A few beginner questions

NC7acreproject wrote:Has anyone used mix on planting other things than vegetables?  Like Fruit bushes or Fruit Trees?

I've use it for GOJI berries in 2 foot by 18 " x 18 " tubes with decent drain holes , sadly I think it is a bit too rich when its new as they have gone all straggly and lost most of the lower greenery .

 I have planted some new Goji bare rooted plants  in two year old used MM in a 18 x 18 x 18 tub  , they seem to be making good .

 I have also grown giant thorn less Himalayan black berries in 9" MM filled pots  from rooting hormone treated slips/cuttings ...... all ten took , I kept three & sold the rest to friends.  They are now planted in mother earth that has had a couple of barrow loads of spent MM  ( from when I grew the tomatoes in last year )  incorporated in the planting holes .

They produced some berries this year but next year it looks set to be a bumper crop on all three plants as they have produced 15 foot plus long runners for next years berries .

 
 I also set / planted lots of rooting compound treated hebes cuttings , in 9 " MM filled plant pots this time last year . Almost all of the 30 odd cuttings struck and have produced strong shrubbery for putting in the border beds this autumn .

I've got zillions of flowers and bulbs corms & tubers on the MM beds on the front of the bungalow .. they love it some of the most healthy plants , vibrant colours and greenery you could ever wish for .

 All my herbs are in MM beds as well

donnainzone10 wrote:http://www.gardeners.com/Raspberry-Raised-Bed/8586753,default,pd.html?start=3&cgid=SpecialtyRaisedBeds_Cat

Here's the link to a raspberry bed.

It would be relatively easy to put together something similar but much less expensive.  My own idea is to assemble a cinder-block raised bed, fill it and the perimeter holes with a suitable MM variant, pound rebar into the holes in the four corners (probably 18" rebar, depending upon your soil conditions and climate), and slip on the electrical conduit.  Some sort of wire or nylon netting would then be attached to the supporting conduit.

Building on Donna's idea, build a cinder block bed, put metal fence posts in the corner blocks and fill with wet concrete, or Quikcrete followed by a little water.

Or, cement larger diameter PVC in the corner blocks so you can slip in the metal corner posts and remove them when wanted.

Sanderson,

Brilliant!

plantoid, have your goji berry plants produced much fruit? I was thinking of buying one or two next year.

Donna. Thanks but not really brilliant. I think someone else did this???

Well.... I still think the Quikcrete idea is brilliant! In fact, I just may decide to use it to secure my 12-wide trellis, which has been leaning ever since the new irrigation system was installed.

Marc Iverson wrote:pics of pea gravel aisles?

I recommend pea gravel! We installed it on paths everywhere in and around our new raised bed planter. Weed and other unwanted sprouts are easily removed. Plus, any plant waste that falls atop the gravel can be left there to dry before adding it to the compost pile.





The "Bread Boards" make it easier to roll the hand truck or wheelbarrow in and out of each path.
Good luck with your project.

First I have to compliment W-P on the beautiful, artistic raised beds.  Not your ordinary SFG.  Neat use of bread trays!

Pea gravel seems to work for many folks.  I would put weed fabric down first, to keep weeds from the dirt popping up and it will allow water percolation from the pathways, then the pea gravel.

PS  I had an area of pea gravel that I used a leaf blower or reversed shop vac to get off leaves and debris.  I did have to be gentle to keep the gravel from blowing out.

Couldn't pea gravel be tracked by people/critters onto a lawn?

donnainzone10 wrote:Couldn't pea gravel be tracked by people/critters onto a lawn?

we don't have a problem with that. It's too heavy to "stick" to shoes etc. We put that garden boarder stuff in between the pea gravel and the lawn. It's brown and about 4" wide?? Worked well for about 15+ years!! We put weed cloth under our gravel and have had really good luck with it keeping weeds out.

Thanks sanderson, It'll take time and $$$ to get the rest of it converted to SFG and MM, but I'm workin' at it.
It's a long story... 
I did put commercial landscaping fabric down before spreading the pea gravel.
Those bread trays help stabilize walking on the gravel and they were FREE! Plus, they're also easily rearranged and relocated as needed.

After a week of digging through soil hard as a rock to a depth of 24", I finally got my two blueberry bushes planted.  I made a 26"x 26" box made of 1x6's to place on top giving the hole an overall depth of 2.5'.  I put a bag of gravel at the bottom of each hole and then laid 1x6's across bottom (not sure of purpose of this, read it somewhere), I then filled most of whole with dirt scooped out of woods nearby, I finished filling the hole with MM.  I also mixed in some pine needles into soil, put out a little acidifier on soil, and mulched with pine needles when finished.  I did not fill complete hole with MM, because after making the mix on tarp and looking at hole I did not think I would have enough.  After getting done planting I realized I totally misjudged how much soil I had.  I ended up with a 32 gallon trash can full, plus another 5 to 10 gallons I had to just wrap up in tarp.

A pic of finished bushes and left over MM in trash can and tarp.

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That soil is very pretty -- from a distance. Looks like no fun to sit on and hell to garden in.

Marc Iverson wrote:plantoid, have your goji berry plants produced much fruit?  I was thinking of buying one or two next year.

This is the second year of me having them . no fruit yet plants only 18 inches tall .

Supposed to grow to 4 to 5 feet high and wide and give about 2 pounds of berries from a matue plant.


 Advised by seller they are best grown in two foot wide & deep tubs because of the invasive habit ... we shall see.

Good to know, thanks!

Containers that big are pretty pricey in my neck of the woods. It's something I'd like to try someday soon, though. Two pounds is not a lot of food value, but at least they're very nutrient-packed. And variety is the spice of life ...