Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Raised Bed Gardening Tips

Raised Bed Gardening Tips

Zinnia Garden 2015

 

It is that time of year!

As soon as this latest cold spell ends, I plan to prepare my raised beds and do my spring planting.


This year I will plant what I always plant- zinnias and tomatoes.

Without a doubt, the results are one of life’s greatest pleasures.

DSC00360

Here are the steps I follow to get ready for planting.

 

1.  Look up.

Walk your yard and look up.

You are looking for sunlight. 

This is something my father taught me.  My seeds’ growing season will be a disappointment

if they don’t receive at least 6 hours of full sun throughout the day.

DSC00353

 

2.  Clean up.

The soil that is in my raised beds now grew last year’s crop.

I need to till it by hand, remove any debris, add in new bags of gardening soil (I use Miracle Gro gardening

soil), and till it by hand again.



3.  Hold the soil loosely.

There is no packing in raised bed gardening.

I liken it to the folding we do in mixing cake batter-

the gentler the better.


gardening zones 

 4.  Check the temperature.

I live in zone 9 (note the arrow above).

The planting season for zinnias in zone 9 begins in March and ends in August.

I begin planting at the end of February after colder weather is not expected.

5.  Continue walking the yard.

In South Texas we have been blessed with a few rainstorms this past year.

Everything of course grows after a good rain-

including trees .

Before starting your raised bed planting this spring, make sure the sunlight you are counting on hasn’t

changed.


DSC00377


This will be your reward.

*****

Linking to:

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Tuesdays At Our Home






 

17 comments:

Decor To Adore said...

Laura this was such an excellent post! Having moved here from Phoenix I am struggling in the gardening area. Everything I planted, except for the roses and lilies, had quite a time of it. I think I now know the culprit. The 16 live oaks we have on our property. Perhaps shade seeking plants are the better choice.

Lisa said...

Zinnias are one plant that I have had success with. They actually fooled me into believing I am a gardner. I know different now.;-)

Pura Vida said...

Oh friend...I am so jealous...weather this week in the 60s and 75 tomorrow...such a tease because we have a long way until I can think about this!

Theresa said...

I will share this with my gardener AKA Husband:) Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

I really like the nice variety of colors you have in your zinnia beds. It's 16 degrees here in the St. Louis, Missouri area with a dusting of snow on the ground right now. I can't wait until zinnia/tomato time.

The Decor Detective said...

awesome tips. i want to put a new flower bed in our backyard since we gave away our kids swingset that they sadly outgrew. will definitely keep your garden in mind for inspiration :)

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I can't do this until the very end of May, LOL! But the flowers are a welcome sight ! :)

Poppy @ With a Dash of Color said...

Wow! this is absolutely gorgeous! I have similar raised beds in my yard and you have inspired me to plant my own zinnia beds, they look so pretty like those English cottage gardens...lovely! Hugs, Poppy

lynn cockrell said...

I have a couple of beds similar to yours and I love them! I can hardly wait for spring as cold weather has really settled in down here in South Carolina. Your post has started me dreaming about warmer weather and I really enjoyed it and am wishing you ladies well with Thoughts of Home on Thursdays!

September Violets said...

Love these sweet zinnia flower faces :) Thank you for all these easy to remember tips on preparing a raised flower bed. We're a little chilly tonight at -15C. I'm in Zone 5b where we don't start thinking of spring until April and don't do anything outside till danger of frost is over I think in August ;)
Thank you for hosting Thoughts of Home on Thursday.
Wendy

Jeanie said...

Hi Laura, thanks for cohosting this wonderful new blog event! I really enjoyed this post as I need all the gardening help I can get! I have very bad dirt and it seems as though a raised bed may be the way to go -- smaller and easier to manage! Your tips are excellent and include many I hadn't really thought about (including walking around because of how the light changes. Duh, but that never occurred to me). Of course, we have snow here right now in Michigan but spring will be here soon enough. Meanwhile, seeing your cheerful flowers bring a great lift on a cloudy morning!

Jaybird said...

I enjoyed this post before, but the flowers are especially pretty now that I have none :^( I will be copying your idea in a few weeks...we have an old veggie garden that no one is using....I can fill it "plumb" up with zinnias!!!
Blessings to you,
J

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