I get my local farmer's co-op to order the vermiculite for me, and the other things can be purchased at Lowes.

For the dual purpose spigot, just install a "Y" connector on it. That way, you can have your garden hose and drip hose at the same time, and each can be isolated with the built-in valves.

EG

For the dual purpose spigot, just install a "Y" connector on it.

Exactly. And despite your comment, don't buy the cheapie 2.99 Y, get the brass 9.99 Y.

We water our SFG off of a Y installed on the line into the spigot, and we connected a Melnor 2-outlet battery operated timer to the Y, then have 2 soaker hoses running off that.

The soaker hose being recycled tires and very low pressure. The package label will tell you how many gallons per hour, and I run my side of the garden every 72 hours for 1 hour for the water I need.

Dan

Ok the y connector makes sense, would save the hassle. I do know of a garden/farm co-op not far from where I work... I bet I could ask them if they could get some vermiculite in if they don't have it.

How do you handle if it suddenly rains a lot? You just see how much rain you get and turn off the soaker hose for a while to account for it?

Solarity, there's a feed store in my area. They usually deal with large scale farming but took pitty on me and ordered 4 cbft bags of vermiculite for me for $14.00. They didn't stock it, but all I had to do was ask. Really,nice people they were.

Check even with a local landscaping company. I bet they'd be happy to order it for you or at least tell you where you could pick up a few bags.

Does it always seem like I'm arguing with Dan? I don't mean to, but so many times I have different experiences with things, so...

I use the cheap yellow y connectors. I bought the good brass ones at first, and the little knob thingies that control the valves broke off within a year or two. I have cheap yellow ones that are still going strong after five years. Some of them have spent five summers in the hot Arizona sun! I'm redoing my system at home (I have a sprinkling system on a timer, and I'm going to bypass the veggie garden with it). I'll have two or three outlets, so I'll be using soaker hoses throughout the garden..with cheap yellow y connectors.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

I'd go for the bigger beds. There are only 2 of us and I'm expanding mine. I didn't use Mel's Mix, I filled my tow 4'x10' beds I built last year with a lasagna-type filling involving quite a lot of very aged horse manure. If you'd like the full story, check out the link below. Scroll down about halfway for the first building story.

Here is a link that might be useful: Building the raised beds

My first advice would be to think realistically about how many veggies you will actually eat. I know you said you want to make them a bigger part of your diet, but will you actually do it? I had huge plans for this year, but a tax issue made them go away. In hindsight, I'm glad they did.

I was going to plant a bunch of things that I don't eat fresh often enough to make them worthwhile to grow in the garden. For example, I hate fresh broccoli. It needs to be steamed or cooked in a soup or stew for me to eat it, but I was planning on growing it and taking up valuable space. I can go to Sam's club or costco and get a 4 lb bag for 8 bucks. If you want to can or freeze you have to take in to account the cost of canning supplies or freezer space.

Realistically, I'm basically doing a salsa garden where I will have onions, peppers, cilantro, basil, dill, garlic,cucumbers, and squash. I may also do a planter with an obelisk for snow peas. Other than that, it's just my tomatoes in SWCs. I love growing tomatoes, so I've really decided to mainly focus on those.

Thanks everyone for your responses and the helpful links!

jleiwig - Yah I've gone back and forth on if I will eat everything but I don't mind giving some to neighbors and family if there is too much. I try to cook mostly vegetarian at home, but when we go out to eat I don't hold myself to that. Of course the problem is we don't eat at home often enough which is the primary thing I want to change in the future, we would save so much money if we cooked more. The SWC's look so neat! If all goes well this year, they will be on my expansion list for next year. I know what you mean about taxes, last year we screwed up and owed 3k, considering we were about to buy a house that was a really big hit for us. This year is all fixed, but then a deer ran into my husbands car and this repair is going to be costly (need to replace a door). So we have some obstacles to deal with.

Ok I talked to my dad and my husband last night to figure out what is reasonable to build (my dad does wood working so he is helping us learn to be handy :P ). I'm going to have to dig the ground up a little because it slightly slopes and I will need to level it off to some degree. The problem is we are already experiencing dry conditions and the ground is solid dry clay, completely unworkable. Luckily today we are getting rain otherwise I will need to put the sprinklers out for a while. Anyway we decided we're going to build one 4x8' bed and see how it goes. Then we will build a second one if we have time and money for it.

The other thing is I have 2 cats that live in the backyard. I will need to put some kind of chicken wire over the bed until the plants are bigger. I don't think that should be too complicated though.

Oh as far as the soaker hose.. Should the hose go between each of the square feet? So essentially 12" apart or should they be 6" apart?

Oh also, how far away from a 6' privacy fence should the garden be to minimize shading from the fence?

Ok so the local farm supply has vermiculite 2 cu ft for 16.99. Does that sound overpriced?

Yay! I found a 4cu ft vermiculite for $15. They have one thing left so I might go down to get it sooner rather than later. I guess that should be good for at least one of these beds, maybe I'll get a small bag too.

Does it always seem like I'm arguing with Dan? I don't mean to, but so many times I have different experiences with things, so...

haha! lemme have it! I have zero evidence to support any assertion that I'm correct all the time.

My experience is the opposite - I was cracking the Ys at the seam in the middle or at the threads at the metal spigot. You can replace the screws at the valve and eliminate the breakage (that I don't get). How do you handle if it suddenly rains a lot? You just see how much rain you get and turn off the soaker hose for a while to account for it?

Presuming you are thinking of a timer, there is an 'off' switch that stops your cycle. Otherwise, your soaker hose is manually operated and turned off when done. Not a constant trickle.

I agree with greenbean about the bigger beds - always easier to lie fallow (or plant ornmentals) than tack on something later. But I also concur with jleiwig. You will eat more of a few new things, more of the things you already eat, but wholesale changes? That is not typical human nature. Me, I learned from an old neighbor the value of simply giving away some of your extras. Opening your front door and finding a little bag with a few toms and peppers in it (no name given, but the recipient knows) is hard to calculate the value. And yesterday the little boy next door went home with some lettuce and mustard from the cold frame. Should the hose go between each of the square feet? So essentially 12" apart or should they be 6" apart?

They aren't on the ground now, but mine are IIRC about 6-8" apart. You'll see that precise placement isn't necessary in a raised bed - they'll do the job. how far away from a 6' privacy fence should the garden be to minimize shading from the fence?

Presuming Triangle is near Durham and 4/13 is average last frost and 6' E-W running privacy fence and rectangular bed on a E-W axis, at solar noon on last frost date, the sun will strike all of your bed if it is 3' from the fence for ~ 2 hours, and if 5' from fence for ~4.25 hours.

Fun!

Dan

Presuming Triangle is near Durham and 4/13 is average last frost and 6' E-W running privacy fence and rectangular bed on a E-W axis, at solar noon on last frost date, the sun will strike all of your bed if it is 3' from the fence for ~ 2 hours, and if 5' from fence for ~4.25 hours.

Ok yah I live in Durham. The fence runs north-south. The garden will run north/south on the west side of the fence. I'd like it to be as close to the fence as a veggie garden will allow. The garden is also on the north side of my house but I should be able to get 30 or more feet away. The further back my lot goes the more it slopes which is the main problem if I need to get further away since I'll have to do extra leveling. There are no trees around that would provide shading, so these are my main hurdles.

Thanks for keeping up with my questions. I know once I actually do this it will make more sense but I like to go into projects armed with as much info as possible.

I used the NOAA solar calculator for your area and trigonometry for the shadow calculations.

Welcome to SFGing!

Dan