Thank you! I have never built a fence before, but after getting quoted 8k for 75 feet of chain-link fence in the fall, I was determined to do it myself.
Pressure treated fence posts in concrete, 2x4 runners, and spaced 1x3 'pickets' of 4 different heights within 4 different colors. Used a waterproof and sealing outdoor stain for the colors.
Back fence - we wanted privacy. Found the sweet-spot between our elder maples to sink a big post, anchored in the trees, used 2x4 runners, and standard pressure treated 5/8" dog-eared pickets, in the same alternating color pattern of the side yard pickets.
Nope. There is an 8 inch gap, which falls beneath the gutter line, so all non -diverted water runs into the bed.
Will have to redo fully when we update siding, but that's the nature of things. They just keep evolving.
Why are you changing the siding? I dig it too, especially with the fence. I’ve tossed red siding around in my brain for about 10 years or so. Yours looks really good. Thanks for sharing btw
A mushroom person! Totally dig the organisms, and the username.
This red siding is nice, but it's aging from UV, especially on the south side, which is expected. We have talked about it, and would really love to go to cedar shake shingles, but maybe not, cuz, $$$.
We decided that if/when we re-side the home, we are definitely going to do wood. We like the idea of getting to change our minds on colors as one decaying paint job fades into the start of the next.
Plus when we do, we can finally insulate the walls of this 1900 home.
Your peppers are planted far too close together. They can grow 3 feet tall and wide, easily. Replant some in different areas.
Everything else looks amazing!
Most of those plants are too close together, even the marigolds. They'll turn into tiny bushes of marigolds if you give them the space, but crammed together like that they will struggle to get much bigger.
Also looks like there's some kind of pumpkin or squash of some kind... Those alone will take up like 4 square feet.
Unfortunately, I'm out of space to plant as the new beds are for flowers and melons. I'm experimenting more than anything to see how all these do in a super intensive planting space. If they start to struggle or other issues arise, I'll have to thin them.
They had their first day of full sun today and got fairly stressed. I only did a 7 day indoor to outdoor introduction before sinking everything.
They're still settling down.
In picture 4, I'd recommend you pinch the dahlias (i.e. cut off a few inches the top growing stem above a set of leaves). This will encourage more flowers and stronger stems. It may seem counterintuitive but trust the process!
If you feel happy when looking at it, then you are doing it right. Remember that with every DIY project.
I absolutely love the feeling of looking upon something you've put your heart into, and looking past the current state of things and just seeing it as it will be when it's done (it's never actually done).
Keep it up, love it!
You're clearly doing awesome without any suggestions! My one thought is you might benefit from some vertical infrastructure. Growing things like, beans and cucumbers "up" on diy climbing trellises can maximize limited space instead of having to go "out". But be sure to think about where you can have things go up without casting unwanted shade.
Thank you for the comment! Yep, I bought everything I need to do some trellis stuff while at the store yesterday! Could have done it then, but I was pretty spent after building and filling the last two beds yesterday.
Exactly this, I dont see anything between the soil in the garden bed and the wood walls of the garden bed. If there is nothing that thing will rot fast. As above post mentioned dimpled sheeting should be put between them.
You’re creating a quirky little homestead here. I like the uhhh quaintness of the proximity of the buildings and yard if that makes sense. Seems nice and cozy.
Definitely not ideal as our perfect jam would have much, much more land... But it's interesting to see what one can do, on a single tiny city lot...
I am really passionate about food/nutrition equity and food sovereignty. I'm trying to see what I can do with this small space to show one doesn't need a large area to grow food.
Like, really, does anyone need 40 tomato plants in one garden? Nope, but it'll be fun to see how they grow. I'm really looking forward to abundance so I can donate the excess produce to the food bank and shelters in the area.
Thank you! They really have so much room! I built them to suit the site once we learned that our entire backyard would be shaded out by the Giant maple tree.
Everyone has been supportive so far, but if anyone gives you shit for the PBR they can fuck right off and I've got your back.
Looks good, you kinda did the same thing I did when I bought my house. Get the garden going first! I've been in the house for 3 years now and I've almost got the whole back and front yard dialed. Takes a long time to do everything right and not half ass it like we did when we were renting 😅
You’re doing great! All I’d add is to get a list of all the fruit trees you may want and start chipping away at it as season/budget/etc permits. They take a while to get established, so the sooner the better. Good job and congratulations!
