step-stool I'll move into the garden when it's time to harvest, and put large eye screws into the four corners of the box so I could tie the 'tent' to the box with twine to help keep it more stable in wind. I'm guessing the vines will make it more of a sail. Nothing is tall enough to climb yet...but the seedlings look healthy!

Darci,

I love the ladder - it gives the garden an architectural feel! Your entire garden looks beautiful!

~Amanda

It's July and the garden is growing well! The turnip didn't form roots before it went to seed...so that was a bust. But we've been enjoying lots of other fresh produce! The cucumber and squash are just starting to climb their "tent" - It won't be long and I'll get to see if the structure works!

awesome idea.