I am looking to start a garden at the end of the month. I plan on planting corn broccoli and carrots. When I get the seeds should. Put directly in soil or should I germinate them first?
What is ideal depth for a raised bed ? What types of fill soil and fertilizer should I use?
Any other suggestions for August September planting?
The corn will not be in the raised bed.
Hey Stoneage-
Virtually my entire garden is in raised beds or should I say "tires!" Our ranch sits at 8100' elevation and gardening in tires helps in sooo many ways. I can create my own fertile soil by putting compost and goat manure into the tire with the soil. (Horse and cow manure are waaaayyy too hot to put directly on your garden--It will need to sit for a year first.) Goat manure can go directly into the soil, plus I mix some with water in a bucket and make a "tea" to pour over my plants a couple times a month for ongoing fertilizing. Back to the tires, the tires heat up thus keeping the soil warmer for extended period of time, extending my growing season a full month. The tires also work to hold in the moisture so we use less water in the garden. Also, we have a full 3 months of wind here so...the tires hold onto my soil otherwise it may well be in Kansas by the time I need it in the Spring! Another beauty of tire gardening is that the tires do not break down...thus the reason they are still in the ground 100+ years later in our landfills. Unlike treated lumber and railroad ties that leech arsenic and other toxins into your gardening soil.
Should you opt to try the tire garden. Here is what I do: Cut the sidewalls out of the tire first. I then put a thick piece of plastic down on the ground, position my tire on top, then put about an inch of newspapers on the plastic, then put in my soil mixed with compost and goat manure. I water it the night before I plant to allow the soil to "settle in." The following photo is of my tire garden first planted this past spring. We have doubled its size now with virtually everything expect peas, beans, onions, and corn going into the tire garden. Oh, and the tomatoes go on the east side of the house to protect them from the wind! The pyramid in front is for Cilantro.
Blessings,
Shenandoah