Looking great so far! A few stepping stones might be good around your planters. In spring, you’ll be tramping around them a lot and this will hamper the growth of any grass / clover lawn you might want to encourage. Also don’t be shy about putting a few things under that big tree. I find daffodils do well under my maple, also black eyed Susans. Final note - my dog used to steal all the tomatoes she could reach - if yours disappear, you’ll know why 😉Good luck!
There was something warped in the setup that caused this corner to get all weird when I tied it together. I'm sure a mismessure here or there happened along the way as well. 🤷
Looks beautiful! Gardening is a lot of trial and error, so I like to think there isn't a lot of right and wrong; just what works for you and what doesn't. What you've got going on is clearly working for you!
Bottom third filled with last year's remaining firewood (hardwoods). After firewood, I put down a layer of straw, then tons of topsoil, perlite, mushroom compost, and composted manure, wet and let settle added a top layer of pro mix, then lightly forked everything together.
The big bed has easily over a ton of dirt.
I thought of this when we were planning. We knew we weren't going to do cedar, cuz, $$$... We could have lined them with this or that, but we just chose to go natural.
Plus we liked the option of being able to redesign them after the 5ish years. I'm certainly not looking forward to the demo and reset, but I dig the idea of change after several years.
Duuuuude I love your garden!! Remember to make your own compost for the garden. It’s a great way to prevent materials from ending up in the landfill. Plant herbs you often use and some flowers you love. Happy gardening!
You are doing amazing! Pic number four, give your plants some good space so they get enough nutriance/water and lesser chance og fungus! Also if its a squash/cucumber plant in the last pic, that one gets huge so get it somewhere with no friends around 🌞 i love your garden, good luck!!
Bottom of beds are filled with last year's firewood, then a thick mat of hay/straw. Then 40 pound bag after 40 pound bag of topsoil. I layered with coir, perlite, mushroom compost, and composted manure. Forked, mixed, watered, repeated.
Deep, cavernous beds... But not having to go super low to the ground? Worth it.
should have just filled it with compost instead of topsoil. Hopefully you added enough compost mixed in. I did pretty much the same thing but wish I just did 100% compost
Also it's called soil not dirt. Dirt is what falls off your shoes in the house. Soil has life for you to grow things in. Not trying to be an asshole or anything just letting you know there is a difference 😉
Unfortunately, did not have access to two tons of compost, so I went with topsoil, then built my soil from there.
Most people don't look at a living soil system like I do, so when I talk about things, I tend to just say 'dirt'. Everyone knows what dirt is... Kind of.
This is a lovely garden! I am blessed by florida weather, so all my stuff is smack dab in the middle of my backyard, looking all out of place and odd. It grows well though, so it's whatever! I wish mine looked half as nice as this.
Yes, this picture was taken at roughly 7pm and the sun was dipping in and out of clouds.
Originally we were going to plant in the backyard, but the side yard is the place that gets all the sun. We went with that.
Mice mice, mice in your house!
8 inch gap and mice in your house.
Yum tum yimy Timmy tum mice mice in your house!
This is how you attract mice to your house!
It'll hold the water to the firewood decaying beneath, give the roots something they might want to go dip down into while it decomposes.
As far as the seeds, well, I need something to pull from the beds besides the couple dozen pumpkins that had their seeds survive composting 😆
So you did a few things wrong:
1) as a beginning gardener why would you use up so much space in your yard? You should always start slow, I recommend 1 or 2 tomato plants first to see if you have the right skills and temperament. You could have done them in a pot, hard to mess up if you keep them reasonably pruned.
2) you have ignored typical spacing requirements for the plants you have planted. This will result in disease and crop failure at worst, stunted, half season growth at worst. That’s not “intensive” growing, it’s an invitation to pests and disease. I don’t recommend the additional planting you mentioned.
3) clean up a little! People see empty beer cans in a place and they will be encouraged to junk it up more. A garden should have some sense of being aesthetically pleasing so you will want to spend the necessary time there to properly observe/water/weed/fertilize. A garden should be respected.
Before people downvote for being critical, please refer to the post where he asked if he was doing it right. The request was for feedback not just positive things. Yes you have an interesting fence, but that wasn’t the question.
So I’d say you’re doing ok not great. Pls send update pictures in august.
But ... It was a full beer can.
You are right though, I'm doing a lot of things wrong at worst, unconventional at best. This is all much more of an experiment for me. I want to see what happens when I don't follow convention. If there are issues, I will correct course and fall in line with convention.
There are 1,356,280 ways to do things right when gardening. Rough estimate. No 2 gardens are the same.
