Raised Bed Gardening 101

    

     Here it is by request...  I have so enjoyed my raised bed gardening.  I want to share a few pointers for those of you getting started.  This is only my 3rd year, so I am by no means a pro, but have learned a few things along the road.  I hope to inspire you and I hope to share some things that I have learned the hard way.

     I am organic all the way, I think you should be too!   I could write an entire blog about why we choose organic.  I hear people say it is overrated or who don't want to try it for fear that the food won't taste good???  For those skeptics, it is just fruits and vegetables minus the chemicals.  Some things taste the same, some much better.  These chemicals are strong enough to kill insects and weeds.  It is not out of the question to think that overtime, as we consume more and more of these chemicals, that they may damage our health as well.  Given the choice, wouldn't we choose not to eat pesticides?  No one in their right mind would eat a spoonful of 7 dust or roundup???  And the best part, we don't have to.  I also hear, "Organics cost too much, most people can't afford the extra cost:"  Well...there is no extra cost when you grow at home.  If you have a choice (and you do), choose organic.  Organic vegetables have been proven to be higher in nutrients and antioxidants and they are delicious.  You officially have no excuse ; )

     Okay okay, let's get back on track.  I am a little late on this, but there is still plenty of time.  The first thing you should know is that anyone can do this.  You need very little space and very little tools.  The primary ingredients are good soil, seeds, water and sun.  You will want to find the right spot that is level and gets at least 8 hours of sunshine daily.  Building the beds is really quite easy and the options are endless.  The recommended size for a raised be is 4 X 8.  4 feet wide is the width that most people can reach across (2 feet from each side).  The length is really your preference.  I am not a rule follower, so I built my beds 5 x 8.  If 4 is good 5 is better right??  WRONG.  I have short arms and it is quite a stretch.  I have made plenty of mistakes that I hope you can learn from.  The depth should be 6-8".  You can use stones, landscape blocks, wood etc for the beds.  It is best to use untreated wood (we are trying to minimize the chemicals, right?)  Cedar will last longer, but is a bit more costly.  The easiest bed is 4 pieces of wood with brackets at the corners.   Once you have your bed set and leveled, you are ready for soil. 
     The cornerstone of raised bed and organic gardening is starting with great soil.  With properly conditioned soil, there is no need to add fertilizer.  There are different options here.  My sister has used straight dirt from the woods and has had amazing results.  Woods dirt has naturally been composted for years.  If you do not have access to woods dirt or don't want to put in the muscle work, there are other options.  You can purchase bags of topsoil, peat moss, manure and compost, mixing equal parts of each.  Worms are your friend, so toss a few of those in there as well.  This year I am trying out a recipe for an organic soil amendment that I found in Mother Earth News (see the link if you are interested) Organic Soil Amendment 
     One of the main advantages of a raised bed garden is efficiency of space.  You will not be planting in rows, but rather using every square inch of space.  You may purchase plants or start with seeds.  For tomatoes and peppers, I recommend plants.  Organic plants are very hard to find around here.   All Seasons Garden and Brewing Supply Company in Nashville does have organic plants.  You could probably find some at the Franklin Farmers Market as well.  For most everything else, I plant from seed.  For seed planting, look at the backs of your seed packets for planting instructions.  You will find valuable information for spacing as well as when to plant.  All seed packs recommend row planting  but also tell you how far apart to plant the seeds in the rows. 

                           

                                              

If it says plant every 4 inches, then you need 4 inches on all sides of the plant.  You will plant in more of a grid pattern.  Some people use the square foot gardening method, actually marking off their beds in 12 inch x 12 inch squares and planting different plants in each square according the guideline for spacing as mentioned above.  You may want to put 2-3 seeds in each spot to ensure germination, if so, you will thin later by cutting the extra, weaker, plants away at the stem. 

      You can plant anything!!!  I have planted everything in my raised beds from lettuces to root vegetables, corn, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, beans and herbs.  This year I am trying quinoa!  I do not think there is anything that cannot be planted here. I will say, I have not had luck with broccoli : (   Proceed as you wish.  If you plan for root vegetables, carrots, potatoes, beets etc, you will need your beds to be at least 8 inches deep.  You should plant what you like to eat, it is that simple.  You should start by figuring out what you want and how much you think you will need and draw a chart of how you will plant it.  Gardeners.com has a very helpful tool, in addition to great garden supplies, on their website for planning you garden.  Create your Garden Beds  You can design your garden and it will also help you with spacing per square foot.  You will find this most helpful!  I have experimented with planting everything.  I even planted beets, just for kicks : ).  They weren't too bad but I will not be wasting space on beets this year! 

     At this point, it is certainly not too late.  I have had my greens, lettuces, spinach, kale, in the ground for several weeks now, but they can still be planted.  If you get them in early enough (late Feb/early March) you can harvest them in early May and then plant for summer.  You get more out of your beds this way by maximizing your space and using more of the growing season.  If you want potatoes, get them in the ground right away.  For everything else, we still have plenty of time.  There are a lot of different thoughts on when to plant summer crops.  I think we all start getting a little anxious to plant, but it is wise to make sure we are past the last frost.  I have waited as late as the end of May.   Many people are planting now.  I plan to plant the 1st week of May.  This year I will plant patty pan squash, butternut squash, zucchini, crooked neck squash, eggplant, cucumbers, beans, okra and herbs, all by seed.  I will wait a week later for my tomato and pepper plants to make sure it is a bit warmer.  Tomato plants, squashes, okra and corn can take up a good bit of space.  You will have to determine if it is worth it for your available space.  The University of TN has published a Guide to Warm Season Garden Vegetables which I have found to be very useful.  They provide a chart which includes all vegetables imaginable along with when to plant and how to space and # of days to harvest.  I refer to to it regularly.  Guide to Warm Season Garden Vegetables

     I hope this helps.  I hope you have half as much fun as I do.  And.....

