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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
(billdupre1551@aol.com)
   2. Re: Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds (Vanessa Van Horn)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:08:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: billdupre1551@aol.com
Subject: Re: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
Message-ID: <8CDF73A85565FD3-E60-3B532@webmail-m007.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

I put in three 4-by-8-foot raised beds last year. We have not had a problem with voles in them - and we have voles in our yard. I definitely did not dig down three feet and use hardware cloth; I just dug up the grass, placed the wood on top and filled with compost, cow poop and even some red clay.

Thanks for the note on the tomatoes. I was thinking ours were taking a long time.

Bill DuPre
1413 Morecai

-----Original Message-----
From: Judith Duke <dukejudith@yahoo.com>
To: gardening <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 11, 2011 11:01 pm
Subject: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds

Hello.

Most of my gardening experience has been in southern California, the majority in the Mojave desert. So my focus was largely on water conservation, native plants, and xeriscaping (with the exception of vegetables, of course).

I had some fairly large vegetable gardens back then, so here, I keep thinking I should plow up some of my boring-to-mow backyard and grow something I can eat. A few questions, though:

Can I just dig up existing 'lawn' (courtesy title), amend the soil, and go for it? Or are raised beds a must? And speaking of raised beds, does that mitigate the vole problem? I don't know about you-all, but my property seems to be Vole Mecca. I Googled "raised bed" + "vole", and the recommendations are insane: dig down 3', line the whole bed with hardware cloth, etc. Anybody have problems with the critters?

BTW, tomato blossoms generally don't set when night temps are over 50?, daytime over 90?. . .which would account for their slowness during this blazing spring. Also, I'm curious about the various reports of planting regular peppers with hot ones. I always heard they should be segregated, as otherwise they cross-pollinate, giving some unexpected bite to sweet peppers; I remember one source calling peppers "promiscuous". Is this not a problem? It would certainly make garden planning easier not having to work around that.

I've been reading this thread and saving up my comments, so here are a couple of the plant sources that've occurred to me along the way. Major focus on xeriscaping: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ I relied on them quite a bit in the desert; I expect many of their plants would also work well for eastern gardens. For heirloom and cottage garden seeds http://www.reneesgarden.com/. I grew her Carmello tomatoes (yum!) for years. And it's worth checking the website for the free recipes if nothing else (I bought Cookbook #1 and am going back for Cookbook #2).

Pray for rain.
Judy

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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:59:15 -0400
From: Vanessa Van Horn <vanhorn.vanessa@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
To: Gardening <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Cc: "gardening@eastraleigh.org" <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Message-ID: <0FD246EC-C7DD-4AD3-B735-3B4E6B4D6BA9@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

In our garden we have created raised beds due to a wide concrete foundation, beds above flipped grass & an excavated driveway and a bed in between the sidewalk/street that was tilled & amended (gypsum to breakup clay, lime due to pines.) IMO the raised beds required a lot more soil for a small area compared to the others. Flipping the grass method worked well pre-tiller, but we have one now.

The rest of the front yard garden was stripped down to clay when our basement was repaired. We amended and added tons of compost. Despite the fact that the yard is on an incline, compost is great for erosion control and it wasn't washed downhill before the plants were established.

The cat seems to take care of any moles/voles?

I regularly order from fedcoseeds.com, southernexposure.com & bluestoneperennials.com.
On Friday I received a box of htf mums, coral bells and lungworts from Bluestone at 50% off!

Also, Dave's Garden Watchdog is an excellent consumer resource for mail order gardening companies: http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/