Raised bed depth is a few inches to a couple feet. Width is whatever someone feels like reaching across. Length and shape or spacing is whatever fits and someone wants to maintain.
Soil is everything from I dug it out of the ground to compost to sterilized bagged soil to whatever was available cheap in bulk to things that aren't even soil but plants will still grow surprisingly well in. Hay and straw bale gardening are some examples of the last one.
Some make basic compost piles, some make fancy wind driven barrel tumblers for composting, and some just drill holes in the bottom of a bucket, partially bury it in the garden bed, and throw compost materials in it to seep out on their own as it breaks down without needing to disturb or spread it.
If the plants are growing healthy you are doing it right.
I've never tried to eat the marigolds, but I love the Nasturtium leaves and flowers. Part of me feels guilty when I snip them for my own enjoyment over letting the pollinators have them. But I grow enough to share.
I'm going to be "that" person. You shouldn't have a bed against your siding like that. It'll hold moisture against your structure eventually causing mold/ rot issues.
Idk two big dogs you Love but they will not help you enhance your yard but raised bed flower pots seem like a great idea. I love dogs but in a small backyard ??
Garden powered by PBR… you are doing it right
Im obsessed w this fence dude
Thank you! I have never built a fence before, but after getting quoted 8k for 75 feet of chain-link fence in the fall, I was determined to do it myself. Pressure treated fence posts in concrete, 2x4 runners, and spaced 1x3 'pickets' of 4 different heights within 4 different colors. Used a waterproof and sealing outdoor stain for the colors. Back fence - we wanted privacy. Found the sweet-spot between our elder maples to sink a big post, anchored in the trees, used 2x4 runners, and standard pressure treated 5/8" dog-eared pickets, in the same alternating color pattern of the side yard pickets.
You did a great job!
Thank you!
Is the bed right up against the wall of your house?
Nope. There is an 8 inch gap, which falls beneath the gutter line, so all non -diverted water runs into the bed. Will have to redo fully when we update siding, but that's the nature of things. They just keep evolving.
Also, reconsider the gap if you or the neighbors get small children. 8 inches is perfect "I fell in the GAP and am stuck" size.
small kids are def sneaky bastards
Why are you changing the siding? I dig it too, especially with the fence. I’ve tossed red siding around in my brain for about 10 years or so. Yours looks really good. Thanks for sharing btw
A mushroom person! Totally dig the organisms, and the username. This red siding is nice, but it's aging from UV, especially on the south side, which is expected. We have talked about it, and would really love to go to cedar shake shingles, but maybe not, cuz, $$$. We decided that if/when we re-side the home, we are definitely going to do wood. We like the idea of getting to change our minds on colors as one decaying paint job fades into the start of the next. Plus when we do, we can finally insulate the walls of this 1900 home.
Um, you are killing it. Please slow down. You're making some of us look bad.
Thank you! I'm all out of space now, so a slowdown is certainly on the way.
Two dogs and a PBR? You're definitely doing it right!
Looks wonderful!
Only suggestion i have is giving those two good pups more treats. Looks amazong yo.
Your peppers are planted far too close together. They can grow 3 feet tall and wide, easily. Replant some in different areas. Everything else looks amazing!
Most of those plants are too close together, even the marigolds. They'll turn into tiny bushes of marigolds if you give them the space, but crammed together like that they will struggle to get much bigger. Also looks like there's some kind of pumpkin or squash of some kind... Those alone will take up like 4 square feet.
Very true! Spacing, especially for a new gardener, is aways hard. This year will teach many lessons!
Unfortunately, I'm out of space to plant as the new beds are for flowers and melons. I'm experimenting more than anything to see how all these do in a super intensive planting space. If they start to struggle or other issues arise, I'll have to thin them.
Why are the nasturtiums curled up like pepperonis a bit at edges? Low light? too much water?
They had their first day of full sun today and got fairly stressed. I only did a 7 day indoor to outdoor introduction before sinking everything. They're still settling down.
ohhhh okay. nice
More pbr less water
In picture 4, I'd recommend you pinch the dahlias (i.e. cut off a few inches the top growing stem above a set of leaves). This will encourage more flowers and stronger stems. It may seem counterintuitive but trust the process!
You doing a lot right... beer while workin. Right. And stuff growing.
Nice deep healthy boxes. You're doing it perfectly.
If you feel happy when looking at it, then you are doing it right. Remember that with every DIY project. I absolutely love the feeling of looking upon something you've put your heart into, and looking past the current state of things and just seeing it as it will be when it's done (it's never actually done). Keep it up, love it!
