Organic Vegetable Garden with a Raised Bed
Over Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I put together our first vegetable garden. Our goals were to supplement the rising cost of groceries with our own product and take another small step on the road to eating more organic food. After doing some research, we decided to go with a raised bed. With about 1200 pounds of organic soil, we could virtually guarantee the quality of the soil, avoid weeding problems, and help keep the rabbits away.
Constructing the Raised Bed
We found the specifications for the materials and installation instructions from another blog – erin covert hands on who used instructions from Sunset Magazine. They worked beautifully. Like Erin, we avoided chemically-treated wood by using untreated cedar and used galvanized screws (1/4 by 3 1/2″) and washers to prevent rust. These choices did drive up the total up front cost, but the potential health benefits make it worth every penny. After trips to the local nursery, Lowe’s, and Menards, we spent about $200.
We took up the current layer of sod and flipped it upside down. This was the most labor intensive part of the project. Since we were already adding to the cost by using the higher quality lumber and screws, we decided to take up the sod ourselves instead of renting or buying a sod cutter.
We planted the following in the bed:
- carrots
- green Onions
- 2 types of lettuce
- spinach
- green peppers
- red peppers
- jalapenos
- sugar snaps
We took up another layer of sod adjacent to the bed to put a row of 3 tomato plants, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and watermelon. With the exception of the spinach and an episode with a ground hog that ate the original cantaloupe and pumpkin, everything is doing great!
Of course, since we are first-timers at growing vegetables, there have already been some lessons learned.
- We purchased a natural pest repellent from Lowe’s after the ground hog episode.
- I had 2 delicious salads from the lettuce, but it went to seed because it wasn’t picked in a timely manner. So, we will have to be diligent with the rest of the plants.
- Apparently we need a stronger and bigger trellis for the cherry tomato plants! Not only have the weight of the plants have the trellis bent, but they are also growing through the hole in fencing around the raised bed.
