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New Beds Prepped 02-03-08

AlabamaJack

AlabamaJack

eXtreme
I made two new beds today...one at the "dead space" I mentioned in an earlier thread...one at the south end of the "Cement Farm".

First new bed framed up.... triangle with sides 9' X 7 1/2 ' X 10' 22 inches deep.



Second new bed framed up... Polygon with sides 9' and 8' ends 32" and 17"...27 inches deep



New beds will be lined with 60 mil visquene on the obottom and about 6" up on the sides creating a 6" water "reservoir".....

"Cement Farm" bed prepped for additional soil...soil is currently 16" deep...will be bringing it to 24" deep....view looking north



View to the south...



Its been a good day...I got two new beds and the cement farm ready for compost. I will get 10 yards of compost next weekend. First new bed needs ~2.5 yds, second new bed needs ~1 1/4 yds, cement farm needs ~1.5 yds, 5 1/4 yds for 200 12" garden containers...gonna be daylight to dark for this one...

pictures posted when beds are full of compost...

Will put plastic down and cover compost until major transplant in March.
 
Man AJ . . . are you gonna do some serious pepper farming or what??? Are you sure this a hobby or an obsession:flamethrower:

Either way, it's all good:lol:

Looks good by the way, I'm jealous.
 
I think I am possessed with growing peppers...I can't get enough of trying to learn to get better.....I just hope I have a good harvest this year....what you see in the pictures is not for peppers, it is for tomatoes and other veggies...I will expand the frame and bird netting to cover all my tomatoes...what you see will cover 6 plants so I will need 2 more 8' sections to cover them all. Planning on having 18 tomato plants...I will have another 24 feet in the bed for something else...who knows, maybe peppers will show up there...

sorry to ramble...
 
My, but you've been busy!

Why did you decide to go with wood for framing the new beds? Did the cement get too hot in that Texas sun?

Does putting plastic in the bottom ever make things too soggy, or do you have a drain of some sort to let off excess water?

And...you're doing this in *addition* to 200 containers? I'm...awed.
 
Pam said:
My, but you've been busy!

Why did you decide to go with wood for framing the new beds? Did the cement get too hot in that Texas sun?

Does putting plastic in the bottom ever make things too soggy, or do you have a drain of some sort to let off excess water?

And...you're doing this in *addition* to 200 containers? I'm...awed.
Click to expand...


I used wood because I had some already and only had to buy a 3/4" piece of plywood and one 10' 2 X 12. Figured the heavy plywood and 2 X 12's would last for several years.

I didn't mention it but yes, there will be a 3' piece of old 5/8" garden hose that penetrates the plastic at the bottom lowest end of the beds. Gravel about 1' X 1' X 1' where the hose goes into the bed and a screen on the end of the hose inside the bed. The outside end of the hose will have a 5'8" or 11/16" bolt screwed into the hose for a plug. When it rains cats and dogs, I will leave the bolt(s) out for a couple of days, otherwise it will stay in.

Yup, 200 containeres plus the new beds and cement farm...gonna have plenty of stuff to make pico de gallo with. I am looking forward to seeing all the rows of peppers in the containers...it is going to be beautiful....

Thanks Pam....
 
imaguitargod said:
Man, someone's been hard at work. Stop it, you're making us slackers look bad!
Click to expand...

Can't do it IGG...can't be late for transplant March 17th. St Patricks day is my Goal and I still have a lot to do to get ready...besides...is it really work when you are enjoying it?
 
POTAWIE said:
You plant in March? I hate you.:lol:
But seriously, nice work AJ.
Click to expand...

:lol:...March 17th average date of last frost...I will not transplant before that date. Just looked at the calender, March 17th is on Monday and the following Friday is Good Friday...my regular friday off so I will plan to plant on 21 March this year...if no evil weather is forecast.

thanks Potawie....
 
AlabamaJack said:
...besides...is it really work when you are enjoying it?
Click to expand...

I want to say yes..............but then I think about drinking....lifting those beers to my mouth is hard work I enjoy....
 
POTAWIE said:
Nice. You'll be planting about 3 months before me.:(
Click to expand...

If the weather is good, I may have some "gifts" :onfire::mouthonfire:for you that I could mail....before you get your own anyway...:lol:

imaguitargod said:
I want to say yes..............but then I think about drinking....lifting those beers to my mouth is hard work I enjoy....
Click to expand...

If you notice in the pictures, there was some shiner bocks sitting on the ledge to the right of the first new bed (in the shadow around the corner....)
 
Upadate to beds...

I moved about 6 yds of soil today (bought 4 they gave me 6). The soil is the 60% compost,/40% cushion sand that I have been talking about. I am just about tuckered out. All my beds are ready to plant.

If you look in the first set of photos on this thread, you can see a soaker hose running the length of the cement farm. I decided to bury the soaker hose under 8" of the new soil and see how this goes. The soaker hose is exactly long enough to span the entire cement farm and one of the new raised beds. Anybody ever bury a soaker hose before and tried to water that way?

bedsready2008xs0.jpg
 
no pressure treated, plain ol' white pine 2 X 12's, one new and one weathered...
 
soaker hose

Hey AJ

I buried a soaker hose about 15 cm below soil depth about 2 years ago, but not with chillis. When I came to replant the bed, I noticed a couple of things:

1. The hose was root bound. Everything wanted moisture and came straight at it, wrapping themselves round the hose. I guess that's the point though.

2. It was hard to get out of the ground because of the roots.

3. I hit it a couple of times with the shovel turning the soil. Not hard to fix, just get a couple of 12mm poly pipe joiners, just a PIA.


I now mulch my gardens with whatever straw or mulch is available and place the soaker underneath this. Therefore, the moisture is not lost to the outside environment, and is somewhat targeted to the growing area. But I guess it doesn't promote deep root growth.

RS
 
BTW looks like a good setup, with the plants getting morning sun, but not too much later in the day. Do you get 100+ temps there? Would you need to use shade cloth at all? Will the plastic sheeting cause too much of a wet zone low down?

RS
 
July - first part of September, we get 100s most days normally. Had a mild summer last year with all the rain tho. We are expecting a dryer year this year and temps will be back up. I am going to grow only tomatoes in the cement farm and haven't really made up my mind what to grow in the triangle bed yet....herbs maybe, maybe some peppers...

I have not used shade cloth yet, the plants suffer during the day but sure do look healthy in the morning after a good watering.

Plastic sheeting is only about 2 inches above the ground and the bed is nealry 2' deep so I don't think it will be too wet....

Thanks for the info on the soaker hose...if I have to replace it next year, I can. But only if it works this year.
 
I use a soaker hose, but only buried under mulch or like ringsting said it will get loaded with roots especially with tomato plants
 
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