8 minute read
Joanna Radford: A
A DIFFERENT
Kind of Recipe
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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. 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 • 16 deck screws (4 per box corner) • 11 cubic feet topsoil • 5.5 cubic feet pine bark (preferably triple ground) • 5.5 cubic feet Canadian sphagnum peat moss • 54 snap bean seeds (9 seeds per square foot) • 4 seed potatoes (1/2 potato per square foot) • 8 tomato transplants (1 transplant per square foot) • 8 cucumber seed or transplants (2 seeds or plants per square foot) • 2 squash seed or transplants (1 seed or plant per square foot) • 4 peppers (1 transplant per square foot)
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 • 1 electric circular saw • 1 square • 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.
Tips for best results
• Garden mix uses ½ by volume of topsoil and ¼ each by volume of pine bark and peat moss. • Peat moss and pine bark are available in various size bags. • Compressed peat moss bales (3 cu ft) will expand to 4 cubic feet when opened.
• Compost can be substituted for pine bark. Use caution on type and origin of compost. • Bulk supplies are less expensive. • Vegetables can be substituted, just follow planting guide. • Raised beds can support strawberries. Plant 24 strawberry plants per raised bed (32 square feet). • There are options for cool season vegetables as well.
Follow vegetable spacing guidelines. • Trellising is recommended for tomatoes and cucumbers. • Harvest is easier and trellising prevents vegetables for touching the ground which aids in disease and rotting. • There are many trellis options: o Netting (cheapest, durable, but must be taken down after use and stored for winter) o Construction wire (most stable, can be left up yearround, durable) o Lattice work (can be left up year-round, attractive, expensive, not durable) o Post and string (hardest to use, inexpensive, must be removed at end of season) Whichever trellising option is chosen, will require posts (pipes-conduit). My personal favorite is the post and string option using the “Florida weave” method. The LSU AgCenter has an informative short video on this method at https://m. youtube.com/watch?v=fayxT-telMA. I dare say, this method of trellising is life changing!
Cool Season Vegetable Planting Guide for Raised Beds
Cool Season Vegetable Seeds/ Transplants per Square Foot Broccoli 1 Carrots 16 Cauliflower 1 Collards 4 Kale 2 Lettuce 4 Onion 9 Radish 16 Spinach 4 Turnips 9
For more information on raised beds and gardening tips, call your local North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
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April 1-2, 2022 1908 Courthouse in Independence, Va.
Legends of The Whitetop Mountain Band and Friends Grayson Old-Time Weekend
A related event of Sponsored by Grayson County Tourism Bene tting:
Wayne Henderson,
Brian Grim and Debbie Grim Yates, Steve Kilby, Wayne Erbsen, Malcolm Smith, Jim Lloyd, Tom Barr, The Blue Ridge Girls, The Crooked Road Ramblers, Lucas Pasley,
Brett Morris and JAM with a tribute to founder Helen White
Listen to and play with the best in
Master Musician-led Workshops and
Jams on the Grayson Sound
Legends of Grayson Old-Time Weekend
A related event of Sponsored by Grayson County Tourism Bene tting: and the Mt. Rogers School
Tickets eventbrite.com
An Annual Gathering Celebrating Grayson County’s Musical Heritage
Honoring Thornton Spencer with
Emily, Martha and Kilby Spencer Wayne Henderson, Brian Grim and Debbie Grim Yates, Steve Kilby, Wayne Erbsen, Malcolm Smith, Jim Lloyd, Tom Barr, The Blue Ridge Girls, The Crooked Road Ramblers, Lucas Pasley, Brett Morris and JAM with a tribute to founder Helen White Listen to and play with the best in Master Musician-led Workshops and April 1-2, 2022 Jams on the Grayson Sound
1908 Courthouse in Independence, Va.
Legends of The Whitetop Mountain Band and Friends Grayson Old-Time Weekend
Concerts, Dance, Historical Films, Food, Fun & More
A related event of Sponsored by Grayson County Tourism Bene tting: and the Mt. Rogers School
Wayne Henderson,
Brian Grim and Debbie Grim Yates, Steve Kilby, Wayne Erbsen, Malcolm Smith, Jim Lloyd, Tom Barr, The Blue Ridge Girls, The Crooked Road Ramblers, Lucas Pasley,
Brett Morris and JAM with a tribute to founder Helen White
Listen to and play with the best in
Master Musician-led Workshops and
Jams on the Grayson Sound
April 1-2, 2022 1908 Courthouse in Independence, Va. The Whitetop Mountain Band and Friends
For more information or to reserve a seat, eventbrite.com/e/legends-of-grayson-old-time-weekend-tickets-192791002077 or email Peach Bottom Partners markboyles404@gmail.com or soltiss@darden.virginia.edu
Legends of Grayson Old-Time Weekend
A related event of Sponsored by Grayson County Tourism Bene tting: and the Mt. Rogers School
Tickets eventbrite.com
April 1-2, 2022 1908 Courthouse in Independence, Va.
The Whitetop Mountain Band
Wayne Henderson, and Friends
Brian Grim and Debbie Grim Yates,
Steve Kilby, Wayne Erbsen, Malcolm Smith,
Jim Lloyd, Tom Barr, The Blue Ridge Girls,
The Crooked Road Ramblers, Lucas Pasley,
Brett Morris and JAM with a tribute to founder Helen White
Listen to and play with the best in
Master Musician-led Workshops and Jams on the Grayson Sound
For more information or to reserve a seat, eventbrite.com/e/legends-of-grayson-old-time-weekend-tickets-192791002077 or email Peach Bottom Partners markboyles404@gmail.com or soltiss@darden.virginia.edu
Legends of Grayson Old-Time Weekend
A related event of Sponsored by Grayson County Tourism Bene tting: and the Mt. Rogers School
Tickets eventbrite.com
Wayne Henderson,
Brian Grim and Debbie Grim Yates, Steve Kilby, Wayne Erbsen, Malcolm Smith, Jim Lloyd, Tom Barr, The Blue Ridge Girls, The Crooked Road Ramblers, Lucas Pasley,
Brett Morris and JAM with a tribute to founder Helen White
Listen to and play with the best in
Master Musician-led Workshops and
Jams on the Grayson Sound
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