Not Fair.

I haven't even planted my first one, and I *know* I'm going to want to move my potted plants to SFG.

Really, fanning the flames is not nice.

I'm hoping that my time constraints will keep me sensible -- I think I've built this baby over about 2 weeks, and once I add one more bag of manure to top it off, I should be ready to plant (hopefully Saturday!!). The seedlings aren't quite ready to go out, but I have a couple seeds to sow and might buy a lettuce just so I have one immediately.

What? Who me?
I resemble that remark!!!

Sq Ft By Creek - In progress

Fenced in Square ft garden - In progress...

Sq Ft By Cabin - Was Quick and Dirty!
Undecided if I will keep this next year when others are done!
{{gwi:1284434}}

I have still have some left over free wood that I got from a neighbour that will make 1 4x8 box and 4-5 4x4 boxes :)

Then there is the temptation..

I have this other field that I am resisting putting into Sq Ft just cause of the cost.

{{gwi:84391}}

Same with my hill garden...

So far it would just cost too much.. and even though I had no luck this year the pumpkins are better off in areas like this...

Well, as much as I enjoy building things - I'm not gonna build anymore boxes. I currently have 136 squares, and of course (as can be expected)I had determined that I needed more, because there were some more varieties of veggies that I'd like to grow - and didn't have room. So, I feel that putting my tomatoes in earthtainers would give better yields, as well as free up some of the trellises in the main box. With that being said, I'm gonna build 4 earthtainers this fall for next year's tomatoes. This will allow me to grow pole beans in the main box for my wife, and also double the amount of cukes. I think this will be the end of my garden building projects. Maybe.... :)

EG

With the exception of a 1x8' box in the dog kennel for peas, I'm not building more, but I might alter the 4x4s I built this year and make them one long 4x22-footer. That would increase those beds by the 12 square feet I feel is being wasted by paths. By moving the herb garden from an existing 4x4 into the 4x3 that is currently planted to mesclun, I could keep those plants at the lower fertility they prefer. That would give me a total of 294 sf not counting containers for cucumbers and possibly potatoes. I think that's more than enough space to feed two people (and probably our neighbors, too).

Granny

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

LOL, I may need another box next year. I've just trimmed some branches on the side of the house where the neighbor's trees are shading us. I'm seriously considering putting a lettuce box there and changing it to some kind of vertical strawberry bank in the spring. EG, I'm going to go half and half with the tomatoes. I'll see how it goes. I really like the experiment. Did I tell you the plans for the earthboxes are at tomatofest.com? Just fyi. I envy you hydroponix types, I'm not sure I could get the hubby to do that inside for me, lol. Seven months of rain makes him want every spare empty inch inside he can get.

Granny, what about that potential 4x4 you were talking about for your Arizona (?) short winter?

Carolyn - I had downloaded the pdf and 3 videos a couple of months ago, and have already bought the materials to construct 2.

EG

"Granny, what about that potential 4x4 you were talking about for your Arizona (?) short winter?"

Oh, that is still doable! In fact, I have two volunteer tomato plants growing here, not sure if they are cherry or Celebrity, but I found two five-gallon buckets and two smaller buckets in the garage yesterday, and I'm going to try to improvise a couple of SWCs out of them so I can transport them to AZ. There is still a problem with freezing the one night we will be traveling, so I thought it might be possible to carry the buckets into the motel room...I hope nobody sees us!!! I also have my mesclun seeds purchased, and I'm going to start them inside probably this week, and hope to have them ready to transplant when we get down there. If I don't get the 4x4 built right away, I do have several large planters they can go into. We'll have to make a trip right away into Lake Havasu City or the Phoenix area for fence posts and fencing to keep the puppies safe, so I can (hopefully) get the 4x4 supplies at that time. Or I might just make a temporary box from some exterior OSB that I already have on hand. It would last at least a season, I would think, then all I'd have to get would be the soil mix to fill it.

Granny

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

Funny timing for this thread, I built my first box today :)

I have the materials for 6 more, but my lord that was a lot of work! Took me two evenings after work to build 1 box! But I know it's going to be worth it, and I'm very excited.

I have plans for 3 4 X 12 boxes, and 4 4 X 8 boxes (all 12 inches deep). I'm doing an adapted SFG plan. Instead of Mel's I'm using 100% compost, and for certain things I won't be going SF, such as tomatoes - I like to give my maters room to breathe!

Anyway, I had *just* walked in the door from finishing my first box and saw this post and thought it was funny timing :)

jwstell42, you won't be alone in not doing 100% SFG. At least two of us in this forum use 100% compost, and I only use the SFG planting guides as spacing options, but don't do grids for much of anything other than herbs. I find there are some things that just do better with a bit more elbow room, and I'm still fond of rows.

Granny

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

Go granny, I wonder who that second person is?

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

I am one first year SFGer that has no immediate plans to build more boxes, mainly because I have no room. Any expansion is in front and I'm not comfortable there. That's not to say I wouldn't like more space. Maybe down the road.

I did rip up some grass for blueberry additions, but they're regular garden beds.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure

John - I think we all know who "Mr. Compost 2008" is! Hee Hee

Granny - although you don't do grids or anything, Your garden is still very neat looking.

jwstell42 - Oh...you'll find a way to build those boxes, you won't be able to stop yourself! It's guaranteed.

EG

Oh I know I"ll build them :)

It's just going to take more time than I originally had planned.

