Building raised beds for vegetable or flower gardens are a great way to
combat the problem of having an area that drains poorly. I want to share
with everyone this project which Cydney (you can see her picture with Baby
Charles as one of the rotations on our homepage) and her husband Dave did
last Saturday. They live in an area which is a newer development so as you
can imagine they have terrible drainage. They are on the lower side of a
slope with a drainage ditch nearer the back/side area of their lot. After
heavy rains, the area in the back stays wet. We discussed it and it would be
quite costly to attempt to amend the soil in such a large back yard. So, Cyd
came up with this solution.
Even during their earlier years together when apartment living, Cyd and Dave
planted tomatoes and peppers in large pots. Now that they are into their 3rd
year as homeowners, they are ready to take the plunge and set out a
vegetable garden.
(Sorry-pictures of the raised beds were shown with original newsletter and
didn't transfer to this blog.)
With the raised bed idea, she planned it out and at their local hardware
store purchased 3 boards for each bed (2" X 10" X 8'long) cutting one in
half for the ends. They already had 3" deck screws and the white paint from
other projects. She highly recommends the screws as they will add more
stability. Because their backyard is mostly flat, Cyd and Dave didn't have
to dig out to level the bed. Including the topsoil for the beds, they spent
a total of $91.00 for their 2 raised beds.
Once they leveled out the topsoil, they planted their favorites, tomato and
pepper plants, as well as seeds of squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, lettuce,
peas, and beans. They planted marigolds around the tomato plants for bug
control and as Cyd says, "It's pretty!"
Cyd and Dave have a couple of outside projects scheduled for this spring
and, if she'll share more pictures with us, we'll watch their progress.
In landscaping around their new home over the past 2 years, Cyd has used
such plants as the Russian Sage, rosemary, bamboo, lavender, pineapple sage,
chives, and oregano. She has the herbs planted in raised beds around the
patio. She and Dave enjoy sitting there on summer evenings taking in the
aroma of those wonderful herbs.
I hope you find this information helpful. Changing the levels of your
landscape can be so easy. Just as easy as a few boards screwed together.
Each week, I receive emails from many of you with drainage problems. To
solve the problem long term, amending the soil and/or diverting water run
off is the best way, but for an immediate, and usually more temporary,
solution raised beds can be a yard saver.
I hope all of you are taking a moment to enjoy the new pictures in rotation
on our homepage, www.greenwoodnursery.com . Many of us may never get the
chance to actually meet, but with putting faces to our voices, makes it a
little more familiar. Don't miss our new Gift Ideas Department with
wonderful plant collections that will delight your favorite person as well
as our popular Gift Certificates after all, Mother's Day is approaching
quickly.
