Quarantine Vegetable Gardens

[PayrollNerd]

This lady seems to have a clever watering system. I think there are drain holes in the pool sides.

 

[155etta]

Forcast tonight is 36 degrees. We are notorious for going lower than predicted by a few degrees so I spent about 4 hours this afternoon picking all my tomatoes, onions, and squash. There is a lot. My greenhouse is full of boxes of produce now. I made salsa yesterday and it looks like I will be making more. Now if I could only find wide mouth canning lids....

 

[PayrollNerd]

Forcast tonight is 36 degrees. We are notorious for going lower than predicted by a few degrees so I spent about 4 hours this afternoon picking all my tomatoes, onions, and squash. There is a lot. My greenhouse is full of boxes of produce now. I made salsa yesterday and it looks like I will be making more. Now if I could only find wide mouth canning lids....

Brrrr!!! I'm cold when it goes below 70 but I'm a wimp and I'm in SWFL. I can't find wide mouth lids either dang it!!

 

[mickey2942]

Forcast tonight is 36 degrees. We are notorious for going lower than predicted by a few degrees so I spent about 4 hours this afternoon picking all my tomatoes, onions, and squash. There is a lot. My greenhouse is full of boxes of produce now. I made salsa yesterday and it looks like I will be making more. Now if I could only find wide mouth canning lids....

Yep. Here too. WTH?! I am rolling the dice.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Our forecast for tonight is 38* but it doesn't seem we've been getting as low as the predicted all summer.

But for Sunday night the forecast says 28*. Hmm. I don't have anything unharvested in the garden except some dried beans, which I think can get cold (need to check, haven't grown them often).

Even if it shortens an already-short growing season, the cooling weather in autumn is my favorite time of year so I am not complaining.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Well, after a good 6 months of rough health days, 1 family death and 2 friend deaths, getting thru the holiday with the head cold from hell, I am finally back to researching gardening in SWFL.

I went to Lowes to price wood for raised garden beds. I spoke to my oldest about some of her coworkers wanting to earn a little cash by helping me build them. I looked at using composite decking instead of wood. Alas, that is all so expensive on top of labor.

I do realize I'll need to pay for some help. I refuse to ask for volunteers because of stupid people judging me. I guess being a poor, indebted cancer patient is too freaking much to ask. <insert eye roll>

Sooooo, I ordered 3 metal garden beds today. I can assemble these on my own. My youngest and her boyfriend bought me a new drill battery for Christmas! It's the little things, isn't it?

I've missed the first half of the growing season here but oh well. I'm still above the dirt and I want to play in the dirt. I ordered two of the 8' x 4' x 12" deep containers and one of the 6' x 3' x 12" containers. They'll be here Saturday and I am very excited to get this party started!!

I have a bunch of the old concrete edging pieces and stepping stones. My plan is to start leveling out the area, then put the landscape fabric down, place the old edging pieces to hold it down. I will place them away from the fence so I can walk all the way around them. I'll put the 6' one in the middle so I have a gap between the ends of them, if that makes sense.

They're not as deep as I'd prefer but, if I can figure out a way to raise them by placing them on the concrete edging pieces, I can probably add a few inches to the depth. I will lay cardboard on the grass first to smother the grass/weeds, then the sturdy landscape fabric. I don't want to use RoundUp to kill the grass.

If you can think of any ideas or suggestions that would be helpful for my project, I'd love to hear them!

https://www.amazon.com/FOYUEE-Galvanized-Vegetables-Planter-Planting/dp/B07PYJK8PN?th=1

 

[anonymouse1]

Well, after a good 6 months of rough health days, 1 family death and 2 friend deaths, getting thru the holiday with the head cold from hell, I am finally back to researching gardening in SWFL.

I went to Lowes to price wood for raised garden beds. I spoke to my oldest about some of her coworkers wanting to earn a little cash by helping me build them. I looked at using composite decking instead of wood. Alas, that is all so expensive on top of labor.

I do realize I'll need to pay for some help. I refuse to ask for volunteers because of stupid people judging me. I guess being a poor, indebted cancer patient is too freaking much to ask. <insert eye roll>

Sooooo, I ordered 3 metal garden beds today. I can assemble these on my own. My youngest and her boyfriend bought me a new drill battery for Christmas! It's the little things, isn't it?

I've missed the first half of the growing season here but oh well. I'm still above the dirt and I want to play in the dirt. I ordered two of the 8' x 4' x 12" deep containers and one of the 6' x 3' x 12" containers. They'll be here Saturday and I am very excited to get this party started!!

I have a bunch of the old concrete edging pieces and stepping stones. My plan is to start leveling out the area, then put the landscape fabric down, place the old edging pieces to hold it down. I will place them away from the fence so I can walk all the way around them. I'll put the 6' one in the middle so I have a gap between the ends of them, if that makes sense.

