Re: Progress on Andrus Garden [pic]

quiltbea 2/27/2012, 12:01 pm

Czarina.....You are doing so well on this project, I applaud you. What a go-getter. My kind of gal. Can't wait to see pics of your garden as it matures.

**Furbalsmom** 2/27/2012, 6:17 pm

I'm making it a tabletop so I don't have to bend so much to get all the veggies. My corn box (which is yet to be built) will be lower to the ground so I won't worry as much about it being even.

How exciting to have table tops. You will find they make gardening so much easier. I love mine. The plants are right up there in your face so you can better see what is going on.

I was wondering how you attached the legs?

Czarina 2/28/2012, 1:14 am

Furbalsmom wrote:How exciting to have table tops. You will find they make gardening so much easier. I love mine. The plants are right up there in your face so you can better see what is going on.

I was wondering how you attached the legs?

Guilty! The legs in the pic are just placed there. I started attaching them with the brackets in the pics, but I need different screws that will lay flush against the metal. Also, I need to get 2 more legs and get the bottom installed. Still a little bit of work to do, hope to get it all finished by the weekend.

The box fiasco is also why I haven't completed my Mel's Mix. I have all the compost together, but fluffing the peat moss is impossible without having a place for it all to be stored. Once the box is ready for mix, I'll mix the remainder of my MM and add it directly to the boxes.

Czarina 2/28/2012, 1:29 am

Another feature to this box is the drop-in bottom. The 2x4s you see in the pic overlap the inside of the box allowing for fence planks to be set. I don't have redwood fence planks, but I do have plywood. I made the box 12" so I can plant carrots right next to my lettuce, however I only have enough Mix for part of the box to be 12" deep.

The plan is to raise part of the bottom to 6" and leave another part at 12". I'll be sure to take pics and show how I do it. This is the way I'm going to do all of my boxes so I will always have the option to go deeper simply by removing part of the plywood bottom and adding more mix.

No need to build separate boxes for carrots or other root veggies!

**Furbalsmom** 2/28/2012, 4:03 am

Czarina wrote:
Furbalsmom wrote:How exciting to have table tops. You will find they make gardening so much easier. I love mine. The plants are right up there in your face so you can better see what is going on.

I was wondering how you attached the legs?

Guilty! The legs in the pic are just placed there. I started attaching them with the brackets in the pics, but I need different screws that will lay flush against the metal. Also, I need to get 2 more legs and get the bottom installed. Still a little bit of work to do, hope to get it all finished by the weekend.

The box fiasco is also why I haven't completed my Mel's Mix. I have all the compost together, but fluffing the peat moss is impossible without having a place for it all to be stored. Once the box is ready for mix, I'll mix the remainder of my MM and add it directly to the boxes.

Sorry! I did not mean to make you feel bad. Shocked

I understand about needing different supplies. We changed out a few things when my DH and I put together the first Table Top. The second was much easier because we had worked out the kinks in our original plans.

I am really interested in your adjustable, bi-level bed. I look forward to seeing the pictures of how you work that out.

**llama momma** 2/28/2012, 6:53 am

Luv your go-getter and carpentry skills! Enjoyed the camera shot in the store buying wood too.
Another thought for you to play around with:
To make a deeper square, you can build upwards too.
Mel calls it a high rise. Ex: a square foot bottomless box, one foot tall. Place it on top of Mel's Mix, fill it with more mix, and wallah, an instant deeper square.

Lavender Debs 2/28/2012, 8:36 am

How did I miss this thread? You are awesome! I just read through the first two pages and I want more! I thought it was kewl the way you listed your seeds but what I have really enjoyed is your skill as a builder of garden homes. When you said you had a TT for corn I pictured mature ears that require a ladder to harvest. Duh! Shorter legs on the corn table. Brilliant! I hope it is brilliant because if it isn't than I am just thicker than advertised.

Thanks for sharing your journey. I cannot wait for the next chapter.

**RoOsTeR** 2/28/2012, 8:50 am

Czarina, I still love watching your progress. Keep on sharing cheers

Czarina 2/29/2012, 5:16 pm

Furbalsmom wrote:Sorry! I did not mean to make you feel bad. I understand about needing different supplies. We changed out a few things when my DH and I put together the first Table Top. The second was much easier because we had worked out the kinks in our original plans.

I am really interested in your adjustable, bi-level bed. I look forward to seeing the pictures of how you work that out.

