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Garden set up question

wishtonightwishtonight member
in Eco-Friendly Family

I apologize in advance if this has already been asked..

Those of you with gardens, what is your set up like? Do you have your veggies/fruits in the ground, in raised beds, in pots/planters? We just got a bunch of seeds and a couple small plants (blueberry, strawberry, watermelon) and want to figure out what the ideal set up would be. The strawberry we might leave in a hanging pot but I want to make sure the blueberry and watermelon are planted correctly. As for the seeds, we have a little of everything from cucumbers and zucchini to beets, cantaloupe, tomatoes and more. We have a small planter right now, as well as some pots, and DH said he could make a raised bed if I needed it.. but I'm not sure what's best: raised bed, in the ground or in pots/planters.

I appreciate any suggestions! 

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Re: Garden set up question

  • luvablegrace154luvablegrace154 member

    We use the square foot gardening method and love it! Basically you plant a certain number of plants per square foot, in a 4x4 bed or size of your choosing. You'd have to look it up to get a better feel of what I am talking about though.

    To figure out how to plan what to plant and when and how, I also used a website called smartgardener dot com and it is really great! I love how easy it is to plan out and it gives you reminders on what to do for the week. It gives the instructions based on your zip code and when to plant and stuff

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  • ForeverEverAfterForeverEverAfter member
    My strawberries and blueberry have their own bed in my front yard. My veggies have a raised bed. We have a short season so the raised bed helps with an early start (warmer, easier to work soil). I've never planted watermelons, so I can't help there. Most veggies can be done in pots if that's easier for you. There's no one right way, but I'd say in ground is hardest because you have to till and amend the soil. Raised bed or pots you fill with the correct soil type and you're good to go.
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  • dosafyredosafyre

    So much of gardening is dependant on your conditions (soil, moisture, pests, sunlight, season, etc)...that it will likely be an experiementation process to find what works best for you and what types and varieties of plants thrive. I have four small raised beds in back that I can grow less sun-dependant things (lettuce, leeks, peas, garlic, etc). And this year I'm trying to grow in the warmer ground in the front yard (melons, tomatoes, corn, sunflowers). I've got other things mixed in with my ornamentals (blueberry, raspberry, plum, apple, strawberry, currants, rhubarb, herbs)...and I tend to just kill things in pots, so those have some flowers. So far I've found that slugs just eat all my melons and squash.  :P

    Being in Seattle...I often have to pick cold weather tolerant, and short season plants, so keep that in mind as well. I start some early in the house and shed with a grow lamp. And be sure to prep your soil with a good mix of organic compost.

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  • wishtonightwishtonight member
    Thank you for your ideas! I think we're going to do a mix of raised beds (or at least 1) and some pots/planters. The ground soil, or dirt I should say, we have isn't very good IMO so adding some better soil in the raised beds will make for better results. Hopefully  :)
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