I got an email recently that said…
I have not had much success the past few years in growing food. I tried Mel Bartholomew’s square foot gardening last year without luck, problems with bugs, too little or too much water not sure.
Here’s my plan:

16′ x 3′ raised bed about a 16″ deep in an area that gets sun from around 9 or 10 am through nightfall.
I plan to use part of this space for composing until I get a full bed of nice topsoil. And I’d like to add some PVC irrigation to the bed that I could hook a hose up to.
There is good soil on the ground in this spot now so I was thinking I could pile up as much as possible on one side while I work on getting the other side up to snuff.
Should I just throw some dirt from under my leaf pile into there as a filler? Should I bury some wood in the bed? Am I too late to get the soil proper before the next growing season? Worms?

 
I live in zone 7b (Richmond Va) and we have wet springs and the end of our summers can be very dry. So how can you tell when the plants have the proper amount of water?  Thanks, Walker
I realize after reading it that it has been a long time since we talked about this subject.  Also that winter is a great time to plan out and often to build raised beds.  I also realized that many people might (note might) be doing raised beds when going with “in ground” or “on ground” beds may be a better option.
Join Me Today to Discuss…

What are the goal of a garden more over what should they be?

Grow plants, today we are looking at food but plants are plants
Optimize the growth of what you want vs. what wants to grow in that spot
Minimize your work load
Give organization to chaos, ie create a pattern you can manage

My issues with “square foot gardening”

4×4 beds dry out fast
In the end it is just a planting pattern
Attempts to oversimplify
I still love Mel!  Don’t get me wrong

What are the advantages of raised beds

Total control of “soil mix”
Start weed free and usually disease free
Good drainage
Clear demarcation point between “lawn” and garden
Easy to install irrigation during construction

What are the disadvantages of raised beds

Cost of construction
Cost of fill materials
Dries out far more quickly in hot weather/climates
Initially requires more labor
Semi permanent structures

Raised Bed Construction Material Options

Timbers
Treated Lumber
Cinder blocks or or other man made hardscape materials
Natural stone, rock, etc.

My rules for raised beds

4 feet wide unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise
If your ground really sucks (rock etc) go deep
Be sure of your location before building them
Be sure a raised bed really makes sense, sometimes they are the best option
Employ weed blockers
Get over your fear or treated lumber or don’t use wood
Consider heavy mulch and weed blocking around and in between beds

Building soil

Use my fertility regiment
Mulch, then mulch, then mulch again
Cover crop or tarp in winter, or anytime not in use
Compost, then compost more, always compost

Bed orientation and location

If you can’t see it, you won’t take care of it
Ideal locations have eastern sun and western shade (subject to your climate)
Wind can be your enemy, for many reasons, set up wind blocks

Managing your garden

Weed early and weed often
Keep records of what grows, when things happen, etc.
Irrigate on a schedule, automation is best
Fertilize on a schedule, this is on you
Harvest frequently, you will get more production
No matter the technique the soil is the key, we grow soil, soil grows plants

Final Thoughts

 
Resources for today’s show…

Follow Life With Jack on Instagram
TSP Facebook Group
Join the Members Brigade
Join Our Forum
Walking To Freedom
TspAz.com
Episode-2384- Building Soil Fertility, Biology and Structure in the Garden
My Fertility Program – All the Products I Use
Historical P[...]