home, farm, & garden by Joanna Radford
A DIFFERENT
Kind of Recipe I am convinced that raised beds are a fantastic option for many gardeners. Raised beds have advantages over traditional garden sites. They do not require a lot of space, they have better drainage because the soil is less compacted, and the soil tends to warm up earlier in the spring. Warmer soils will help the plants grow earlier and potentially produce food sooner. Raised beds are easier to maintain. They have less perennial weed pressure, which is a huge benefit for me, and the weeds that do grow are much easier to manage. Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not like to pull weeds! And, depending on the design, people with limited mobility can maneuver around raised beds easier. In keeping with Surry Living’s “favorite recipes” theme for this issue, here is a “recipe” given to me by an Extension Master Gardener, Joe Sloop, and adapted over the years for a successful raised bed design.
Equipment and People Needed •
2 to 4 people to cut one of the boards in half, drill pilot holes in boards for corner screws, and screw box corners together
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1 electric circular saw
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1 square
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1 heavy duty electric drill with drill bits and screwdriver bits
Directions 1. Recruit people to help cut one 2" x 8" x 8' in half (there will now be two 4' boards). 2. Assemble the boards in a 4' x 8' rectangle. 3. Drill pilot holes in boards for corner screws. 4. Screw box corners together with deck screws. Use 4 deck screws per corner. 5. Remove grass from raised bed area. 6. Till up soil in raised bed area and mix with all soil ingredients. 7. Mark off 32 one-square-foot blocks in raised bed. 8. Add the number of seed or transplants using the vegetable guide.
Number of Servings: 1 raised bed (size 4' x 8'), plus many servings of homegrown goodness Estimated Prep Time for Bed: 2-4 hours, including gathering supplies Estimated “Cook” Time for Contents: Depending on the vegetable, from 25 to 100 days RECIPE FOR RAISED-BED GARDENING Ingredients (for one 4' x 8' bed box and contents) •
3 - 2" x 8" x 8' treated lumber
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16 deck screws (4 per box corner)
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11 cubic feet topsoil
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5.5 cubic feet pine bark (preferably triple ground)
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5.5 cubic feet Canadian sphagnum peat moss
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54 snap bean seeds (9 seeds per square foot)
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4 seed potatoes (1/2 potato per square foot)
Tips for best results
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8 tomato transplants (1 transplant per square foot)
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8 cucumber seed or transplants (2 seeds or plants per square foot)
Garden mix uses ½ by volume of topsoil and ¼ each by volume of pine bark and peat moss.
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2 squash seed or transplants (1 seed or plant per square foot)
Peat moss and pine bark are available in various size bags.
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Compressed peat moss bales (3 cu ft) will expand to 4 cubic feet when opened.
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4 peppers (1 transplant per square foot)
12 • SURRY LIVING March 2022 Issue