They're not as deep as I'd prefer but, if I can figure out a way to raise them by placing them on the concrete edging pieces, I can probably add a few inches to the depth. I will lay cardboard on the grass first to smother the grass/weeds, then the sturdy landscape fabric. I don't want to use RoundUp to kill the grass.

If you can think of any ideas or suggestions that would be helpful for my project, I'd love to hear them!

https://www.amazon.com/FOYUEE-Galvanized-Vegetables-Planter-Planting/dp/B07PYJK8PN?th=1

Red plastic sheeting! Gardener's Supply sells, but you can probably find for less at other places. Any color sheeting will increase the soil temperature, but there is something special about red. Perhaps it filters out a certain wavelength of light? We grow massive tomatoes and peppers with red plastic. You just layer it on top of the mulch.

 

[PayrollNerd]

It just had to get cold and rain this weekend.

I have the garden beds, still in the boxes but they’re here. I picked up the 1/2” metal mesh to go under the landscape fabric. Hoping that will keep the moles out. Now to find some old cardboard in the local recycle containers.

I bought random seeds over the last year. I need to see if I can find broccoli seeds. Lowes still had some starter plants this morning.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Well, after a good 6 months of rough health days,”

(respectfully shortened… and sorry about all the rambling garden thoughts…)

“If you can think of any ideas or suggestions that would be helpful for my project, I'd love to hear them!

https://www.amazon.com/FOYUEE-Galvanized-Vegetables-Planter-Planting/dp/B07PYJK8PN?th=1

”

Best of Luck on your gardening journey!!!

My rambling response: “Keep what you need, discard the rest.”

1. Product. The link was awesome! Best internet non-DYI idea I’ve ever seen. Thanks so much. But what about the top and side edges? Are they sharp? Rounded? I wonder how many seasons these will last? I’ve seen galvanized tin rust after awhile. But these look fantastic.

2. Cement boards. I have often considered using cement boards as the bottom board along wood fence lines to prevent rot. Usually, the bottom horizontal finish boards are made from wide, treated lumber pieces that might have a routered edge. But a cement board, even though initially more expensive, would surely outlast treated lumber, no?

3. Raised bed cement boards. Then my mind wanders over to yet another gardening idea: build raised beds from cement board. You’d need diamond tipped or brick/masonry drill bits, diamond circular blades, specially treated fasteners, labor is labor, but once assembled, surely they’d be good for what? 30 years or more? No rot. No chemical
seepage into food. No termites, no ants. They could be disassembled if they needed to be relocated. And then reassembled at the new location.

4. Present scene. I’ve used HUMONGOUS thick black plastic tree pots for years, now. I wish I would have written down when I purchased them. I griped about the $25.00 initial cost per pot. But as the years fly by, only some tree roots from close ornamental plantings have caused problems in one pot: sending up the root in search of water from overhead watering meant for vegetables. Otherwise, I simply fork turn the fill every so often, add, subtract sand, used potting soil, dry shredded leaves, kitchen scraps, scrunched egg shells, or mulch. (I’ve toyed with inventing a mechanized industrial sized drum blender with blades for pre-mulching. Like your kitchen blender, but bigger.) Some seasons one or two lay fallow, with periodic fork turning, and recycled dog crate mesh as a cover to prevent my puppies from making summer cooling off spots for themselves. One pot is my experimental best potting soil mix for the garden potted plants. Neighbors’ overhanging tree limbs and dense canopy of leaves, sprawl across my fence and invade airspace. They will need severe trimming this year, because they’re blocking precious sunlight that was more than ample over those same pots several years ago.

5. Conclusion. I suppose the last comment of this musing is PLAN. Then rethink and PLAN again so that you only do it once. “Measure twice, cut once.” I redo so much garden work because I’m impatient.

Once a decision is firm, select whatever you have handy, find easy to purchase, install, maintain and potentially remove.

Level the original ground. Lay heavy wire mesh down and past the beds to keep out critters. Secure the mesh with stakes. No plastic over the mesh bc earth worms help your planting medium. Layer with sand, either found from a lake, rinsed from the ocean or purchased. Think seaweed. Coarse sand drains better. Then layer over the sand base with your special growing mix ingredients. I premix in a wheelbarrow, or other big tub. Then fill the planter with it. Final top layer is usually 2-4 inches of prime planting mix or 1/2 -1 inch of more sand, depending on plantings or seeds. Later, after the seeds germinate, or plants become established, add pine bark mulch, pine needles, or fine hardwood mulch, if you like that better. Little babies have a tough time pushing through mulch so I wait before mulching.

