Search
Latest topics
» Assistance Needed: Sugar Snap Peas Yellowing and Wiltingby Scorpio Rising Yesterday at 8:24 pm
» Mark's first SFG
by markqz Yesterday at 11:23 am
» N & C Midwest—May 2024
by Scorpio Rising Yesterday at 10:48 am
» OMG, GMO from an unexpected place.
by sanderson Yesterday at 1:57 am
» Greetings from Southport NC
by ralitaco 4/29/2024, 9:47 pm
» N & C Midwest: March and April 2024
by Scorpio Rising 4/29/2024, 1:30 pm
» Lovage, has anyone grown, or used
by OhioGardener 4/29/2024, 12:27 pm
» Ohio Gardener's Greenhouse
by OhioGardener 4/28/2024, 10:20 am
» New to SFG in Arlington, Tx
by sanderson 4/26/2024, 3:13 pm
» Soil Blocks: Tutorial In Photos
by OhioGardener 4/25/2024, 5:20 pm
» Manure tea overwintered outside - is it safe to use?
by Mhpoole 4/24/2024, 7:08 pm
» Advice on my blend
by donnainzone5 4/24/2024, 12:13 pm
» Senseless Banter...
by OhioGardener 4/24/2024, 8:16 am
» Rhubarb Rhubarb
by sanderson 4/23/2024, 8:52 pm
» What Have You Picked From Your Garden Today
by OhioGardener 4/23/2024, 1:53 pm
» What do I do with tomato plants?
by SMEDLEY BUTLER 4/23/2024, 1:36 am
» Kiwi's SFG Adventure
by sanderson 4/22/2024, 2:07 pm
» Sacrificial Tomatoes
by SMEDLEY BUTLER 4/22/2024, 10:36 am
» From the Admin - 4th EDITION of All New Square Foot Gardening is in Progress
by sanderson 4/21/2024, 5:02 pm
» Seedling Identification
by AuntieBeth 4/21/2024, 8:00 am
» Happy Birthday!!
by AtlantaMarie 4/21/2024, 6:56 am
» Three Sisters Thursday
by sanderson 4/20/2024, 5:25 pm
» Recommended store bought compost - Photos of composts
by sanderson 4/20/2024, 3:08 pm
» Compost not hot
by Guinevere 4/19/2024, 11:19 am
» Maybe a silly question but...
by sanderson 4/18/2024, 11:22 pm
» Hi from zone 10B--southern orange county, ca
by sanderson 4/18/2024, 12:25 am
» Asparagus
by OhioGardener 4/17/2024, 6:17 pm
» problems with SFG forum site
by OhioGardener 4/16/2024, 8:04 am
» Strawberries per square foot.
by sanderson 4/16/2024, 4:22 am
» What are you eating from your garden today?
by sanderson 4/16/2024, 4:15 am
Google
First timer in Central Virginia (7b) - newly built beds 2024
4 posters
Page 1 of 1
First timer in Central Virginia (7b) - newly built beds 2024
Hi,
My wife and I picked up Mel's book and decided to give it a try. Here's some pics of our setup. We are a little deeper than recommended. I filled the first 2/3 of the beds with straight compost and then Mel's Mix for the. top 8-12" of bed. So far we have $325 in the raised beds, $468 in compost, peat and vermiculite.
Our beds are 5/8" thick cedar fence pickets with steel angle iron on the corners. I reinforced them with internal stainless steel cables that zigzag through the beds.
We are in zone 7b and planted lettuce, spinach and onions so far. Next up is tomato and peppers at the end of the month
My wife and I picked up Mel's book and decided to give it a try. Here's some pics of our setup. We are a little deeper than recommended. I filled the first 2/3 of the beds with straight compost and then Mel's Mix for the. top 8-12" of bed. So far we have $325 in the raised beds, $468 in compost, peat and vermiculite.
Our beds are 5/8" thick cedar fence pickets with steel angle iron on the corners. I reinforced them with internal stainless steel cables that zigzag through the beds.
We are in zone 7b and planted lettuce, spinach and onions so far. Next up is tomato and peppers at the end of the month
flossy21- Posts : 2
Join date : 2024-02-09
Location : Palmyra, VA (7a)
alstonk, sanderson and Scorpio Rising like this post
flossy21- Posts : 2
Join date : 2024-02-09
Location : Palmyra, VA (7a)
sanderson and Scorpio Rising like this post
Re: First timer in Central Virginia (7b) - newly built beds 2024
Welcome to the forums from Ohio! Nice looking beds, and it looks like you are off to a good start. The only future problem I see is that since you filled the bottom of the beds with compost there will be a lot of shrinkage in the bed fill, and you will be adding a lot of new Mel's Mix to top off the beds as the compost decomposes. But, the vegetables should do very well with all of the nutrition in those beds.
"In short, the soil food web feeds everything you eat and helps keep your favorite planet from getting too hot. Be nice to it." ~ Diane Miessler, "Grow Your Soil"
sanderson and Scorpio Rising like this post
Re: First timer in Central Virginia (7b) - newly built beds 2024
Welcome to the forum! Looking good! I filled my first re-purposed window boxes with leaves, which of course decomposed over time. The boxes were not conventional in size, but they hung on until this year!
You will learn so much…and this is a great site! I can’t wait to see your progress!
You will learn so much…and this is a great site! I can’t wait to see your progress!
Scorpio Rising- Posts : 8721
Join date : 2015-06-12
Age : 62
Location : Ada, Ohio
sanderson likes this post
Re: First timer in Central Virginia (7b) - newly built beds 2024
Flossy, welcome to the Forum from California. The beds are beautiful.
In order for beds to not shrink down, the SFG Foundation recommends an inert lower fill like topsoil or clean sand. Then top with 6-7" of Mel's Mix. At the end of the growing season, we then mix in enough blended composts into just the MM layer to bring the level back up to where you started.
This fall you can make a decision. A) Keep topping off with more MM as the beds shrink, or B) Bite the bullet and remove and save most of the compost fill. Replace that with inert topsoil or clean sand, and replace the MM on top. The compost fill will not go to waste. Just store it off the ground and under protection. You can use it to refresh the beds each time you plant. Your plants will definitely not starve with all of that compost.
You may like browsing the SFG Foundation page. Square Foot Gardening Foundation
In order for beds to not shrink down, the SFG Foundation recommends an inert lower fill like topsoil or clean sand. Then top with 6-7" of Mel's Mix. At the end of the growing season, we then mix in enough blended composts into just the MM layer to bring the level back up to where you started.
This fall you can make a decision. A) Keep topping off with more MM as the beds shrink, or B) Bite the bullet and remove and save most of the compost fill. Replace that with inert topsoil or clean sand, and replace the MM on top. The compost fill will not go to waste. Just store it off the ground and under protection. You can use it to refresh the beds each time you plant. Your plants will definitely not starve with all of that compost.
You may like browsing the SFG Foundation page. Square Foot Gardening Foundation
Similar topics
» Hi, from Central Virginia
» Hello from Central Virginia
» Hello from central Virginia
» First-timer working with 8x8 beds
» Is anyone from central Virginia?
» Hello from Central Virginia
» Hello from central Virginia
» First-timer working with 8x8 beds
» Is anyone from central Virginia?
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum