And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
We should all probably be getting to be experts at this
Replacing beds like that one above with water troughs 2 feet tall, 8 feet long, 3 feet wide. Doing hugelkultur, putting cut wood into the bottom of the trough to both take up space and reduce the amount of dirt I need to put in, and to decay over time, thus heating the bed a bit to make it warmer both earlier in the season and later, extending the growing time. Did 2 beds last year, adding a third this year. Stuff grow lioke crazy!
That would work well here in the PNW. Are they metal water troughs? If so, metal doesn't work as well in N Cal as it gets so hot. Old Loomix troughs work well too.
Sounds interesting, Rickvid. I will read up on that. Thank you for mentioning it. We have been using four raised beds (about 4' x 20' each) with a hardware cloth and wood enclosure with a 7 foot top (also hardware cloth to let in rain and stop hail) for about 11 years now. The enclosure keeps the animals and hail out. Only trouble we have had with the concept is that we eventually had to redo the floor of the enclosure with new hardware cloth as the voles were tunnelling in. Worked better for potatoes than anything else I have ever tried.
...also put partially transparent corrugated plastic around the outside at the bottom to protect from wind damage. This is in southern Colorado. Working on a second one this year, hopefully larger if I can actually get to the store for materials!
Here in the Yakima Valley it can get pretty blisteringly hot, but these Behlen galvanized stock tanks, as they are called, do not overly heat the soil.
I elevate them on 4X4s, drill holes through the bottom, put screen over the holes to keep out this wretched gets-everywhere Bermuda grass we call Grass From Outer Space. On top of that is a layer of red lava rocks about 3" deep and a piece of screen over the drain hole backed up with some lava rock wrapped in landscape fabric. Then a layer of landscape fabric to keep dirt from filtering into the drain holes.Then chunks of wood with large bark to fill in the gaps. Then sandy loam and topsoil and finally a layer of raised bed soil, compost, and other good stuff. Last thing I do is remove the plug from the drain.
Drip irrigation on a timer and that is that. Lots of work but stuff grows like the days of Eden. The dirt compresses and filters into the spaces between the logs but it is not much. Easy to top off each year.
My sis in law is an avid gardener. Brother built up, over the years, beds that are 2 feet high. Show stopping produce they live off year round. Her back is bad and this makes it possible. We are just north of you so similar climate. Oh and very high walls to keep the deer out!
There was a raised bed I used to drive by, it was raised with metal poles and was at the height for someone in a wheelchair to work it.
ReplyDeleteReplacing beds like that one above with water troughs 2 feet tall, 8 feet long, 3 feet wide. Doing hugelkultur, putting cut wood into the bottom of the trough to both take up space and reduce the amount of dirt I need to put in, and to decay over time, thus heating the bed a bit to make it warmer both earlier in the season and later, extending the growing time. Did 2 beds last year, adding a third this year. Stuff grow lioke crazy!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea!
DeleteThat would work well here in the PNW.
DeleteAre they metal water troughs? If so, metal doesn't work as well in N Cal as it gets so hot. Old Loomix troughs work well too.
Hay bales work also well for taking up space/reducing the amount of dirt required.
DeleteStraw bales, hay bales will sprout on you.
DeleteSounds interesting, Rickvid. I will read up on that. Thank you for mentioning it.
ReplyDeleteWe have been using four raised beds (about 4' x 20' each) with a hardware cloth and wood enclosure with a 7 foot top (also hardware cloth to let in rain and stop hail) for about 11 years now. The enclosure keeps the animals and hail out. Only trouble we have had with the concept is that we eventually had to redo the floor of the enclosure with new hardware cloth as the voles were tunnelling in. Worked better for potatoes than anything else I have ever tried.
...also put partially transparent corrugated plastic around the outside at the bottom to protect from wind damage. This is in southern Colorado. Working on a second one this year, hopefully larger if I can actually get to the store for materials!
DeleteHere in the Yakima Valley it can get pretty blisteringly hot, but these Behlen galvanized stock tanks, as they are called, do not overly heat the soil.
ReplyDeleteI elevate them on 4X4s, drill holes through the bottom, put screen over the holes to keep out this wretched gets-everywhere Bermuda grass we call Grass From Outer Space. On top of that is a layer of red lava rocks about 3" deep and a piece of screen over the drain hole backed up with some lava rock wrapped in landscape fabric. Then a layer of landscape fabric to keep dirt from filtering into the drain holes.Then chunks of wood with large bark to fill in the gaps. Then sandy loam and topsoil and finally a layer of raised bed soil, compost, and other good stuff. Last thing I do is remove the plug from the drain.
Drip irrigation on a timer and that is that. Lots of work but stuff grows like the days of Eden. The dirt compresses and filters into the spaces between the logs but it is not much. Easy to top off each year.
My sis in law is an avid gardener. Brother built up, over the years, beds that are 2 feet high. Show stopping produce they live off year round. Her back is bad and this makes it possible. We are just north of you so similar climate. Oh and very high walls to keep the deer out!
ReplyDelete