Best, Vanessa

If it is a rose, it will come into bloom sooner or later.
~Goethe

Sent from my iPad

On Jun 12, 2011, at 12:39 PM, Jennifer Woody <jennifer.e.woody@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm interested in more opinions on the question of raised beds or not... I am one who just dug up the yard/weeds with a shovel, and turned it a few times over the winter. To spruce it up a bit I added my compost and some potting soil I purchased.
>
> I had awesome tomatoes, cukes, squash, and hot peppers last year, and this year everything is coming along great. It's a pretty small plot--about 8x15. Weeds are a bit of an issue, but regular hand pulling is starting to pay off and they are letting up. I'm getting nice veggies out of there with not much equipment or expense...but if there is a real benefit to a raised bed, I'd consider it for sure!
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 11:53 AM, <gardening-request@eastraleigh.org> wrote:
> Send Gardening mailing list submissions to
> gardening@eastraleigh.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> gardening-request@eastraleigh.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> gardening-owner@eastraleigh.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Gardening digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Volunteer plants (Judith Duke)
>   2. Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds (Judith Duke)
>   3. Re: Volunteer plants (Hope Rollins)
>   4. Re: Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds (Ryan Parker)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:31:48 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Judith Duke <dukejudith@yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Gardening] Volunteer plants
> To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
> Message-ID: <94921.76535.qm@web113312.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi, neighbors.
> ?
> I have some little seedlings for adoption--that or the weed pile.
> ?
> 1. Amsonia (narrow-leaf bluestar, originally from Plant Delights):?maybe 2'+ high at maturity, mostly about the feathery foliage (golden in fall/winter)?but the early blue stars/blossoms are nice with blue-ish irises.
> ?
> 2. Nandina (non-dwarf): lots of volunteers around the mother ship.? Nice lacy faux-bamboo screening plant, about 4'-5', plus the birds like the berries and the bees get dizzy bumbling around in the pollen.
> ?
> 3. Red maple: just one, still teensy--but so pretty (and expensive) as they grow larger.? The parent is?almost certainly grafted onto another rootstock.? I don't know if that's?a requirement?for the tree to survive/thrive, but I hate to just tear it out and throw it away. . .
> ?
> Email or stop by if you want any of the above.
> ?
> Judy
> Watkins & Dennis, pink house
> -------------- next part --------------
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:00:46 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Judith Duke <dukejudith@yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
> To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
> Message-ID: <259361.44297.qm@web113308.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hello.
> ?
> Most of my gardening experience?has been in southern California, the majority in the Mojave desert.? So my focus was largely on water conservation, native plants, and xeriscaping (with the exception of vegetables, of course).
> ?
> I had some fairly large vegetable gardens back then, so here,?I ?keep thinking I should plow up some of my boring-to-mow backyard and grow something I can eat.? A?few questions, though:
> ?
> Can I just dig up existing 'lawn' (courtesy title), amend the soil, and go for it?? Or are raised beds a must?? And speaking of raised beds, does that mitigate the vole problem?? I don't know about you-all, but my property seems to be Vole Mecca.? I Googled "raised bed" + "vole", and the recommendations are insane: dig down 3', line the whole bed with hardware cloth, etc.?Anybody have problems with the critters?
> ?
> BTW, tomato blossoms generally don't set when night temps are over 50?, daytime over 90?. . .which would account for their slowness during this blazing spring.? Also,?I'm curious about the various reports of planting regular peppers with hot ones.? I always heard they should be segregated, as otherwise they cross-pollinate, giving some unexpected bite to sweet peppers; I remember one source calling peppers "promiscuous".? Is this not a problem?? It would?certainly? make garden planning easier not having to work around that.
> ?
> I've been reading this thread and saving up my comments, so here are a couple of the plant sources that've occurred to me along the way.? Major focus on xeriscaping: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/? I relied on them quite a bit in the desert; I expect many of their plants would also work well for eastern gardens.? For heirloom and cottage garden seeds http://www.reneesgarden.com/.? I grew her Carmello tomatoes (yum!) for years.? And it's worth checking the website for the free recipes if nothing else (I bought Cookbook #1 and am going back for Cookbook #2).
> ?
> Pray for rain.
> Judy
> -------------- next part --------------
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> URL: http://www.eastraleigh.org/pipermail/gardening/attachments/20110611/fbbbd082/attachment-0001.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2011 08:30:13 -0400
> From: "Hope Rollins" <hrollins1@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Gardening] Volunteer plants
> To: "'Gardening'" <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
> Message-ID: <1F583373FF7F47D384BE668B76091642@HopePC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I am interested in the Amsonia. Does it need sun, shade or both? What is
> your address? It may be noonish before I can get by. Would you be willing
> to save some for me?
>
> Hope Rollins
>
> 7411417
>
> 326 Oakwood Ave.
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: gardening-bounces@eastraleigh.org
> [mailto:gardening-bounces@eastraleigh.org] On Behalf Of Judith Duke
> Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2011 9:32 PM
> To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
> Subject: [Gardening] Volunteer plants
>
>
>
>
> Hi, neighbors.
>
>
>
> I have some little seedlings for adoption--that or the weed pile.
>
>
>
> 1. Amsonia (narrow-leaf bluestar, originally from Plant Delights): maybe 2'+
> high at maturity, mostly about the feathery foliage (golden in fall/winter)
