Margali's 2019 Garden

[margali]

I have my garden plan, I think. The available space is about 14' deep swath along back fence line. All containers cause 1) it's a rental, 2) the 7' utilities easement is chock full of communication, natural gas, and electrical lines, and 3) it should be easy to fence off if/when we get dogs.

My back fence line runs SE by NW and the setting sun shines straight into back windows of the house. Initial plan is 2 dwarf fruit trees, blueberry pot, and ~6'x12' veggie bed. All the containers are going to be wicking beds supplied by 55gal barrel. Initial grow list is carrots, loose leaf lettuce, strawberries, watemelon, and cucumbers. We are also going to plant a ~8x10' area with wildflower mix.

Safety note: purchase barrels for recycle from original user with shipping label intact. Shipping label will have manufacturer and material listed. By law, Safety Data Sheets are available online so you can research contents.

 

[canesisters]

Is a wicking bed sort of like a drip line?

 

[margali]

There is 4" tall water reservoir in bottom of the ~ 22gal planter. The reservoir are connected by 1/2" tubing with float valve to 55gal water drum. This is system I'm copying. htt://youtu.be/Spt0hFVLeKk

 

[baymule]

Waiting on pictures! LOL

 

[margali]

This is about 1.5 hours of work. The cut line in the grass will be the edge of the mulch and the sticks are were the flower bed will bbe.

 

[margali]

It's slow going. Renting a motorized sod cutter will blow the budget. I'm leary of cutting too deep with edger cause telecommunication guys are notorious for not properly burrying their cables.

 

[thistlebloom]

Margali, I don't know if you have already considered this and discarded the idea, but it's possible to make garden beds on top of sod without having to cut it out.

I have made all of my flower beds around the perimeter of the house this way. Lay down cardboard, wet it well then layer rotted manure and soil over the top. I got mine about 12" deep.
It will begin rotting the sod and the cardboard decomposes.The grass won't grow up through it (unless you have evil Bermuda grass). The pile will shrink down too.
I held my piles back about a foot from the house foundation so nothing was in contact with the house.
You'd have to keep it from your fence that way too of course.

Oops. Sorry, just reread from the top and I see you're planting in containers exclusively.
Never mind about the layered bed thought.

 

[margali]

Will smothering with cardboard and mulch work on St Augustine? I'm pretty sure that is what I have.

 

[thistlebloom]

I think it will. We had St. Augustine when I was a kid and IMO it's not as tenaciously invasive as Bermuda.

You will have to watch the edge where the lawn and you bed meet as the grass will want to creep over. I use a half moon edger to edge my grass/bed line.
I only have to do it once a year because I have mutt grass and my season is much shorter than yours.

 

[margali]

This tool goes thru the roots so quick! Here is weekend stopping point. I'm out of cardboard for mulch. I also have to keep in mind how much sod the garbage guys will take. And repottted roses with better drainage.