I hope your garden kicks ass too : )

Cow Day

                              

  

      You have not lived until you have experienced working cows on the farm.  I kid you not, this is an experience like none other.  You know I grew up on a farm.  When I was 21 I moved away and now visit only about once per month.  I live an easy suburban life.  The only animals I feed are my 2 dogs.  I wear high heels almost everyday.  I enjoy the occasional pedicure.  I pay someone to mow my grass.  I have almost forgotten what farming is all about.  BUT...twice a year I pay my dues as a farmers daughter and go home to help "work the cows".  A few of you know what I am talking about.  For most of you I can only assume that it would be an experience beyond your greatest imagination.      

   

       I got the call on Friday night, Sunday would be the day.  It is always last minute.  I had brunch plans with a friend that had to be postponed until dinner.  The scheduling is based on when the help is available.  Not my help, the strong help.  We would start at 7am, so I set my alarm for 5:45am.  Cary set the coffee pot the night before for 6am so I could have some caffeine for the road.  He had to work, so he missed all of the fun.  You do not want to wear nice clothes for this day.  In fact, the worse, the better.  I rolled straight out of bed, put on my old sweats, shoes and hat and headed to the farm, a 1 hour drive.  Grandmother had homemade biscuits, sausage and eggs waiting for me when I got there.  (Even though I have been eating little meat, I cannot resist a bite at Grandmothers) 

    

We were working ALL of the cows this time.  Mamas and babies, about 100 total.  My dad had gotten the cows to the barn before I got there (the noise you make to call a cow cannot be spelled in a blog), so they were all waiting for us in front of the barn.  100 cows balling.....and you can imagine the smell.  The old ones know what is coming.  The babies are in for something special.  They do not like the looks of me.  I wore a hot pink shirt, probably not my best choice but it was 5:45 am after all.  They balled louder and some charged the fence when I walked by.  They are very accustomed to my dad and grandparents, but weary of city folk : )      

           There is a maze of small pens and gates used to separate the cows from the babies, then a long narrow pen leading to their destination, the "head catcher".  It is exactly as it sounds.  Narrow around the body and tight around the neck to minimize the head movement.  They typically do not like this.  They are huge and strong and angry.  They are usually slobbering and balling and trying to swing  their head in such a way as to knock you down.  Noses have been broken.  Sometimes they try to climb over the top, sometimes they do. 
     The purpose of working the cows is to immunize the babies against "black leg" and "pink eye" and the cows against something I have never heard of, "lepto".  We also trim their horns, put a fly tag in their ear, and if they are unlucky enough to be born male....castration!  I must say, the ladies have the luck in the cow world.  Very few boys are kept for bulls.  Most are castrated and then sent to the market for meat.  The girls (heifers) have a much higher chance of a long happy life on the farm making babies.

     I am a nurse practitioner, I am experienced with immunizations.  My job on cow day is to draw up all of the shots and load all of the ear tags so the guys can get busy once the cow is in the head catcher.  I am also on standby to assess any injuries.  There are always injuries.  JD works on the head, replacing the fly tag, while my dad gives the shot and keeps the others in line.  I gave a couple of shots, but mostly try to stay out of danger.  My grandmother is the gopher and my granddad works the head catcher (pretty good for 85, you have to catch them just at the right moment!)

                                         There are 2 accepted methods for castration.  One is banding (a tight rubber band left on to cut off the circulation), the other is cutting.....we cut.  It is actually more of a cut and pull, (use your imagination here).  As I said before, the best help is the strong help.  As it turns out, baby bulls don't like to be castrated : /  For the castrations, I got promoted to pressing a bar over there neck to keep them more stable while JD (the strong help) moves to the rear.  He holds them up (by the tail) to keep them from sitting while my dad does "the job".  There is about a 95% chance of getting kicked, or worse, shat upon during this process.  I tried to give them some loving by petting their head during the "procedure", but as you can imagine, they found no solace in my touch...

     The remains are thrown on the ground for which the dogs find great delight!  Once everything is done, my granddad opens the head catcher and they are free.  Some of them simply walk forward, some of them leap out of there and others (possibly low IQ) just stand there.  I whispered to them, "you're free".  Finally, they understand and move forward.   We did this 100 times in what felt like 100 degree weather.  It took about 5 hours and that was considered good time.  My dad got kicked in the leg, but overall, no complications.  I was sweaty and dirty and probably smelly.  Gross I know, but I had 12 ticks on me!  We were exhausted and hungry.  I changed clothes, ate lunch and headed back to Murfreesboro for a shower and a nap. 

     Once I woke up, I put on a dress and heels and went to dinner.   I like that I grew up on a farm.  I like that I can live in both worlds.  I like that I can handle most any situation.  I am rarely if ever a damsel in distress.  It is true what they say, "Country boys (and girls) can survive" : )