Sprig's Summer Gardening

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Getting closer to done. The plan is to pack the bottom and sides with horse manure, then covering that with soil, let it settle for a few days with watering, top with more soil and then plant seeds

 

[ducks4you]

Love your idea with lining with horse manure. It will create heat as it decomposes and you are shielding your plants from it as is does so. By September you can mix the whole thing up and have some great soil! It is the same idea as the Colonial hotbeds, where they started plants in February for early harvest.

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

Love your idea with lining with horse manure. It will create heat as it decomposes and you are shielding your plants from it as is does so. By September you can mix the whole thing up and have some great soil! It is the same idea as the Colonial hotbeds, where they started plants in February for early harvest.

My real motive here is to put a good layer of something that won't just wash out through the cracks and will breakdown over time to provide a really good bed for the strawerries. Once the roots take hold that will help hold the soil in better, but initially if I just filled it with soil I could see it going out the sides. I probably won't till or turn it, but might add more compost or horse manure to it in future years.

 

[flowerbug]

Getting closer to done. The plan is to pack the bottom and sides with horse manure, then covering that with soil, let it settle for a few days with watering, top with more soil and then plant seeds

View attachment 35355

oh dear...

you gonna be fighting grass forever with those edges. for something like strawberries you don't want to be fighting grass.

wish i'd seen this sooner...

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

oh dear...

you gonna be fighting grass forever with those edges. for something like strawberries you don't want to be fighting grass.

wish i'd seen this sooner...

Not so worried about that. I'll be dumping grass clippings around it all and mowing, as per usual.. The closer side is where we have a squash area. I'll be dumping compost and manure there as well.

 

[flowerbug]

Not so worried about that. I'll be dumping grass clippings around it all and mowing, as per usual.. The closer side is where we have a squash area. I'll be dumping compost and manure there as well.

it looks like you are putting those edges on sod/grass, piling stuff around them or mowing isn't going to kill grass off and it will grow up and through any gaps. mowing won't control the grass between those logs or underneath them. if you can get some layers of cardboard over any grass you see that will help but it still leaves any gaps around any poles you've put in the ground as vulnerable to any remaining grass roots for exploitation.

cardboard may be needed more than once.

even after removing sod and burying it there are usually residual bits of roots and grass seeds to contend with in a new garden before you catch them all. it can take a few years. it's not an easy task at all to have a garden along any grassy areas. i spend way too much time contending with this issue and less gardening than would be otherwise happening if i could get rid of the small bit of lawn we have left in a few areas. it would take me a lot less time in the end to have them turned into gardens. not counting more food or flower production.

 

[ducks4you]

You need grass seed to grow grass from clippings. Right now, very little of My grass has gone to seed, so the clippings will make great mulch, (like I Need any more mulching materials.)

 

[SprigOfTheLivingDead]

it looks like you are putting those edges on sod/grass, piling stuff around them or mowing isn't going to kill grass off and it will grow up and through any gaps. mowing won't control the grass between those logs or underneath them. if you can get some layers of cardboard over any grass you see that will help but it still leaves any gaps around any poles you've put in the ground as vulnerable to any remaining grass roots for exploitation.

cardboard may be needed more than once.

even after removing sod and burying it there are usually residual bits of roots and grass seeds to contend with in a new garden before you catch them all. it can take a few years. it's not an easy task at all to have a garden along any grassy areas. i spend way too much time contending with this issue and less gardening than would be otherwise happening if i could get rid of the small bit of lawn we have left in a few areas. it would take me a lot less time in the end to have them turned into gardens. not counting more food or flower production.

It'll be under 17" of manure and dirt. I do see what you're saying but ive had minimal issues with my other raised beds of similar height. I dont see the grass as much of an issue here as it is in my squash area where I just have chicken manure and straw down. There I see grass coming through that already time for ****loads of cardboard, manure and grass clippings

 

[flowerbug]

It'll be under 17" of manure and dirt. I do see what you're saying but ive had minimal issues with my other raised beds of similar height. I dont see the grass as much of an issue here as it is in my squash area where I just have chicken manure and straw down. There I see grass coming through that already time for ****loads of cardboard, manure and grass clippings

ok, good luck!

 

[ducks4you]

@SprigOfTheLivingDead , , would that we could make money selling cardboard right now!!!