I had neglected to spread fine crushed gravel or sand around the raised bed area. And enclose it with a mesh fence and gate to keep dogs out, or goats, chickens whatever you have that roams in your garden. It would have saved many plants, muddy boots, dirty paws, frustration and general cleanup chores. Need patience. Lots of it.

Youth fades and its energy, as well. Over several years, I’ve replaced my high maintenance lawn, foundation plantings, steel edging and hidden areas with low and no maintenance perennials, ground covers, rocks, stones and other non living garden art objects. My neighbors are slowly following the trend.

Time spent on the initial set up for the beds AND SURROUNDING AREA is repaid in time and effort saved for YEARS afterwards. And enjoying the produce, flowers, scents and Peace on Earth, in my garden. . Imagine the world if everyone tended a garden.
Yes, I missed my calling in a professional setting. But there’s always time for a new path. And helping you, other readers and volunteering for school age children with observations, ideas and experience thrills me to no end.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

I bet that you could sew them up perfectly! Probably not put them in a pool though, unless you cut out the bottom, don't want to have the bags sit in water and get moldy or scummy.

It would be cute to use a pool for a raised bed, you could easily paint it. Just cut out the bottom.

The local pet store was tossing three at the end of the season. Worked great for dogs. And deep soaking pots. We just changed/drained the water daily.
Had it warmed up yet in your part of the world? Twice, I saw garage heaters at a local resale shop that I frequent. I wondered if something like that would work for you?

 

[mickey2942]

The local pet store was tossing three at the end of the season. Worked great for dogs. And deep soaking pots. We just changed/drained the water daily.
Had it warmed up yet in your part of the world? Twice, I saw garage heaters at a local resale shop that I frequent. I wondered if something like that would work for you?

No. Did I post a picture of our garden last year? We put in plants and everything, mid May, and then, it snowed like 2 feet of heavy snow Memorial Day!!! Nothing survived. Crazy.

 

[MimosaMornings]

No. Did I post a picture of our garden last year? We put in plants and everything, mid May, and then, it snowed like 2 feet of heavy snow Memorial Day!!! Nothing survived. Crazy.

Oh geez!! That’s awful.
2021 was a horrible year for gardening. Freeze got 14 fruit bearing trees including the wonderful Rio red grapefruit trees.
Not sure what the hurricane forecast is for this year.

 

[PayrollNerd]

After the last week of cold, I think Sarasota might be done with the most severe cold of our winter. But, I could be wrong. It’s usually only 1 week of me being wimpy & whining. LOL!

The containers arrived and my new drill battery is charging. I measured off a 10’ x 24’ area for the 3 garden containers. I wish I had the strength to dig off the layer of grass. But, the humongous oak tree roots would likely make it too hard anyway. I don’t want to use RoundUp either.

My daughter has my truck while her car is in the shop. Her work (vet office) gets shipments everyday. She is going to bring me cardboard. For my birthday I got $75 in gift cards to Home Depot to help pay for supplies. I bought the 1/2” wire mesh and the heavy duty 4’ wide landscape fabric.

 

[PayrollNerd]

”

Best of Luck on your gardening journey!!!

My rambling response: “Keep what you need, discard the rest.”

1. Product. The link was awesome! Best internet non-DYI idea I’ve ever seen. Thanks so much. But what about the top and side edges? Are they sharp? Rounded? I wonder how many seasons these will last? I’ve seen galvanized tin rust after awhile. But these look fantastic.

2. Cement boards. I have often considered using cement boards as the bottom board along wood fence lines to prevent rot. Usually, the bottom horizontal finish boards are made from wide, treated lumber pieces that might have a routered edge. But a cement board, even though initially more expensive, would surely outlast treated lumber, no?

3. Raised bed cement boards. Then my mind wanders over to yet another gardening idea: build raised beds from cement board. You’d need diamond tipped or brick/masonry drill bits, diamond circular blades, specially treated fasteners, labor is labor, but once assembled, surely they’d be good for what? 30 years or more? No rot. No chemical
seepage into food. No termites, no ants. They could be disassembled if they needed to be relocated. And then reassembled at the new location.

4. Present scene. I’ve used HUMONGOUS thick black plastic tree pots for years, now. I wish I would have written down when I purchased them. I griped about the $25.00 initial cost per pot. But as the years fly by, only some tree roots from close ornamental plantings have caused problems in one pot: sending up the root in search of water from overhead watering meant for vegetables. Otherwise, I simply fork turn the fill every so often, add, subtract sand, used potting soil, dry shredded leaves, kitchen scraps, scrunched egg shells, or mulch. (I’ve toyed with inventing a mechanized industrial sized drum blender with blades for pre-mulching. Like your kitchen blender, but bigger.) Some seasons one or two lay fallow, with periodic fork turning, and recycled dog crate mesh as a cover to prevent my puppies from making summer cooling off spots for themselves. One pot is my experimental best potting soil mix for the garden potted plants. Neighbors’ overhanging tree limbs and dense canopy of leaves, sprawl across my fence and invade airspace. They will need severe trimming this year, because they’re blocking precious sunlight that was more than ample over those same pots several years ago.

