Massive Garden Project, Need Advice

[Smart Red]

I don't know about chicken wire being an organic method or not. I've never heard of laying down broken glass but that sounds pretty good if the soil is deep enough to never need disturbing that deeply. That would be much like laying DE down to stop insects and other tiny pests. You wouldn't want that glass to get mixed into the growing medium.

I filled several 5'X10' beds 11" high. For each one I put 4 wheelbarrows of topsoil, 2 bags of peat moss, 2 bags of mushroom compost, two bags of vermiculite, 4 more wheelbarrows of topsoil, 2 of peat, and 2 of mushroom compost. They were well mixed, raked and ready to plant. Great moisture retention, great tilth, great growing conditions.

That would cover an area about 5X10X2 or 100 cubic feet. Would that help give you a general place to start?

 

[catjac1975]

Someone who sells soil can easily figure out how much you need with a quick glance. You need to figure the volume of cubic feet.

 

[PhilaGardener]

I have recently read somewhere that the produce from a garden that has been treated with oyster shell or egg shell cannot be considered "vegan."

Are they ruling out worms in the garden too?

 

[Ridgerunner]

No worms are harmed creating this project.*

* That does not count the caterpillars (tomato horned worms, corn ear worms, cutworms, or various caterpillars on cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale) the chickens get.

 

[Smart Red]

You might go back and check the cabbage and broccoli plants growing in my onion bed. Not a single bug nibble. They didn't get any damage as they grew either.

I figure the scent of onions over shadowed those of the coles and the bugs never knew they were there. The first sign of bugs on them were when those I left for seed started flowering -- the time the onions were harvested.

 

[grow_my_own]

These beds are deep... 15 inches to 30 inches in various spots, but the inner bottoms have not been graded out yet. I am going to proceed with a square foot gardening method combined with companion planting for maximum yield and aesthetic value.

 

[catjac1975]

The calculations for finding Cubic yards, which is how soil is sold, is Length X Width X Height. If you measure the garden by feet then you convert to CU. YDS by dividing by 27. (I checked with my resident math teacher.) If you are starting with a grassing field and then building up the raised beds, cut the grass very short and then line the bottom with thick newspaper or grain bags that do not contain plastic. You will curse yourself if you fail to smother the grass and weeds.

 

[digitS']

Looks like 2' deep, on average.

810 square feet x 2 = 1620 cubic feet. 1620 / 27 = 60 cubic yards of "fill."

You can plant in rows, with reasonable efficiency and succession plantings will be easier.

Steve

 

[grow_my_own]

Yes, I will be adding worms and worm castings to the soil from the outset. I have found a good local source for them, too. Score!

 

[ducks4you]

SmartRed I really like the onions with the cabbage. In fact, I like onions everywhere! I am filling in under 7 pine trees close to my neighbors yard. It was a pain in the neck to mow around them, so I raised the crowns. Of COURSE you get weeds wanting to take over, so I've been filling in with spring bulbs and anything else that I prefer to weeds, and you know how onions sets go for dirt cheap around May, at least where I live. You can leave them in a spot like this, or harvest. They will continue to come back and reproduce if you leave them in the ground.