Raised's posterous

After Watching 100s of Raised Vegetable Garden Videos, Today I Found The Best One So Far!

http://www.blinkx.com/watch-video/urban-gardening-how-to-build-a-raised-garden-bed/V6ZX3QYgrAtvsI9XTS7B1Q

I've been reading hundreds of websites about building and maintaining a raised vegetable garden - and this one is the best so far. Forget searching for hours through youtube. I've done that and never found anything as interesting, useful, and easy to follow as this one. Enjoy!

Article: Simple steps to vege beds - New Zealand Herald

Simple steps to vege beds - New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/gardening/news/article.cfm?c_id=218&objectid=10671720

Great tip about sourcing railway sleepers for a raised vegetable garden. 

Raised garden beds are now an established part of modern garden architecture, and sleepers give a solid, timeless look. Proper railway sleepers, usually made from jarrah, are prohibitively heavy (they sink in water) and cutting them will warp the hardest saw blade, so instead, I go for macrocarpa every time.

(via Instapaper)

Can Your Raised Vegetable Garden Make You Self Sufficient?

How much space would be required to grow all the fruit and veg you will ever need? This article has the answer: -


http://thesietch.org/mysietch/greenspree/2007/07/17/self-sufficiency/


The conclusion that an average family of four needs around 100 ft x 100 ft plot to be self sufficient.


"So it seems by this simplistic exercise that a maximum of 1/2 an acre should give you everything you need to be self sufficient food wise. Of course, there may be higher yield crops out there and this does not take into consideration mixed gardening which can increase output per acre as some crops can use the same piece of land during different times of year. Nor does it take into account the possibility of using permaculture and greenhouse techniques to boost productivity."

What Is The Best Soil To Plant A Slightly Raised Vegetable Garden In?

This is an important question, so I wanted to make sure you are aware of the temperature needs of your vegetables. This page is a great resource...


http://www.gardeningseedsguide.com/vegetable-gardening-seeds/what-is-the-best-soil-to-plant-a-slightly-raised-vegetable-garden-in


The best bit is this part : -


"Plants like tomatoes like full sun. Cool-weather crops like spinach and lettuce do alright in partial shade. If it gets too hot in full sun, it will ruin those plants. They do alright for a while. Cool-weather crops can be planted 2-3 weeks before the last frost. Other crops have to wait until all danger of frost has passed. You can also plant a fall harvest for lettuce and spinach. You could get a truck load of topsoil, but they sell bags of top soil fairly cheap at home centers. Potting soil costs more, but a heavy bag of top soil is only a couple of bucks or so. It sounds good that you are diverting the runoff around the garden. The traditional way to garden is to take two wooden stakes and string a line between them across the garden to mark each row."

A Raised Bed Vegetable Garden - Ideal For Cooler Climates

A lesser known advantage of the raised bed is it's extra warmth as explained here: -


http://www.gardening-resources.com/a-raised-bed-vegetable-garden-ideal-for-cooler-climates/


"A raised bed vegetable garden provides two important aspects to your gardening experience. It will allow any excess water to drain out faster and it allows the soil to warm up more quickly. Therefore, you may well be able to grow vegetables in a climate that normally you would not attempt."

If you want it even hotter, use heat absorbing bricks for the walls and lay some pieces of glass over the top to trap the heat in. 

How to build a raised bed vegetable garden - Backyard Farmer

A guide to building a raised bed vegetable garden should have two things; good pictures and informative text. This has both, so gets a two thumbs up!


http://backyardfarmer.com.au/organic-gardening/how-to-build-a-raised-vegetable-garden-bed-out-of-ewood/


Here's a snippet...


"But the main reason I like using raised beds, is that you can quickly get the soil up to a level that desired for growing bumper crops instantly.   This is done by importing a good quality soil mix from a landscape supplier.   I live in the South East of Melbourne, and our soil is notoriously sandy, and requires a lot of organic matter to get it productive."