Raised beds and square foot gardens

[Gaz]

Hi all

As I keep learning how to grow things in my climate and soil conditions in Maine I have been trying out many methods that are probably second nature to the 'green thumbs'. Raised beds are a must on my place...and the square foot garden approach made sense to me. You can find out what we are doing here:

http://www.almostafarmer.com/raised-beds-square-foot-gardens/

Do others make up their own soil mix? What works for people?

Gaz
www.almostafarmer

 

[baymule]

I garden in beds. Not exactly raised though. What I did was to take the rock hard strip of not-even-weeds-will-grow-here-dirt between the driveway and sidewalk in my front yard and make beds by laying brick walkways across it. I dug compost into the dirt and planted store bought plants the first year. Over a period of years, I turned dirt masquerading as concrete into deep, soft, rich soil. Now I just pull weeds and dump chicken compost on top, maybe use a spading fork, but I don't dig and turn the dirt anymore.

So my soil mix is the compost I dig out of the chicken run and coop. I pile leaves, pea hulls, corn shucks, corn cobs, garden trimmings, end of the garden pull up the plants, kitchen trimmings and grass clippings in the run and coop. What they don't eat, they scratch to bits, poop on, and make black crumbly compost.

 

[Gaz]

So can I put the chicken bedding from my coop directly onto my beds...or do i need to just through into into my compost pile and let it rot down?

My bedding is a mix of straw and poop!

 

[baymule]

It depends on how composted it is. I have taken it straight from the run and put on the garden and have never burned anything. I also have two round wire bins that I pile it in until I need it. My wire bins are 4' horse wire cut in half to be 2' high. I cut a piece 12' long, cut in half long ways and wired both into circles. The hens can hop into the bins, so they even turn the compost for me!

 

[Smart Red]

I have raised beds.

I filled them with top soil, peat moss, mushroom compost, and vermiculite in consistent ratios. Since then it has been mostly composted chicken bedding and horse manure applied in the fall.

I was going to try square foot, but tend to plant intensive, successive, and mixed veggie varieties in each bed.

 

[journey11]

I have 3 raised beds and I LOVE them, planning on putting in more. I used a mix of compost, composted horse manure and peat moss when I built the first one years ago. It was way too rich and I later added quite a bit of top soil, some of my native soil and a little bagged composted cow manure and limed it, of course. It's perfect now!