The High Rise Bed - Idea to Construction

 

Spring is fast approaching and if there are any passionate urban farmers out there you know the questions like: what plants to start, how should I amend my soil, is my raised bed big enough, will it get too much/too little sun, have I composted enough.....enough.  This is supposed to be fun right?

 

In this post I am going to illustrate out how I pulled up my old small raised bed and built a "high rise" bed which, if all goes according to plan, produce more and be easier to access.

 

I ended last year with a pretty successful season with lots of production but this year I felt compelled to make some upgrades, no scratch that, a completely new design and way of thinking.  This was my bed at the end of last year.

original bed

 

I wanted to be able to grow more corn, carrots and deeper rooted plants than before so i decided to construct a 18" high rise bed.  Tall enough to accommodate but not too tall to reach a 5' tomato plant without a ladder.  I set about developing my ideas.

3d sketch

 

Then it came time to get started.  I removed (and reused later) the existing 2x6 on my existing two beds. 

tear out

the old bed gone

 

I then used a few steel posts from a neighbors old fence to corner out the bed. 

layout and start of the new bed

 

Once the post and the concrete was set I placed the reused 2x6s on the post using Simpson brackets.

modified brakets

 

Now with was time to trim it out with some cedar planks and lumber I found in my alley while my "helper" told me what to do.

getting pointers from the little man

 

The last few years I have experimented with different types of trellises for my tomato's and beans.  With this new bed I wanted to do something sturdy and maintenance free so I installed 2x4 cedar post 6" off the back wall of the bed so I could plant in climbers in front and behind.

the uprising

 

I then installed my irrigation (per code of course) then filled it in with a good organic compost soil with a little help from a babbling midget farmer I know.

good help is hard to find

irrigation

irrigation

Here it is finished.

the finished product

 

 

 

So now we wait until that highly anticipated "last frost" to start to place the plants in the bed.  I have a plan....

2013 planting plan

 

the seeds germinating....

seeds coming up

 

and the starters coming up so stay tuned.

 

 

cucumbers on thier way

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING BLOGS:

 

earth 

  We Have Plantage!

hammer  

  Bathroom Renovation

+ design  

   Bedroom Furniture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Kimberly Acres in May

With all the rain we have had over the last month the garden is going better than expected overall. I have released ladybugs to take care of the aphids and based on the hint from an experienced farmer I am going to release earthworms into the beds in a few days. This will improve the overall quality of the soil and prevent me from having to use any fertilizer.


The squash, strawberries, green beans and spinach are all enjoying the quick shot of sunlight each day in the south plot.

The corn, carrots and tomatoes are doing great in the north plot where they get sun all day.

The lime tree is coming along great and I have at least 10 limes coming in with many more to come.

We actually were able to harvest some cilantro, lettuce and spinach to use in a salad (yes those are foreign tomatos....but not for long).

Can anyone tell me how to get rid of those crawling rabbits......

Easy Trellis

I am taking a break from gardening this Saturday so I can add a trellis to my outdoor patio area. The goal is to create an outdoor living space that is inviting even when its 100 degrees outside (good luck). As it stands now its pretty boring.

The first step was to go to the lumber yard and pick up 4 cedar pickets. I prefer to work with cedar when possible because it ages well and has a nice smell. Then its on to the table saw for some quick ripping.

Now comes the challenging part. I could just to the easy route and place the slats perpendicular but I like the way the 45 degree angle looks.

Once the first run is in place and I come to the corner I realize that its not going to lay out perfectly because my total height is 6'7". Oh well, I pressed on anyway using the distance in between each slat as a guide as opposed to 1' increments along the edge.

Were I had slats that didn't reach all the way across I just started from both ends and connected in the middle. The brick wall is about 1" out of plumb (really...1") so the trellis looks a little off but once the vines get around it you will not be able to tell.

With some Confederate Jasmine trained up the trellis things are starting to look right.

Kimberly Acres Part 3

The plots are looking great. This is my favorite part of the whole process....transplantation time! Its nice to see that about 75% of all my seeds have germinated and are looking good. Its amazing what time, patience and H2O will do. The photo above is a homemade crate built to the specific dimensions of the newspaper pots I made. It allows me to move a large number of seeds quickly if inclement weather turns our way. You can see the Black Eyed Susan flowers popping up. Last year I had a hard time getting my tomato's to produce so this is my solution to bring in the pollinators...hopefully not to many.

All the plants have made their move from the protected pot to the open garden nicely and I do not have any stragglers...except my blueberry bush. It seems my blueberry plant needs more sun. Since I placed it in the shade plot (south plot) I have not seen any sign of life. I will give it a little more time before I pull it.

It was nice to have my little seedling to help transplant some of the seedlings. I let him transplant his favorite ...carrots. The raised bed is just the right height for him to explore and critique my work. I just have to keep him from nibbling on the dirt...oh well a little earth never hurt anyone...right?

My next entry we should start to see some buds then some fruits of our labor.

Kimberly Acres Part 2

I spent many hours pouring over the weather forecast in the Farmers Almanac and decided the chance of frost was small so it was time to make my move to start to transplant some of my now small plants from seeds into their summer home. I started with the most mature plants which were the zucchini, green beans, and 7 different herbs.

I constructed the boxes a few weeks ago out of 2x6 pine. The materials for each 3'x12' box was only $17 start to finish. The way they were constructed they will last at least 5 years before the rot will take over. I loaded the soil into my pickup from an organic dirt yard down the street for $40 bucks a yard. With some slight amendments each season this will be able to used for years to come.

Next I will start to transplant all the tomatos, vinage (grapes, blueberries, rasberries, blackberries) and construct my trellises for each one.....I can just taste those fried green tomatos now!

Kimberly Acres

My love of growing my own food goes way back to my childhood when my family planted a 10'x20' garden on the side of our house and when I would visit relatives in Georgia who had their own garden. I can remember the taste of my first tomato sandwich. At the time it was a strange idea but as soon as I tasted the tangy freshly picked tomato between two pieces of white bread with a healthy smear of mayonnaise I was hooked. Back then there was no raised bed, square foot gardening or organic soil, it was just a shovel, rake and some seeds from Bobs feed store in Evergreen Texas.

Times have changed since I was a kid and the acreage of the homestead is significantly smaller the air not quite as clean and time is much more valuable.

My goal to produce my own food is a passionate endeavor that has led me to my latest challenge. I have decided to try my thumb at two 3'x12' test plots within my yard which will be known henceforth as the south and north plots. Each plot has its own unique sun pattern which will lend itself to a variety of plant needs. I plan to place plants of all kinds in each plot to see what thrives in each. I have started over 300 seeds of 30 different plants from onions to blueberries.

The chapters that follow will chronicle the outcome of my goal and hopefully help any other armature farmers know what to plant and where. I may even throw in a recipe or two....but I promise not to mention the tomato sandwich again.

Homeless Hutch 3

We are rounding the corner to finishing this one and I could not be more excited.

Once the stripper had done its job and the sanding had been done its time to stain the new backing and counter top. I used a Minwax Dark Walnut stain for this project because it matched closely with the table in the dining room. Once the stain dried in a dry environment for about 24 hours I applied 2 coats of spray on polyurethane.

This piece almost landed in a dumpster in Lubbock but was luckily saved and will live another life holding family heirlooms.