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ribbit32004

Make Me Believe...

ribbit32004
14 years ago

I'm amending my beds this year and I KNOW I don't need to fill them to the brim and level them off with my yard stick so they're perfect, pristine, level beds.

I KNOW this. Every season I KNOW this.

Your job is to make me believe it.

EG...You're not going to be any help on this one, are you. ;)

Here is a link that might be useful: The Corner Yard

Comments (22)

  • kr222
    14 years ago

    It is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY that you top off the raised beds and level them with a yard stick (and only a yard stick...a wooden yard stick). In fact, I would highly recommend it. ;) If you want to practice your yard stick technique first, you can come on over and level my beds.
    Kim

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

  • homertherat
    14 years ago

    I say why not? It's your garden, you have the right to make it look as perfect or messy as you want.

    I think a perfect garden has no weeds. It doesn't matter what it looks like, as long as only the plants that you want in the garden are there. Of course, I don't expect my vegetable garden to be as pretty as a flower garden.

    I have a regular row garden as well as a small SFG. There's nothing quite like seeing the first corn sprout and noting the near perfectly straight line with no weed in sight.

    Just my 2 cents :)

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Why not? Because I'm obsessing. I'm obsessing over an eighth or quarter of an inch at most.

    I've got too many sqft in large beds to be obsessed like this.

    I've already conquered my straight row nerosis with my planting templates and I'm so excited about that, but I've got to let something go and I'm trying to make it be this eighth of an inch since they're 12 inch beds, so an eighth of an inch isn't detrimental to growth. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

  • momma_s
    14 years ago

    Oh, Kim. You crack me up! Way to egg Ribbit on.

    Ribbit~Let nature take care of it for you! Plant your plants and seeds perfectly, and let the rain settle the soil all nice and even. ;-) But, if you feel you MUST help even out your soil, why not use your templates as you go? One less step, yea?

    You can dooo this, Ribbit! You can overcome!

    Here is a link that might be useful: my blog

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Adapt and overcome. Adapt and overcome. (Deep breath) Adapt and overcome.

    Blast Kim and the wooden yard stick. Mine's not wooden. Now it HAS to be wooden. It just has to be. And there's a technique to master as well. I'm doomed.

    This is why I drink.

  • jengc
    14 years ago

    I was wondering why you drank. Thanks for clearing that up Ribbit! :D

  • eaglesgarden
    14 years ago

    Ribbit,

    Eat, drink, and be merry. You are worrying about things that don't matter to your plants. Is the template you have a wooden sqft with holes drilled at the appropriate spacing?

    If so, just use the wooden template to level the soil in each square as you plant the seeds. It really isn't a big deal if one square is slightly higher than the next.

    Try it out to reassure yourself. When you amend, just place the template over an area, and lift it up, you'll be surprised how much more "level" the soil with be under there. You can do it. Just use your rake, and walk away!

  • engineeredgarden
    14 years ago

    I have to hang my head while shaking it back and forth in disbelief.....It's got to be mounded, so after it settles it will become level...UGH! You need every granule of soil for those veggies to play in, or it just won't be "the best". hehe...

    EG

  • bsntech
    14 years ago

    This actually brings upon a good question I was wondering myself.

    Eventually after you top your beds off so many times, it will be overflowing with compost and soil. Does everyone simply begin to remove compost/soil when their raised beds start to get too much?

    This will be my first year topping the beds off - and I already did a little bit just before the winter hit. I'm just thinking that eventually, the beds will work up too far to where you have to begin removing soil.

    Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I knew it, EG. I just knew you'd be of no help. ;)Of course it's got to be mounded so it settles dead pan even with the top.

    NO! Wait...adapt and overcome. Adapt and overcome.

    Yes, Eaglesgarden, the templates are the wooden ones and Bsn, you'll see that the soil will always compress year after year so there is always room for more. Always room for more. Always room for more.

    Da*$. I need to go get another cubic yard of compost.

  • bsntech
    14 years ago

    But - you don't want to compress it too much to allow the oxygen to get into the soil - and to make it easy for the roots..?

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    True, but you can always fork or till it up so it's nice and fluffy again, but you'll always loose some when you uproot plants, dig out roots, have an obnoxious dog that digs in the beds etc.

    Oh, wait! I can till it up, make it nice and fluffy - mounded with the wooden yard stick and technique and all and then plant....it will settle down over the year while I can't do anything about it since the plants are growing.

    You may be on to something...

  • momma_s
    14 years ago

    HAHA! Thanks for the laughs, ribbit. Now, put that coffee down. That's right, step awaaay from the caffine...

  • engineeredgarden
    14 years ago

    Well, regardless of how you do it, it's gonna have to be mounded - or it will look pathetic in July. Besides.....that way, you'll actually have some soil in the box after your dog digs most of it up. Mine's gonna look like a pitcher's mound this year, because that's just how I roll....hehe..

    EG

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    MMMMMMM>.....Coffee.....Middle of the day, decadent, just because I said so coffee......Nah, it's 8:00 PM now. I'm going for the Scotch.

    July's a whole different animal, EG. I can always get more compost for the summer planting after the spring is done. I unloaded the rest of the compost I had tonight and I think I've found a solution. If I can't post about it tonight then I will tomorrow. I think I'm going to be happy and cover all of my bases...and a pitcher's mound, too. HA!

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The decision has been rendered.

    And oddly enough, I feel rather good about it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The final decision...because now I can't go back since making that decision would be another whole thread. ;)

  • kr222
    14 years ago

    Cheers!

  • heather38
    14 years ago

    Shocked! surely the use of a sprite level and set square, is the world standard, you are just not trying.

  • paully1
    14 years ago

    I have been thinking that maybe I could use a pry bar and lift each corner of the box an inch or two in the spring and stuff some small blocks under them. Then I would add more wood chip mulch around the outside base of the box. Finally, I could add another couple inches of compost to my mix and rake it in. That would effectively give me a deeper box, with lots more organic material, and the mulch would keep any mix from being washed out of the bottom.

    ...And I would definitely level the soil in the box off as completely as possible. I use a rake, not a ruler. Then I always use a careful misting to clean any wayward soil off the box edges. (There is no OCD in my family, I swear it) :-)

  • kr222
    14 years ago

    Ahhh..and don't forget to pat the wet box edges down with a clean cotton cloth folded over two times.
    :)

  • ribbit32004
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I'm doomed, I tell you. Doomed. Doomed. Dooooommmedddd...

  • swarth
    14 years ago

    I love it when I go out and see the dog's footprints in my beds. It's not like he doesn't have lots of other places to dig and play. I do prefer to plant seeds in a square that has been leveled though. My seed templates do a good job of that.

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