If I don't get them all done before the snow, I'll just continue it in the spring! I'm just happy I got at least one done this fall, so I can plant my Garlic next month :)

I will say I can't wait til all 7 are done, I think it's going to look pretty darn cool!

We built 2 boxes this month, a 4x4 and a 3x4. I have room for 2 more 3x4's that we plan to add in Jan/Feb and I am already thinking that if these do really well, I can expand by removing some of the shrubs and flowers in my butterfly garden.

Question; I really want to try planting asparagus. Has anyone planted it in a SFG. Is a SFG large enough to have asparagus for 3 people?

I would think asparagus would do great in the SFG, but I'd plant the entire box, as a good asparagus bed can last for years and years...and even more years! I wanted an asparagus bed, but it takes two years to begin cutting and I didn't want to wait that long!

Granny

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

I am planting 20 crowns of asparagus tomorrow. I was told by someone who grows them very successfully that they could be planted a foot apart. Seems close to me, but I'll take his word for it. My husband is tilling a 2 foot wide bed along the fence that encloses one end of the garden. I'm putting all my perennial plants (asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, Egyptian onions) in those strips so they don't take up space in my raised beds in the center. Once it is all done I'll try to figure out the photobucket thing so I can show you guys.

Reba: I think I will order 20 crowns and give it a try. It will be so hard to wait 3 years to harvest! Look forward to seeing your pictures.

Betty, I remember when I planted asparagus (a previous home and garden) that I bought two-year-old crowns and I got a very small cutting the following year (anything larger than a pencil in thickness). The next year I got a decent harvest, and from then on I could cut for the entire season. Some people manage a spring and a fall harvest, but I never tried that.

Granny

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

I started with one 4x8 raised bed. Someone told me it looked like a pool table in my backyard. Then, I had hubby add a 2x16 leg to one side of the garden and, when one has a single leg, one must have symmetry, so now I have a gigantic U in the backyard. Then, I needed place to plant herbs and we added a 2x4 box to one leg of the U.

I also have most of the flower beds around the side and back of my house planted with something. Some in SFG configuration and some in whatever order the plants volunteered. I have sweet taters taking over one bed at the back of the house and the front of the long bed by the road. It's almost time to dig those up. That may be my weekend project. :)

I'd love more beds, but I'm afraid hubby would cry. LOL

I ordered 2 year crowns, so I'll get a little taste next spring and after that it's going to be a free-for-all! As soon as I get the 19 month old to fall asleep I'm headed out there to plant those babies. My husband built me 3 new boxes for this fall and I already need more! I've got 144 square feet so far,(raised beds 1 foot deep) but one of the 4x8 beds gets shaded by the 6 foot privacy fence in the winter so it's a summer bed only. When all the raised beds are built I'll have a total of 256 square feet. The in-ground beds for the perennial fruits, veggies and herbs will give me an additional 148 square feet. And the little one just fell asleep, I'm outta here! Footsteps echoing, door shutting softly, garden gate creaking open........

I cannot believe I'm already lusting for more boxes when I don't even have all the existing ones filled! I'm wondering if Mr. H would notice if I moved the garden fence about eight feet closer to the house and added three or four more 4x8-foot beds. You think maybe?

Granny

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

Garden gate creaking, backdoor opening, footsteps approaching...... Ahhhhhhh. 20 crowns planted, shower taken, and the children will sleep for another hour. Bliss. Now I just have to get those last 90 garlic cloves in the ground, oh, and the shallots, and...... Sigh. Tomorrow is another day. I can only do so much when I'm 3 weeks from giving birth! Betty, I saw that Seeds of Change is offering 2 year old organic asp crowns for next spring. I'm sure they'd be big and healthy, may get some more myself. But I'm not addicted....really.... I can stop anytime I want....

As promised, pics of the earthboxish thing will be posted today if I can figure out the goofy photobucket thing, lol.

Carolyn, when you figure it out let me know how you did it!

Granny, I am definitely going to give it a try. If I remember correctly, one of the see companies said we could plant asparagus in December or maybe that's when they ship to GA. I will check that out again -
Reba, I will also check out Seeds of Change too! Thanks!

Granny......3 or 4 more 4x8 boxes? Are you having box building withdrawals or something? Heh.

Jwstell42 - Listen to Granny! She knows the way...heh.

Carolyn - can't wait for those pictures

EG

bettyinga, I checked my victory Garden book for planting dates for your zone, and it says Feb 1-Mar 10 and Nov 15-Dec 31. So take your choice!

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

Thanks Granny! Now I need to find the plants and get the bed ready!

Welp, 2 more boxes built (it's taking me awhile, only have the time right now to work on them about an hour a day).

So I have 3 built, and now 5 more to go (was going to just do 4 more, but I stumbled across more materials to build an 8th box and figured what the heck why not).

Now I just have to figure what i'm going to grow and where i'm going to keep all the veges!

I can't wait til spring :)

Heh, I'm toying with the idea of putting two new ones in the front yard...hmmm....

Well, I tell you what....I built my wife a flowerbed 3 months ago that is 30 ft long, 30" wide, and 9" tall - and she hasn't put anything in it yet. If she don't hurry, my garden is gonna increase in size really quick!lol

EG

My husband put a new 8x4 in for my winter salad greens this weekend. 3 more to go now....

I am working on filling #9 through #16. I got a load of premium composted horse manure today, that will make things go faster. Too damn tired to take pics.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal