A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2003 Raised veggie bed, type soil needed?

My ground is almost pure granite/clay. So this week I plan on making a raised veggie bed. Plan on using non chemical treated wood, screws to put together and hardwood cloth attached to bottom of bed to keep gophers out. My 1st question is what kind of soil/compost etc. do I put in to fill up bed and in what proportions? Have to buy all the filler because composting that I started is not ready yet. 2nd ?, should the side wood be flush together or should I leave a space? If so how much? 3rd ?, should I incorporate fertilizer/amendments if so what? 4th ?, will I be able to use it this year or should I wait a year to plant?
Plan on using bed for zucchini, green beans, carrots, onions. Different time watermelon, muskmelon etc. Not sure if type of plants have any influence on above questions. Please help ASAP. Getting started in the morning. Would like any info., even mistakes made so I don't repeat them.
Hot here in Fallbrook, Calif. Thanx, Catlover

Well Karen,
I just happpen to have 5 raised beds....
We used rough cut lumber, screws, and I put some landscape fabric underneath it to keep out the weeds...
Used "sifted topsoil" 14 yrds for two beds. (oh and a smidgen here for the boys dirt pile and a smidgen of that went to mother's flower bed.)
I'll get the dimensions of the bed when my hubby gets up, something like 4' by 20' each bed. (probly either 2 1/2 to 3 ft high with a flat board on top for sitting on. That was rough cut too but the boys plained it down)
And then there are 3 beds at 4' by 10' and used another probly 10yds, Also ordered two seperate loads of composted manure.
5 yds first load and 4 yds, second load. Still have some compost and dirt left over, but we use it for other things. (We're kicking around the idea for 2 more beds about 4' by 20' each again!!) Not enough room for my vining plants.????
I go over board on the tomatoes, but we planted Beefmaster, sweet 100's, roma's, celebrities, jet star, early girl and lemon boy...then I have, Jalapeno, sweeet red and green bells. Lettuce, romain and leaf, cucumbers and sweet peas, 2 sets of acorns, yellow squash, zucchini, 2 suprise squashes from my compost piles, pumpkin, butternut and the tenant son has a water melon!!!! And I need more room as the climbing vines, are taking up tooooooooo much space. I'd like Kev and his dad to construct a frame like to put coffee hooks in and then 100 lb test fishing line and string up and down and let climbing vines climb that and in the fall, just untie or snip the line and all falls to the bottom (ever have like netting or something like that to hold up climbers, it's nothing but a mess to untangle dead vines and leaves. what a pain and time consuming.)
I did put landscaping fabric to keep weeds out but with you being in California you have to keep in consideration that a raised bed will raise the temp of your beds more. Then with the black fabric increases more..
I put in metal tomato cages and metal stakes, which would also raise your heat out there. And I have to keep an eye for temp on mine, straight sun from about 10:00 am on....
So, you might have to construct a light screen over the top maybe to keep it cool a bit.???????
Did I cover everything???
The dirt ratio, I put in say about 3/4 topsoil and then mixed in the composted manure the top 1/4 layer. (*make sure it's not too fresh, seems it would hurt your plants?????)
I never get in the bed and walk on my soil, and I have a little Ryobi rototiller and stand on the seats and till that way, I'm short, easier for me to stand up there.
Weezie
let me know if you need anymore info!!!!

Ooops, almost forgot the important part,
I then at planting work in my own compost into the soil hole and into the surrounding area where the roots would go, not just the hole.....
Weezie

Karen,
Did you do your raised bed???
What did you come up with??
Just curious!!!!
Weezie

Sorry Weezie...been real busy and haven't been able to start. It is on my next MUST DO LIST!!!!

You know there are the "TO DO LISTS"
and then there are the "MUST DO LISTS"

Are you getting the idea I am organized????


NOT

Wishful thinking is all. Thanx for the inquiry. Have a great day. Catlover

Karen,
Are you kidding me???
I operate on the "drop of the hat" theory.
With a 2 yr old, and a 8 yr. and a 72 yr old mother, you tell me how much organizing I can do....Yeah!!!
NOT

Which way does who need me first????????

I can't even find my do lists.
And Paper is my personal nemisis!!
grocery fliers, newspapers, pennysavers, junkmail & bills (the worst), Bible school papers, boyscout papers, school papers, Paper, Paper, paper!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr!!!! I'm drowning in paper!!!

I have some pictures of our raised beds, I'll try to sit down and get some in so you can take a peek at them!!!!!!

Weezie

Weezie
I can't count how many times I head out with my list and each place I go ends up extending my list even more. By the time I get home I have 10 more things I have to do!!!

Pix sound great! Would appreciate any shortcuts, don't do that, absolutely do this etc. hints. Hate to spend all the time, money, and energy (myself) and then it flop!!! Then we might have to have a pitty party heading started!!!

GGRRRRR my gopher is back after using that gopher probe with gopher poison. If I see any hint of that little sucker I am literally going to blow his cute little whiskers to kingdom come.


Hey Bob I need you to call your #41 squirrel back home to your house. Went outside at 2am and your little buddy was watching me crunching snails. Going to have to learn how to use a sling shot! Cat got a rabbit and a mouse today, but NO GOPHER!!! Well I better get something more done today, kinda coolin off a little. Catlover

Karen,
I think Bob's on vacation!!!!!!!
Weezie

U mean Bob went on vacation didn't tell anyone..Geeze whos looking out for his squirrels? I just figure the computer got unplugged..lol If you know what i mean..lol
Im heading out for a little vacation myself ..Starting the 14..So u all take care..Stay safe be happy.. :p

Yeah I haven't heard from him either! Bet the other half didn't pay the bill!!! Last I heard he was finishing up the trim on a house he built. Think he pretty well got rid of his little pests except #41 squirrel of his is here in Calif. Have enough problems with two gophers of mine. I would gladly give them to anyone who wants them. Tried a gopher probe that injects poison in the ground but no results.

Has anyone tried those poison smoke things you light and put in the ground????? The one gopher in the cactus garden is REAL sneaky!!! Cat almost had him the other day. I am ready for caddyshack here!!!!

cactus garden: Have 8 yards of
compost/topsoil, 4,000 lbs. of Indian Summer Flagstone, and 3,200 lbs of 3/8 inch parchment pebbles coming tomorrow morning. Guess my raised bed will have to wait a little longer! Going to be a lot of work but when I am done I can give myself a big pat on the back for this project!!!! Providing I have a back left when I am done.
Where are you Bob????
Catlover

Sorry, catlover... been very busy this week.
I'm sure u r very excited about getting your raised bed started. Just take it easy, and don't over-do it! Hope u have some help in lifting all that stuff!

Yah I have help it is me, myself, and I. I'm on my own! My only help outside are my two cats and they do the varmit killing for me. But they are failing on there job, they are bringing in everybody elses varmits and not getting my two blasted gophers.

Going to start on my cactus project first....it is a hill beside the greenhouse and going to use the compost/topsoil to build up the hill, surround each cactus with flagstone sitting upright, fill in with compost mixture, then put parchment rock around the cactus themselves. That means I have to move each cactus. There are about 50 different kinds at the moment and stupid me can't stop buying them so I bought 10 more today to add to the variety. Plus I want to add a pathway with the parchment pebbles. Oh boy, hope I didn't chew off more than I can handle. I WILL do it...DO or DIE!!!! Exhausted Catlover and I haven't even started. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Karen,
Have you read up on using some sand also for your cactus??
I am not a cactus grower (one or two in the past but......) Usually compost holds in moisture and curious as to the moisture retention for cactus...
I also think I read about using some lime, of course the stone in the circle around the cactus would leach some out........
I'll have to go find the site I was reading....
Somebody on the other end of town did a cactus garden, it's soooooooooo cute, we don't have anything that resembles a cactus growing around here, naturally in the north, so when you see it, it's quite different to look at...
If I find that site, I'll send it off to you!!!!!
Weezie
P.S.
I know what you mean by me, myself and I.

The area is a hill and all the water just leaches through. The granite it is on doesn't retain any water and that hill gets very warm reflecting off the concrete patio. Thanks for the suggestion, it would apply if it was level. I do have another cactus garden started that is level so I will do what you suggested and pull up some of the loose granite and incorporate that within that area. Thats another project!!!!!

Never heard anything about lime. Thanx for checking on that. I will look when I have a spare minute. They will be here in an 45 min. to make the first drop of compost/topsoil. The only place to dump is on concrete....it will stain the concrete.... so I have to move the whole pile today to get it in the back. OMG my back is hurting all ready with the thought. WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO NOW?????? This is the beginning of the second year I've lived here and ideas have been springing into my head the entire time. I keep getting myself in deeper and deeper. You guys are going to have to hold me back one of these days or I'm going to be sitting in a wheelchair not able to move. :rolleyes: Get back with ya later, Catlover

Sand should be used as an amendment to your soil, but it is a grave misconception that cacti can grow in sand. cactus do like organic matter incorporated into their soil with sand added to provide for drainage. They do need a period of dryness alternating with moisture during their growing season. When I grew cactus, I used my same soil mix as I do for all my plants, but I added about 25% sand (or granite grit). When feeding them, always dilute the fertilizer mix by 50%!
As to lime...... Some cacti like slightly alkaline soil, and would benefit from the addition of lime, but you would be well advised to check on your individual species before you add lime to the entire bed!
A little more info on this page....

You were right again Weezie (you can say of course, I'm always right :D). Thanks Bill and Weezie guess I AM incorporating more of that stinken granite grit into the mixture. Was hoping to just bury the nightmare!!!! They just dropped off the 3/4" Indian Summer Slate Flagstone and the 3/8" parchment pebbles. Now awaiting the compost/topsoil. Then the job begins. It will be fun, but I'm SCARED!!!! After all this I sure hope it turns out! :rolleyes: Catlover

Thanks Bill,
I had read up on cactus' a while back and that's pretty much what I thought it said.
I remember thinking to myself, compost for cactus>???? Who'd of thunk it in the dessert.. ?? And the lime, I thought were would the lime come from? The sand? The water? The air, or under ground stone???
I just didn't want her to go to all that work and not have it go....because of the moisture.......
Thanks!!!
Weezie

Oh Karen, That is far from the truth, because, I forget alot of things and
try so hard to remember but I, err...
get busy and stuff just drains out.....
like sand in the compost...But I do
read alot and it's nice to know that
something that I do retain,
I can pass along and it's nice to know
that there is someone with the first hand ...knowledge to back me up and
finish the rest of the info for me,
like Bill,....Barb, ....Nikkal, ....Will, etc. The one's that work in the plant field.

But thanks for the vote of confidence!!!
Weezie