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I need help for my soil

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2006
by Carl B on June 03, 2006 04:27 AM
Hello, I just intruduced myself in the new members sections, and I already have a little problem. We decided to set our vegetable garden in an area of our lawn that was used as a dump for excess gravel when a concrete deck was put in.

My question is how deep do I have to dig in this pit of gravel and clay before I can put in new soil? I'm about 10 inches deep in some areas, and there is still a little bit of gravel mixed in with the soil.

Thanks.

Carl
by Longy on June 03, 2006 07:23 AM
You could always build the bed on top of the existing gravelly soil. The drainage would be possibly better and you can have the soil you want not the soil you got..

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The secret is the soil.
by Carl B on June 03, 2006 08:36 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Longy:
You could always build the bed on top of the existing gravelly soil. The drainage would be possibly better and you can have the soil you want not the soil you got..
Thanks for the idea, but I'm a total newbi at this, I'll need a little more for the steps t get there.

This is what I understand, correct me if I'm wrong:

-I weed the gravel from what ever maanged to grow in it.
-Then I level it, and bring it down to an acceptable level so that the new soil won't spill onto the deck I have.
-I build some sort of a fence to prevent any other spillage whenI work the soil.
-I add new soil to make a new bed.

How deep does my new bed have to be to have a good vegetable garden?
Won't the gravel affect how the root veggie grow (carrots and potatoes)if I try them?
by Danno on June 03, 2006 02:03 PM
heres a small briefing on raised bed building. though you could do a google search for building raised garden bed. It's fairly quite simple if your any-what soever mechanically inclined.
Garden Raised Bed Info

I do suggest the raised bed method, i've seen pictures and i'm dying to build myself one next year!!! I put one in the ground, and i'm tired of bending over/kneeling down to tend to ma plants! 5 gal bucket & beer and gimme a garden to pick at! [thumb]

Feel free to email me @ walldiv1@sbcglobal.net. I'd be happy to help you in design/plans for this raised bed. few 2-10's & some 4x4 posts with some weed netting and your good as gold man! (might wanna pick up some screws or nails too [Smile]
by Danno on June 03, 2006 02:08 PM
oh btw. . . as far as length/width/height go. . i'm shooting to put in 4'wide x 20'long x 20" deep. Plenty of room for roots to go deep & wide enuff for 3 plants to a row. (though that middle might be hard to get to unless you build yourself a scaffold-type plank to walk across and not step into your nice soft soil [Smile] GOOD IDEA!!!! )
by Danno on June 05, 2006 01:07 PM
found what i was looking for! Weezie has these at her house. these are exactly what i'll be putting in next year! Take a look. . its REALLY easy to build!

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by Carl B on June 06, 2006 07:26 AM
Thanks, I'll look into building something similar, but that will fit with my overall plan for my smaller back yard.
by weezie13 on June 06, 2006 07:32 AM
Don't forget the other two beds... [Smile] [flower] [thumb] [grin]
These two were first, before those other 3 were
put in..
*the 3 are perpendictular to the two..
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and I am desperately tryin' to get 2 more, on either side, one 4'w x 20'l and the other 4'w x 30' l [lala]

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Danno on June 06, 2006 10:16 AM
lol wiez you make me sickly jealouse [Razz]
by weezie13 on June 06, 2006 04:09 PM
Danno,
Do you know what the real shame is....
I still don't have enough room to garden in those..
I need about 10 more...
HONESTLY!!! [Embarrassed] [Embarrassed] [Embarrassed] [Wink]
Between what my mom and I each like to grow,
there still isn't enough room..

We grow like way too many things....
*Several varieties of tomatoes *8*, pumpkins, acorn squash, butternut squash, several varieties of cucumber's *6*, corn, radishes, several kinds of lettuces' and peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, rhubarb, broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, okra, oh geesh, I loose count...

Companion planting and crop rotation...
And alot of figurin' out, what goes where, and where it can't go this year/next year..

*****Carl's post reminded me very much of this garden actually..and that's why I posted...

The people that owned the house before my mom, used to have a small garden there, but it was always getting flooded out, so that's why, when my mom bought it and we put in the raised beds for her, it was to improve the drainage.. cause it just sits there when there's a hard, long rain.

It was also on the heavy clay big rocks and hard pan where an old barn was...
and garbage area for the house too, from what we can figure out..

I do enjoy it sooooo much better now...

Although, I am finding out, I am going to have to
pull out/dig down deep to replace compost and such under it, or deep, cause it's getting compact under it...
Top layers are great....

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/
by Longy on June 06, 2006 06:03 PM
Nice beds Weezie. Are they pine? How long will they last?
Is the plastic underneath the beds on the soil or lining the insides?

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The secret is the soil.
by weezie13 on June 07, 2006 12:42 AM
Rough cut LARCH...
The landscape fabric was the kind I was talking
about that didn't let water thru..
And I put that under the dirt and wood when first made, in my idea of keeping out weeds..
*mostly that grass that grows with runners...*
It brand worked on the first two..

It does hold moisture on the inside..
We do see signs of some problems..
but hoping we can change out one panel or so,
at a time...*Theoretically*

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

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