Raised gardening. a question

popeye333, Mar 23, 3:36pm
If you have raised garden boxes etc. Do you have to feed the dirt/plants with anything extra!
Thinking about it for the future so need to do my homework on it.
meerkat342, Mar 23, 3:53pm
I did raised gardens about 6 years ago . they are about 1/2 metre high. I filled them with quality soil and compost mixture when I first constructed them. No problems have been experienced so far.Important that you put hay or straw in at ground level. The only thing to consider is digging them deeper when in the maintenance cycle. Hope this has been of some help
popeye333, Mar 23, 3:54pm
Thanks Meerkat. Its a totally new to me thing. so any help is great.
jag5, Mar 23, 3:57pm
They will need feeding.unless you have ultra nutritious soil which will possibly see you through the first season.you will need to feed.Top up with good compost prior to planting and a good all round fertiliser, as well as perhaps liquid feed through the growing cycle.
quanto64, Mar 23, 3:59pm
keep them topped up with compost vege mix.use blood and bone when planting your veges.But also remember that raised gardens dry out very quickly.Keep them watered. I also much with grass cliippings to keep the weeds down and the soil moist.
agave1, Mar 23, 4:30pm
I feed my raised gardens with lots of feed, depending on what I've got:seaweed stew, fish head stew, rock dust, lime, worm castings, compost, etc.
This book is awesome, especially for beginners, but can also teach old hands a thing or two:Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.
meerkat342, Mar 23, 4:35pm
Adding to my previous post.Ifeed my raised gardens with blood and bonelime and sheep pellets . andyes you will need to think about more watering. the upside of course is that the garden soilremains warmer, thus extending the seasonal planting opportunities.
jag5, Mar 23, 7:54pm
and easier on the knees and back.hubby put a flat board around the top of ours so I can sit to do the gardening.
amph981, Mar 25, 2:01pm
My chooks keep my raised gardens happy, it goes into the compost bin first, also if I have used potting mix that gets mixed in too, not a lot in there at the moment but I did pick two dinkie pumpkins that I don't eat so they self seeded from somewhere. Great fun though as I can sit on my trolley and digthem over. Saves bad back and hips.
macandrosie, Mar 25, 7:04pm
I don't understand what people mean when they say "good compost" as compost has no nutritional value. All vege gadens need fertilisers. As I plant vege seedlings I'll throw in a small handful of blood & bone. Another idea is to have a large barrel of animal manure - either sheep, cow or horse. Top the barrel with water, leave it sitting for a week or two - it's a great liquid manure for your veges & cheap! I think the biggest thing with raised beds is keepping the water up to them as they will dry out more than gardens at ground level. Any time you plant a new crop you should be adding some fertiliser.
steptoesnr, Mar 26, 8:09am
#10,
You state that compost has no nutritional value and then state that you use animal manures from sheep, cow or horse. Animals such as these consume pasture (plant material-both green and partially brown such as stems and hay etc) as well as accidentally a proportion of the dirt they are growing in. This is in fact 'instant compost' minus some nutrients removed by the animals to support their existence. A typical compost heap contains green plant material as well as woody material and some dirt from plant roots which (over a longer period than the quick passage thru an animals gut) apart from some loss of nutrients into the dirt beneath the heap is no different to your animal manures.QED
jag5, Mar 27, 7:10am
Compost also works as a soil conditioner, helping it hold moisture ;and to stop the soil compacting.so in your eyes it has no nutritional value.but it certainly is important in a garden.I would never advise anyone not to put any in.it is indeed valuable.
beamisgr8, Mar 27, 8:36am
Quanto64: I have been considering using grass clippings as a mulch to keep the soil more moist, as you suggest. My only hesitation is, do the clippings affect the taste of the resulting veges! RE motor oil and whatnot on the clippings! I'm a real amateur gardener so please forgive me if this question is a silly one!
macandrosie, Mar 27, 7:17pm
Yes jag5 purchased compost is a soil conditioner, also helps your soils to be lighter if they are too clayy & heavy. Better to add some potting mix along with some homebrewed compost. The idea of liquid animal manure was told to me by an older chap years ago who owned a nusery & had practised this idea for many years. It's cheap & easy to do, you can always buy bags of manure from the roadside. Try it.
macandrosie, Mar 27, 7:18pm
As far as lawn clippings go I use them extensively on may gardens, bot vege & shrub areas - mainly to help hold in moisture & suppress weeds.
jag5, Mar 28, 7:36am
In my opinion, and that of many horticulturists (I am currently studying Level 4 and this is one of the things drummed into us from the start).never put potting mix in your garden soil.and likewise never use garden soil in your pots.they are two very different compositions for their very own use.
beamisgr8, Mar 28, 7:45am
Do the clippings carry weeds from the grass and transfer them into your vege garden though! Ta :)
thistle4, Mar 28, 8:09am
I have 4 big raised beds, half of one in herbs and the rest for veg and berry fruit.I use the compost from the leaf mold and chicken poop in the chook enclosure and in the Autumn I empty the beds as much as I can and apply sheep manure, did it in just a little and then apply more on top to rot slowly over Winter. I love my raised beds as it means I can work without kneeling.
magrador, Mar 28, 8:21am
They can if the weeds haveseedheads, or if the weeds are those whthat propagate from small pieces of root. Do not do this if you have oxalis in the lawn!
I have never used lawn clippings on the vege garden but around trees, roses etc. Clippings need to be kept clear of the trunks/stemsotherwise the plants rot.We piled them on the garden about 10cm high, thenwatered the garden once a day thoroughly with a hand-held spray. The trees and roses grew like crazy, though you might need some nitrogentoo as the breakdown of the clippings uses N in the soil --dust blood and bone on the soil before putting on the clippings.

The only real issue is that this method does seem to attract flies at certain times of year, so we never do it near our house orneighbour's houses.

As for the vege garden, I wouldn't. You need it broken down first. Make a simple compost heap: layer clippings, straw (or shredded newspaper), dead leaves, maybe chicken poo (it breaks down quickly other manures are slow to rot) or chopped seaweed (from an unpolluted beach). Water well then cover the heap with soil from the garden 2 or 3cm thick. Leave it and have a look after 6 months; maybe more depending on what is in the heap. If it looks like good rich dirt under there, dig in to the vege garden. If not, leave to brew. Easy!
beamisgr8, Mar 28, 8:39am
Thanks magrador :)
brightlights60, Mar 28, 6:01pm
I built mine over the existing garden beds. Around 1m high. Every year we turn the soil over at the end of Winter, then add a trailer load of fresh pig manure or bio blend. You have to remember that the soil and plants need feeding as they take all the nutrients out during their Summer growth cycle. We have found the daily deals on TradeMe with the vege garden granuals absolutely fabulous. My wife does the veges, she puts marigolds between the plants and we have never had any bugs or butterflies.
macandrosie, May 4, 12:59pm
The thing is with lawn clippings - if you put them on reasnably thick, they generate quite a bit of heat, & I think you'll find it would not be ideal conditions for seeds to germinate [too hot!] I have used them for year around my gardens & have not had a problem with grass seeding where it shouldn't. If anything animal manures tend to bring certain weeds with them, but i still use them liquified. Interesting comment jag5 about potting mix not on gardens & garden soil not in pots, they are for specific areas!