Preparing raised beds is pretty easy. We have a tiller that is small enough for me to use or my husband will just run it through the raised beds. We prepare our raised beds in the fall by adding manure and compost. Also a winter crop such as turnip greens or clover can be planted in the bed to help keep the nutrients in the soil. Whichever you decide to do it can be easily tilled into the soil.
We also rotate the crops which helps with nutrient depletion in the soil, lessons the need for pest control and the reduction of soil-borne diseases. I roughly draw a diagram of my raised beds so I can keep up with the rotation from year to year.
We planted potato's, onions sets and seeds the last weekend of March.I bought my tomato plants from my dad and planted them on April 12th. I am very envious because he opened his own greenhouse (Steadman's Greenhouse)!! I had asked him to plant Jet Star and Early Girl which are two of my favorite tomato plants. I also bought cabbage, cucumber, zucchini, and yellow squash plants. I planted those plus radishes, okra, green beans, lettuce, green, red and yellow bell peppers seeds on April 18th. I covered everything with straw and gave it a good drink of water. The straw will help keep the moisture in the raised beds. There are other things you can use to mulch the beds as well such as shredded news paper, pine needles, grass clippings and burlap to name a few.
There is always a chance that something planted by seed may not come up. Darren re-sewed our green beans an okra.
Now all I have to do is keep the bugs off!!
We also rotate the crops which helps with nutrient depletion in the soil, lessons the need for pest control and the reduction of soil-borne diseases. I roughly draw a diagram of my raised beds so I can keep up with the rotation from year to year.
We planted potato's, onions sets and seeds the last weekend of March.I bought my tomato plants from my dad and planted them on April 12th. I am very envious because he opened his own greenhouse (Steadman's Greenhouse)!! I had asked him to plant Jet Star and Early Girl which are two of my favorite tomato plants. I also bought cabbage, cucumber, zucchini, and yellow squash plants. I planted those plus radishes, okra, green beans, lettuce, green, red and yellow bell peppers seeds on April 18th. I covered everything with straw and gave it a good drink of water. The straw will help keep the moisture in the raised beds. There are other things you can use to mulch the beds as well such as shredded news paper, pine needles, grass clippings and burlap to name a few.
There is always a chance that something planted by seed may not come up. Darren re-sewed our green beans an okra.
Now all I have to do is keep the bugs off!!