> but the early blue stars/blossoms are nice with blue-ish irises.
>
>
>
> 2. Nandina (non-dwarf): lots of volunteers around the mother ship. Nice
> lacy faux-bamboo screening plant, about 4'-5', plus the birds like the
> berries and the bees get dizzy bumbling around in the pollen.
>
>
>
> 3. Red maple: just one, still teensy--but so pretty (and expensive) as they
> grow larger. The parent is almost certainly grafted onto another rootstock.
> I don't know if that's a requirement for the tree to survive/thrive, but I
> hate to just tear it out and throw it away. . .
>
>
>
> Email or stop by if you want any of the above.
>
>
>
> Judy
>
> Watkins & Dennis, pink house
>
>
>
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL: http://www.eastraleigh.org/pipermail/gardening/attachments/20110612/1655c2a7/attachment-0001.html
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2011 11:53:57 -0400
> From: Ryan Parker <kennethryanparker@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Gardening] Intro, vegetable gardening, raised beds
> To: Gardening <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
> Message-ID: <BANLkTinotuO=bwL5e4ygW+oQCLShSrSVMA@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> HI Judith,
>
> Although my techniques are my own, I have had great success with only 80sq
> ft of gardening space (5 plots @ 4'x4'.)
> Because my backyard is on a slight grade, one end of the garden (the lowest)
> is a raised bed , where the other end is a bordered bed utilizing 4x4
> untreated timber to create the border.
> My first year, I dug up the grass and weeds that comprised my lawn and
> placed them on a sheet of plastic to dry out so I could add them to a
> compost pile, which was also new at the time.
> I then turned the soil to a depth of about 9" to discover rocks, clay and a
> smattering of rich topsoil. I mixed in (3) 40 lbs. bags of horse manure
> compost, 2 bags of bat guano and a bag of limestone. I then judged the
> height of my garden and layered timbers for the borders, so that at one end
> the timber may be partially buried and with the descending grade it becomes
> fully exposed. At the most extreme end I used repurposed 1/2" thick rough
> hewn plywood from a shipping crate that created a raised bed of about 9". I
> left a 2' path between each plot (to allow for a "push" lawn mower.) Those
> paths are now covered with landscaping screen and a layer of river
> jax.<http://www.thestonestore.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/Washed_Gravel_Products/3-HUDSON-VALLEY-RIVER-JACKS.jpg>
>
> Every year I layer the plant beds with newspaper to act as a weed
> deterrent. I also cover the newspaper with mulch that I create from my own
> tree and shrub clippings. I have an electric chipper that works great for
> small branches and twigs. When the gardening season is over I pull the
> plants and cover with mulch and let the ground sit fallow for the winter. In
> April I just hoe in the newspaper/mulch and start again. I use fish
> emulsion to get the seedlings stable and after about three weeks a one-time
> only watering with 10-35-10 of the dreaded Miracle Grow (unpopular by many
> opinions, but effective, and yes I know there are other subsitutes out
> there, but this is *my* garden.) The biggest problem I have had is with the
> boring worms. They absolutely devastated any squash or zuccini that I have
> planted in recent years and since I don't want to use a pesticide I just
> choose not to grow squash or zuccini. I will gladly trade my overstock of
> cantaloupe for squash. Although I haven't seen a cantaloupe this year, I
> have 4 plants that have started running and flowering like wildfire and I am
> anticipating a cantaloupe "problem." Also, it's my first year growing
> cantaloupe so most of those flowers could shrivel and die off leaving me
> with cantaloupe deficit, but if the cucumbers are a harbinger of things to
> come, I will be in the cantaloupe business very soon.
>
> Good luck with greening up your thumb.
>
> Ryan Parker
> Drew St "Farms"
>
> On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 11:00 PM, Judith Duke <dukejudith@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >   Hello.
> >
> > Most of my gardening experience has been in southern California, the
> > majority in the Mojave desert. So my focus was largely on water
> > conservation, native plants, and xeriscaping (with the exception of
> > vegetables, of course).
> >
> > I had some fairly large vegetable gardens back then, so here, I keep
> > thinking I should plow up some of my boring-to-mow backyard and grow
> > something I can eat. A few questions, though:
> >
> > Can I just dig up existing 'lawn' (courtesy title), amend the soil, and go
> > for it? Or are raised beds a must? And speaking of raised beds, does that
> > mitigate the vole problem? I don't know about you-all, but my property
> > seems to be Vole Mecca. I Googled "raised bed" + "vole", and the
> > recommendations are insane: dig down 3', line the whole bed with hardware
> > cloth, etc. Anybody have problems with the critters?
> >
> > BTW, tomato blossoms generally don't set when night temps are over 50?,
> > daytime over 90?. . .which would account for their slowness during this
> > blazing spring. Also, I'm curious about the various reports of planting
> > regular peppers with hot ones. I always heard they should be segregated, as
> > otherwise they cross-pollinate, giving some unexpected bite to sweet
> > peppers; I remember one source calling peppers "promiscuous". Is this not a
> > problem? It would certainly make garden planning easier not having to work
> > around that.
> >
> > I've been reading this thread and saving up my comments, so here are a
> > couple of the plant sources that've occurred to me along the way. Major
> > focus on xeriscaping: http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ I relied on them
> > quite a bit in the desert; I expect many of their plants would also work
> > well for eastern gardens. For heirloom and cottage garden seeds
> > http://www.reneesgarden.com/. I grew her Carmello tomatoes (yum!) for
> > years. And it's worth checking the website for the free recipes if nothing
> > else (I bought Cookbook #1 and am going back for Cookbook #2).
> >
> > Pray for rain.
> > Judy
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Gardening mailing list
> > Gardening@eastraleigh.org
> > http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
> >
> >
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