Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Raised Bed Update


The plants in our vegetable garden are filling in nicely...some with a little trial and tribulation!
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, diyDesignFanatic.com


Shown here is what we call our South Garden. Mr. Fanatic gets a kick out of me calling it that because our garden really isn't that big.  Veggies in our terraced raised beds are doing pretty well, with a couple of exceptions. But, I'll get to that later.
I can't tell you how happy I am with the Romaine and Head lettuce we planted. The lettuce I planted last year was that fancy, high falutin stuff and I didn't like it.
Give me Romaine and Iceberg because I love the crunch!
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


Zucchini, Butternut squash and Cucumbers growing on the trellis in the second bed below the electrical meter. Broccoli and Snap Peas growing on the trellis in the 3rd bed from the top. Collards and Onions in the fourth box. I'll tell ya about the hoops later...
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com



The Snap Peas have been producing wonderful pods for the last few weeks. We had them in stir fry last night and they were tasty.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


Closeup of an itty bitty Cucumber. This is the first time I've grown them.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

There are a couple of larger cucumbers growing on the vines, as well.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com
The Cucumber plants are growing nicely on the trellis.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


I'm getting excited about the Zucchini. Little Zucchini are already starting to form. See the one just below the large flower?
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com
Here's how the North Garden looks now. 
No, we don't have a covered wagon in our raised bed. lol. We had some trouble with those little white butterflies I thought were cute...
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


...until they laid caterpillar eggs, which became caterpillars, that ate holes in my Broccoli leaves. After uploading this photo I realized there was one of those nasty critters on one of the leaves. Do you see him?
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

I went right outside after seeing the photo to get him.
Got him!
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

This broccoli head is getting big.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

Anyway, the hoops covered with the white fabric over the Broccoli and Cabbage keep the butterflies from laying eggs on the leaves. I feel like I'm playing hide and go seek when the cover is put on. My cat Buddy loves to sleep in the bed when the cover is on. He's too cute. Regarding getting rid of the infestation of caterpillars: I also sprayed them with BT, (bacillus thuringiensis) which is an organic caterpillar killer 
: ) Took care of most of them, but I still go out every day and check the leaves.
Mr. Fanatic made the cage for the tomatoes last week because last year some critter ate every single tomato off one of our tomato plants that was planted on this side of the yard.
 That's not happening this year!
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


Can anyone explain this to me???  
The big plant on the left and the little one on the right are both Summer Squash and were both planted from seed at the same time. Looks like a commercial for Miracle Grow, but that's not the case. Both plants were treated exactly the same. Can't figure this one out.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


The first row of Potatoes  I planted are dying and falling over. 
This is a GOOD thing. 
That means the potatoes are almost ready to dig up. Don't tell anyone, but I've already stolen a few and they were tasty. Yukon Gold potatoes are our favorite.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com


Here's the view of our North Garden from our deck. Herbs are growing to the left of the raised beds. 
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

It's pretty amazing that only a few months ago our raised beds looked like this:
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com

Hope you enjoyed the tour of our Vegetable Garden.


Pam



12 comments:

  1. They are looking pretty spectacular Pam. Good eats this summer in your house for sure. My friend did some raised beds and I can't get over their growth in just a few short weeks here.

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  2. Your gardens are so nice. Ours is growing very fast, too and now we will have to fend off critters, too.

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  3. Pam your veggie gardens look awesome!! Nothing beats fresh veggies! I just plant tomato and basil plants.

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  4. That is awesome. I always say I am going to plant things, but I never do. I know they will die. I am NOT a gardener. Skills like yours make me very jealous! :-) You will be eating well all summer!

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  5. It's just amazing to me that things can be grown in our backyards that we're able to eat! I want to have a garden but I keep thinking about all the critters that are around & how they'd probably eat everything.

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  6. Your gardens, South and North, are splendid. They are constructed so well and are just plain elegant. I am coming back later with my BIL who grows veggies so he can see this amazing place. I have wee green crickets eating all my flowers and I am waging war on them.

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  7. I am almost as excited about your garden as I am about mine!! Yours looks fantastic. I have seen a couple of the white butterflies around, and have some holes in my radish leaves, but can't find any caterpillars. I might send my kids out with a magnifying glass. That should keep them busy!!

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  8. I really like the terraced gardens. What a great use of that space. We live on such a small lot that I'm challenging myself to find ways to plant more. Was thinking about using a pallet for lettuce and such, once I figure out how to check how the wood was treated. Nice Gardens!

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  9. Love your tiered garden. Wow, you are going to have a lot of great produce. I'm jealous! We'd love for you to share your garden on our Outdoor Extravaganza! http://satoridesignforliving.com/2012/05/kitchen-container-potager-outdoor-extravaganza-link-party/

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  10. Beautiful garden!!...Unfortunately we have larger critters, so no veggie garden here...too many deer..:(
    I think it is so exciting to watch the garden as it grows and flourishes...a great feeling of accomplishment!

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  11. Loved the tour of your veggie garden. It looks wonderful.
    I had the exact same worm on my broccoli plants as you, I ended up pulling them up from the garden. Those worms can eat up a plant in less than 24 hours~amazing!

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  12. Love how those raised beds look!

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