This gives you a rough idea of how my raised bed garden planters look. This picture was taken when the planters were new, though, and not all finished.
There are now six 4 foot x 4 foot planters in two rows of three. They are tied together by hoses, with a sprinkler in the middle of each box, for irrigation.
Right now ONE planter is planted with sweet red onions. I went ahead and used the whole planter for the onions, and basically will leave them as they are, other than watering them, until it’s time to harvest them at the end of the summer or into the fall.
The current project is topping off each box with Mel’s Mix – a combination of peat moss, vermiculite, and as many different kinds of compost as can be found or made. (I’m using mushroom, cotton burr, and barnyard, as well as adding compost we make from time to time.) I keep the ingredients in covered trash cans behind our shop, between the shop and the garden. I also have an extremely used portable cement mixer that I use to combine the ingredients.
I don’t know where the mix ‘goes,’ during the winter, but all the planters need more mix to get them ready for planting.
Today is a beautiful day with a high of almost 60!
I mixed up several loads of mix and put them into the planters. I ran out of vermiculite and the co-op is closed until Monday, so my progress stops here. I’ll make a list of things to get when we go Monday. I’m hoping they actually HAVE the vermiculite, rather than having to order it.
After topping off the planters, I’ll string wire across each planter in two directions to make planting ‘squares.’ Then I’ll be ready to find some plants!
(My seeds in the greenhouse still haven’t done anything. I’m about to give up on them for now, other than checking on progress – and try a different technique next time.)
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