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[Bevanron <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Originally, I had planned to have only one raised bed ready for planting
this Spring.  Since I wanted to grow lettuce, carrots, radishes and
other small seeded things, I added the layer of soil on the top.  It's
only a 2 inch layer, but it served the purpose of keeping those small
seeds near the surface.
The first bed went up so easily that we made a second, then a third
boxed bed.  I ran out of scrap wire for the bottoms, otherwise I would
have kept going.  (I have more now and could make more beds now, but
other projects are taking priority)  I wanted to have raised beds in
various stages of development so that I could 'dispose' of things as
need be.  For example, there was an old pile of pine branches that were
rotting, so I asked my friend who has a front end loader to move that
pile of cut up rotting pine over into Bed #2.  Bed #3 just had the wire
in the bottom, so as I worked in other areas of the property and found
rocks, I would just toss the rocks into a small pile, then wheelbarrow
the rocks over into bed #3 until I had enough.  If we had a storm, I
would pick up the deadfall and put it in Bed #2, and then later in #3.
Having the beds in various stages allowed me to clean up and reuse
immediately.  Of course, my kitchen waste and the crap out of the shop
vac is scattered throughout the beds, too, in no particular order.
Then, my windfall came when the lady who rents my pasture had a round
bale get wet and mold on her.  Yup, it went right onto the tops of Bed
#2 and Bed #3, along with some wasted hay that we raked up off the
ground(with a bit of poop in it).  I jumped around on the hay like it
was a trampoline(good exercise) to pack it down into the beds, break up
any sticks and branches, and fill any airholes around the rocks in the
bottom.  Then I wet it all down, covered it with a tarp,  and it sat
there for a month or more until my transplants were ready to go.  So
Bed#1 became my Spring garden since it was ready in February, and Beds 2
and 3 became the early summer garden.  I didn't expect to have them
ready to plant until Fall, but the windfall of the getting the waste hay
allowed me to put my transplants in the bed instead of in the ground,
and because it was generating heat, I took the risk of transplanting my
squashes early (2 weeks BEFORE the last frost date) and it has paid off.
 I beat the squash bugs at their own game(they like the heat of mid
summer, not the gentle heat of May) and took advantage of all the Mason
bees to pollinate the squash early.  For whatever reason, the only bees
we see in the middle of summer are yellow jackets, so planting early
allowed me to take advantage of good insects (mason bees) and avoid the
bad ones (squash bugs).  There were a few iffy nights in late March when
the temps went down to about freezing, but I just covered up my
transplants with black plastic gardening pots-upside down of course- and
then tarped over that to hold in the heat.  I had to cover and uncover
the beds 5 or 6 times for a few weeks, but it paid off.  I now have a
bumper crop of squashes-all kinds, and my peppers are starting to come
in as well. (Bed #2 is the squash bed, and Bed #3 is a pepper bed)

I can't wait until next year when I have more raised beds....

Bev



Gene GeRue wrote:
> You know, I have practiced composting in place and lasagna gardening
>
> > style and planting directly in mulch for so many years, to me, it's
> >  a proven method.
>
>
> Yup. Saves a lot of energy, too. My mother, at 92, still gardens 
> every day. When we visit her my brother and I dig trenches in her 
> garden beds. She throws kitchen waste in the trenches and uses a hoe 
> to pull dirt over it. She has amazing gardens. This is in west 
> Arizona. Her place is an oasis.

--
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm      NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W