Organic Raised Bed Gardening Tips, Experiments, and Results

Tips, tricks, and how to of organic raised bed gardening. I'll be trying new things, experimenting and giving you my hands-on results as I go.

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Feb 26, 2010, Here's a Way to Worm Compost

Want compost by spring? Start a worm composting bin now.

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Feb 17, 2010, Harvesting Rainwater

Harvesting rainwater is a great way to cut the water bill, and it's not as hard as you might think.

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Feb 15, 2010, Vermicompost

Making vermicompost is an alternative to the traditional compost pile that is less work and requires less space.

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Feb 12, 2010, America's Favorite Tomatoes

Mother Earth News has published a list of the top 30 tomato varieties picked by their readers.The list includes open pollinated as well as hybrids.At the end of the article are links to tomatoes by region. The links weren't working for me, but maybe they'll work for you.

I've been planting something called a "siberian" tomato which is super early, medium sized, and determinite (set all at once).

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Feb 10, 2010, Worm Composting Hands On

Follow me as I try worm composting hands on. Pictures and posts make it easy to do yourself.

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Feb 6, 2010, Frustrated With Seed That Won't Sprout?

For those of you who missed my last post which was a link to an awesome article, here's the link again.

I decided to add some comments of my own.

The article mentions starting seed indoors, and that many plants need warm overnight temperatures.

The heat from rope lights is very interesting. What I've done in the past is use a standard heating pad from the drug store under the seedling trays,keeping it around a medium temperature.

Also mentioned in the article is covering outdoor seedlings with the top of a liter soda bottle.

I use wall o water. What's nice about wall o water is that when filled a little more than halfway, the top leans in and makes a mini greenhouse. That way if it snows, your plants are protected. And yes, we get many a late snow here in Northern AZ.

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Feb 6, 2010, What's my Hardiness Zone?

Going along with the theme of when to plant, you may hear the term hardiness zone.

For some of you, consulting a hardiness zone map may give you some accurate information, such as minimum and maximum temperatures.

If you live in places where elevation changes within a few miles, you will get more accurate information from a chart of freeze and frost dates.

For a link to freeze and frost info, click the link in this post.

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Feb 4, 2010, When to Plant Seed

Soil temperature is the key to seed germination. Read this short article and you'll know when and how to plant seed whether it's indoors or out.

This guy really nailed it.

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Jan 31, 2010, The Lazy Gardener

I’m a lazy gardener. I just don’t see the point in killing myself trying to grow vegetables.
Sometimes I’m too tired or just don’t feel like tending to my garden. And that’s okay because I set up my garden so it doesn’t have to be labor intensive.
Good news! It’s possible to be lazy and still have a productive garden. In fact, I would argue it’s the wave of the future.

5 Tips For Creating the Lazy Garden

• Use a raised bed or containers. Tilling soil damages the natural ability of the soil to protect itself. As well, tilled soil is highly susceptible to weeds and grass encroachment. By using a raised bed, you can start with a great soil mix instead of trying to amend what you have.
• Employ composting worms. Whether you add them to your garden and feed them via worm towers (the laziest), use them in the compost pile, or set up worm bins, composting worms will do a world of work for you. Adding vermicompost to the garden will increase moisture holding capacity, increase nutrients, and improve texture. Employing worms will recycle waste and cut down on fertilizer costs.
• Use soaker hoses and/or drip irrigation systems to water deeply and without spending a lot of time. I get a lot of summer rain here in Northern Arizona, so I ended up giving away all my soaker hoses. But for more arid climates, a soaker hose or drip system can’t be beat. Initially it may require some set up, but it’s worth it to turn the hose on low overnight and forget about it. These systems can even be hooked up to a timer to water while you’re on vacation.
• Mulch heavily as an insurance policy. Heavy layers of mulch keep soil cool and moist. If you add worms, they’ll need a heavy mulch layer as well. Maintaining a nice mulch layer protects garden soil from drying out unexpectedly.
• Plant easy crops. If you don’t know what plants grow well in your area, ask somebody. Buy vegetable starts from a local nursery or grower. Wal-Mart and Home Depot will most certainly have plants not suited to your area because of how the ordering is done. Don’t get too ambitious at first. If you’re still stumped, plant sunflowers and beans.

Jan 23, 2010, Fertilize The Garden Without Lifting a Finger

Do you make your own compost? What if you could make compost right in the garden?

Well you can, by employing composting worms. Add composting worms to your garden and then provide a feeding site for them. The worms will make compost right in your garden all season long.

For more details, read my latest article at Suite 101

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