Looking Ahead

Yesterday we woke up to the first hard frost (yes, we've had snow, but not a frost like this). All of the critters' water buckets were frozen. I guess it is time to plug in all the heated buckets. The leaves have finally turned, so the countryside has the look of Autumn, but the weather has moved on to winter....at least at night.
Frost on our young blueberry bushes....
By afternoon, though the high reached into the 50's and I was able to do a little work in the garden.

So here is the big reveal.....next year's vegetable garden will be in elevated beds. Hubbs built me cedar boxes. Each is 2 foot high. There is a row of 6 boxes that are 4' by 4', a row of 6 boxes that are 4' by 8', and a row of 3 boxes that are 4' by 12'. This should give me enough space to plant all of the vegetables except corn. We reserved an area at the top of the garden for rows of corn, sunflowers, and pumpkins.
Having raised beds will make weeding much easier. Between the beds are layers of landscaping fabric and tarps. This area will be covered with untreated oak bark mulch.

Hubbs did his research. Cedar lasts for many years and is not harmful to the environment. Our older boxes were constructed from pressure treated pine and can only be used for non-edibles. Pressure treated lumber can leach small amounts of arsenic into the soil within them. These cedar boxes, however, are perfectly safe.

I am looking forward to a much more manageable garden next summer...not another "Garden of Weedin". Of course I will have to make a new scarecrow for this garden....Minerva Mae Honeycut has seen better days!

Comments

Anke said…
Your raised beds are awesome, your hubby did a fantastic job! We started out with 2 raised beds, added 3 more the following year and in August we added 2 more. I still want one more and the girls want one of their own. Guess that will happen in the spring...
Anonymous said…
Hi, I always read your blog, and love it. I'm not sure if I have mentioned it before, but you are living my dream and I am sooo jealous!
Firstly, I have never seen a frost like that before... wow! And heated buckets are such a great invention. (it's pretty warm here so I haven't heard of them)
Secondly, those vegie beds are beautiful, and thanks for the tip about the arsenic, I have wondered about that.
Look forward to reading more about your great life, thanks!
Katmom said…
ok, now I am "green'...but in a good way...with planter box envy! lol!
So cool! and so much more effcient and you'll spend less time weeding....
I can hardly wait for next year when you get to actually enjoy those wonderful boxes. In the mean time I will garden vicariously through your blogs...
hugz
>^..^<
Anonymous said…
the frost was only a temporary sign of things to come..I think we have at least another week of nice fall weather..the raised beds look wonderful..easier on the back too
Jessica said…
I miss having raised beds. They are wonderful to grow in! You will surely enjoy gardening next year!
Unknown said…
Oh fantastic boxes - I was going to give up on gardening but I may just have to make one cedar box like that and try one more year. Thanks so much for sharing that fact about pressure treated pine - I wouldn't have even thought about that.
Autumn said…
Goo d for you!!! We are deciding how to attack the gardening issue next- no decisions as yet.
I'm thinking fencing(after rabbit hunting) and we'll give it another go. We shall see!
Yours looks great!
Unknown said…
Love the look of those raised beds!! Next year you will have veggies galore and no weeding!! Excellent!
Ruth said…
Those garden boxes are amazing. I would love to try those. It would certainly make gardening a bit easier.

Ruth