No offense taken, I was being humorous! I decided to take off the rest of the day and go get my supplies. Just got my seeds from Osbourne in the mail and I'm feeling gooood.

llama momma wrote:Luv your go-getter and carpentry skills! Enjoyed the camera shot in the store buying wood too.
Another thought for you to play around with:
To make a deeper square, you can build upwards too.
Mel
calls it a high rise. Ex: a square foot bottomless box, one foot
tall. Place it on top of Mel's Mix, fill it with more mix, and wallah,
an instant deeper square.

I used to tell friends that my alter ego is a carpenter. I sit behind a desk all day! I change brake pads, batteries and build closets, too haha. So random.

I thought about the double-box when deciding how I was going to grow my carrots. Even came up with a cool design too, but I think I'll went with the 12" box because I love a multi-tasker!

Lavender Debs wrote:How did I miss this thread? You are awesome! I
just read through the first two pages and I want more! I thought it was
kewl the way you listed your seeds but what I have really enjoyed is
your skill as a builder of garden homes. When you said you had a TT for
corn I pictured mature ears that require a ladder to harvest. Duh!
Shorter legs on the corn table. Brilliant! I hope it is brilliant
because if it isn't than I am just thicker than advertised.

Thanks for sharing your journey. I cannot wait for the next chapter.

Thank you so much! The corn box won't be a TT, but will be raised off the ground slightly. I plan to make compost tea and I really have an aversion to my boxes being on the ground.

nKedrOoStEr wrote:Czarina, I still love watching your progress. Keep on sharing

Thanks again! I hope to share every bit of the journey.

Czarina 3/13/2012, 10:21 pm

Hey Gardening Fam!

I got swamped with work these past weekends so I wasn't able to put much progress into the garden box. However, I did get the rest of my seed haul and bought 3 transplants (I caved at Home Depot). Pics below. I'm venturing into the garage to bust open my bag of vermiculite to start some of my seeds. I can worry about where to stick them after.

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0509

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0509

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0510

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0511

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0512

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0513

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0514

Czarina 3/13/2012, 10:30 pm

Oh yeah, my dog ate some of the leaves off my orange pepper plant (didn't touch the tomatoes, smell maybe?) and tonight I bought a 3/4" plywood sheet for the bottom of my 4x8. Also got some metal bracket thingies to help stabilize the legs (got the box on its legs! yay!).

**gwennifer** 3/14/2012, 12:27 am

I am so excited for you to share your plan for your bi-level table tops! I wasn't really very thrilled with my high rise box last fall and yet a whole box that's deep is a waste of Mel's Mix, so I'm fascinated that you've engineered a solution. Yay!

Also love your shiny copper brackets. Now that's like something I would have thought of - I always have to try to make things pretty. Laughing

Czarina 3/14/2012, 7:06 pm

gwennifer wrote:I am so excited for you to share your plan for your bi-level table tops! I wasn't really very thrilled with my high rise box last fall and yet a whole box that's deep is a waste of Mel's Mix, so I'm fascinated that you've engineered a solution. Yay!

Also love your shiny copper brackets. Now that's like something I would have thought of - I always have to try to make things pretty.

I went to work on the table top today only to find out someone in the house moved my drill and circular saw! Grrr! Now I have to wait until they come home to ask where they put it (not picking up cell).

I'm excited myself about executing my plan. Having carrots and beets right next to the lettuce in the same box Smile

Those brackets are really neat against the color of the rest of the box, but probably the most expensive item thus far! Ah, vanity.

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0528

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0528

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0529

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0531

Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 0530

**Furbalsmom** 3/15/2012, 2:56 pm

Gorgeous!!

**RoOsTeR** 3/15/2012, 6:49 pm

Czarina, I was just thinking of you last night and wondering why we hadn't had an update recently Very Happy

Your TT looks fantastic!! Can't wait to see it planted Progress on Andrus Garden [pic] - Page 2 3170584802

ericam 3/15/2012, 6:54 pm

Lovely work, great to see another woman loose with power tools! Very Happy

AvaDGardner 3/27/2012, 4:28 pm

Czarina...so glad to see you post! I love watching the progress! You are giving me great ideas for a project with seniors in wheel chairs!

Starter plants help it to feel like a garden. There will plenty of room for seeds, and lots of excitement when the start top pop.

Of my starts, the lettuces has done best, although about 20% have given up and died, or crowded out its partner and killed the other. The brassicas are just kinda there (the broc already bolted!). Of the starts given to me (all my strawberries), one has up and died, for reasons unknown. Look great one day, dead 4 days later. Long roots, too. Just lived it's life, I gues. My seeds are doing so well, I'm planting 1 big seed or 2 tiny seeds 'in the hole' so I have less sprouts to separate.

So a few starts..no problem. You'll have more fun with your seedlings!

And dahling...you aren't "so random," you're 'eclectic!'

Ava

Sponsored content


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.