prepping my tabletop

recoush 10/15/2016, 9:00 am

Today i am prepping the 2sq (A 6 2SQ tabletop) for next weeks Garlic i plan to use (2), 2Sq for the garlic with companions of leeks and marigold so 9 garlic as i think they are small 9 leek and 1 Large marigold facing south end (table face N/S) at least that is the plan, these 6 -2sq have boarders, less any runners i may have to thin. based on planss i have seen, have as many 4 or 9 and 1 or 2 any thoughts?

Potatoes 2 marigold 1, chives 9 4sq	Potatoes 2 sage chives 9 4sq
Onion 9 ,Kale 1, Nasturtium 1 4Sq	Onion 9, borage 1 4sq
Garlic 9 leeks 9 marigold 1 Garlic 9 4Sq	Garlic 9 leeks 9 Garlic 9 4Sq

also need to plant seeds for lupine and coneflower in the raised bed as it says before last frost or ground freeze. supposed to be 80 on Monday here in northern Illinois. so they come up about the same time as my mason bees.

**llama momma** 10/15/2016, 10:42 am

I'd like to know has anyone had success with garlic in a table top in the northern U.S.?

Recoush, I hope you let us know how the garlic does.. I tried strawberries in a tabletop and plants did not overwinter at all. Lost all of it. For what it's worth, I think ground boxes give plants better winter protection and insulation allowing plants to retain moisture.

Even though garlic has a great reputation for being tough, my personal theory is winter winds can dry out plants in a table top. And my thoughts/ well like I said earlier, for what its worth. Wink

recoush 10/15/2016, 11:34 am

Hum, you have some good points, that why I love this forum $prepping my tabletop C:\Users\bryon\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001$
The tabletop has about a 10"+ high wall, on 3/4" plywood with landscaping fabric.

Just mixed and added a batch of Mels mix adding with the old soil. As I had to move the tabletop from E/W to N/S due to a space issue. Used half old plus 2 new compost a bucket of vermec and a bucket of peat, many times (in a wheel barrel)

Have grass cuttings and dead weeds I can use as mulch top coat. Also a sheet of white styro to cover the top then a tarp secured with bungees keeps out the puddles and leaves,
One problem I see now is nothing of insulation under or the sides other than the 7/8" sides. Maybe wrap another tarp over and down and stake, likely just wing it tarp over or not?

recoush 10/15/2016, 12:19 pm

There i go again over thinking this, (engineer) simple answer is to do a 1/4th in the table top (test) and rest in the raised bed, just will have to move 6 pepper plants to the table top. My raised bed is 42sq so row A 1-6 garlic B is Peppers Row G is tomato's on a trellis south end. (have to build next year.)

**sanderson** 10/15/2016, 3:46 pm

Northern folks: potatoes, peppers and flowers in the winter??

yolos 10/15/2016, 7:33 pm

sanderson wrote:Northern folks: potatoes, peppers and flowers in the winter??

Southen folk here. But the tops of the potatoes will die with a hard freeze. So, no potatoes in the winter. Also, peppers are a warm weather crop and probably will winter kill.

recoush 10/15/2016, 8:48 pm

Sorry for any confusion, just the Garlic, Lupine, and coneflower before end of October and the heavy frost Very Happy

based on feedback and the likely hood the garlic may not survive the tabletop, only going to plant about 4 cloves in the tabletop (test) the other 21 in the raised bed, the lupine and coneflower can be sowed in both and mulched in theory as they need a cold stay Shocked

revised tabletop plan, for 2017

Potatoes 2 marigold 1, chives 9 4sq	Potatoes 2 Sage chives 9 4sq
Onion 9 , Kale 1, Nasturtium 1 4Sq	Onion 9, borage 1 Kale 1 4sq
Garlic 4 Leeks 9 marigold 1 Garlic 9 4Sq	Hot Pepper 1 Hot Pepper 1 Sweet Pepper 1 Sweet Pepper 1 4Sq

Sponsored content

prepping my tabletop

prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop

Re: prepping my tabletop


	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.