5. Conclusion. I suppose the last comment of this musing is PLAN. Then rethink and PLAN again so that you only do it once. “Measure twice, cut once.” I redo so much garden work because I’m impatient.

Once a decision is firm, select whatever you have handy, find easy to purchase, install, maintain and potentially remove.

Level the original ground. Lay heavy wire mesh down and past the beds to keep out critters. Secure the mesh with stakes. No plastic over the mesh bc earth worms help your planting medium. Layer with sand, either found from a lake, rinsed from the ocean or purchased. Think seaweed. Coarse sand drains better. Then layer over the sand base with your special growing mix ingredients. I premix in a wheelbarrow, or other big tub. Then fill the planter with it. Final top layer is usually 2-4 inches of prime planting mix or 1/2 -1 inch of more sand, depending on plantings or seeds. Later, after the seeds germinate, or plants become established, add pine bark mulch, pine needles, or fine hardwood mulch, if you like that better. Little babies have a tough time pushing through mulch so I wait before mulching.

I had neglected to spread fine crushed gravel or sand around the raised bed area. And enclose it with a mesh fence and gate to keep dogs out, or goats, chickens whatever you have that roams in your garden. It would have saved many plants, muddy boots, dirty paws, frustration and general cleanup chores. Need patience. Lots of it.

Youth fades and its energy, as well. Over several years, I’ve replaced my high maintenance lawn, foundation plantings, steel edging and hidden areas with low and no maintenance perennials, ground covers, rocks, stones and other non living garden art objects. My neighbors are slowly following the trend.

Time spent on the initial set up for the beds AND SURROUNDING AREA is repaid in time and effort saved for YEARS afterwards. And enjoying the produce, flowers, scents and Peace on Earth, in my garden. . Imagine the world if everyone tended a garden.
Yes, I missed my calling in a professional setting. But there’s always time for a new path. And helping you, other readers and volunteering for school age children with observations, ideas and experience thrills me to no end.

I’ve read the top edges are not as sharp as one would think. But I haven’t assembled one yet either. However, I will buy pool noodles. Slice them open on the side and slip them on the top edges. If they don’t stay on, I’ve got some caulk.

The cement boards are super heavy so they’re not an option for me. That’s a cool idea tho. I never thought of that. I have some pallets to pull apart and that wood may be useful for something.

I am thinking of making a few 24” deep bags for the tomatoes. I am concerned a 12” deep bed won’t be deep enough. I can sit them in the center and put stakes up. I’ll be able to walk all around each bed.

Since the trees were trimmed, I see less squirrels. I’m going to have to cover the plants with plastic garden mesh. I haven’t figured that out yet. At my last house, I put up fence pickets. Then I tied the mesh on them, effectively boxing in my beds. That helped a lot.

Eventually I’ll need mulch but at least not right away. I am still trying to find someone to help with the actual dirt.

 

[Yesiamapirate]

@PayrollNerd Thanks for sharing your ideas and picture. You garden will be wonderful!
I am here in snowy MI and your garden plans made my day. I have never gardened so I do not have any ideas to share.

 

[mickey2942]

My husband has rigged up some PVC pipes in a cross-hatch design against the fence, he wants to train the tomatoes on it this summer.

Our garden was such a joy the last two years. It costs more than you think for the first few years, soil, stuff...

 

[155etta]

My husband has rigged up some PVC pipes in a cross-hatch design against the fence, he wants to train the tomatoes on it this summer.

Our garden was such a joy the last two years. It costs more than you think for the first few years, soil, stuff...

Yup. But cheaper than therapy, right?

 

[PayrollNerd]

Yup. But cheaper than therapy, right?

Dirt therapy. Does a body good.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Okay, we have progress! Between my kiddo collecting boxes and me dumpster diving, I have about half the area covered. I still have some random boxes to breakdown. I’ll put them out tomorrow. Then I’ll probably go back to the cardboard dumpster again.

I disturbed a ton of black ants along the fence. I’ll have to connect the bug stuff to the hose and spray all around there. The ants are worse the less grass you have here.

 

[Kavya01]

Make sure to make your beds in a spot in your yard that gets 6-8 hours of sun a day, Payrollnerd! nice pile of boxes you gathered, cannot wait to see the put-together beds, I thought the pool noodles was a great idea!