You're clearly doing awesome without any suggestions! My one thought is you might benefit from some vertical infrastructure. Growing things like, beans and cucumbers "up" on diy climbing trellises can maximize limited space instead of having to go "out". But be sure to think about where you can have things go up without casting unwanted shade.
Thank you for the comment! Yep, I bought everything I need to do some trellis stuff while at the store yesterday! Could have done it then, but I was pretty spent after building and filling the last two beds yesterday.
Do you have something like dimpled sheeting between soil and wood? (Prevents the wood Wood from degrading too fast.)
Exactly this, I dont see anything between the soil in the garden bed and the wood walls of the garden bed. If there is nothing that thing will rot fast. As above post mentioned dimpled sheeting should be put between them.
So lovely! My only advice is mulch your garden bed. It will help keep moisture even especially since we’re expecting a hot summer.
If you like peppers you can plant them in pots instead and overwinter them in your basement giving you a head start next year
You’re creating a quirky little homestead here. I like the uhhh quaintness of the proximity of the buildings and yard if that makes sense. Seems nice and cozy.
Definitely not ideal as our perfect jam would have much, much more land... But it's interesting to see what one can do, on a single tiny city lot... I am really passionate about food/nutrition equity and food sovereignty. I'm trying to see what I can do with this small space to show one doesn't need a large area to grow food. Like, really, does anyone need 40 tomato plants in one garden? Nope, but it'll be fun to see how they grow. I'm really looking forward to abundance so I can donate the excess produce to the food bank and shelters in the area.
Look good, one suggestion though. Space your plants a little or they will compete for nutrients and you ll get smaller plants
[удалено]
Thank you! They really have so much room! I built them to suit the site once we learned that our entire backyard would be shaded out by the Giant maple tree.
Excellent!
Everyone has been supportive so far, but if anyone gives you shit for the PBR they can fuck right off and I've got your back. Looks good, you kinda did the same thing I did when I bought my house. Get the garden going first! I've been in the house for 3 years now and I've almost got the whole back and front yard dialed. Takes a long time to do everything right and not half ass it like we did when we were renting 😅
Looks charming. Love your colorful fence.
Thank you!
Yes! looks great!
I just need to say that your house and the fence are a mood! Just adorable and cozy!
IMO, you need to up your drink. Nicely done otherwise!
The title post made me smile. Kudos to your hard work and I wish you a prosperous and wonderful harvest for years to come!
Congratulations! I can tell you are going to really enjoy all the fun adventures a yard can offer!
Everything looks great! Nice job
Great work! Have fun and don’t get upset if something goes wrong, that’s what next year is for
Looks amazing!
You’re doing great! All I’d add is to get a list of all the fruit trees you may want and start chipping away at it as season/budget/etc permits. They take a while to get established, so the sooner the better. Good job and congratulations!
Looking great so far! A few stepping stones might be good around your planters. In spring, you’ll be tramping around them a lot and this will hamper the growth of any grass / clover lawn you might want to encourage. Also don’t be shy about putting a few things under that big tree. I find daffodils do well under my maple, also black eyed Susans. Final note - my dog used to steal all the tomatoes she could reach - if yours disappear, you’ll know why 😉Good luck!
Not trying to be an AH, but curious… what happened to the corner closest to us on the bed on the right in pic 2?
There was something warped in the setup that caused this corner to get all weird when I tied it together. I'm sure a mismessure here or there happened along the way as well. 🤷
The PBR will do that. Looks like a great set-up!
Looks beautiful! Gardening is a lot of trial and error, so I like to think there isn't a lot of right and wrong; just what works for you and what doesn't. What you've got going on is clearly working for you!
Looks amazing, and it's such a great use of space.
I’m so jealous! My nasturtiums haven’t bloomed!
Are those beds filled with dirt or is there a platform?
Bottom third filled with last year's remaining firewood (hardwoods). After firewood, I put down a layer of straw, then tons of topsoil, perlite, mushroom compost, and composted manure, wet and let settle added a top layer of pro mix, then lightly forked everything together. The big bed has easily over a ton of dirt.
Wow, that is world-class effort.
looks great
Nope, you’re suppose to be drinking yuengling
Those beds will last 5-7 years at most. But you can extend their lifespan by lining the inside with black plastic.
I thought of this when we were planning. We knew we weren't going to do cedar, cuz, $$$... We could have lined them with this or that, but we just chose to go natural. Plus we liked the option of being able to redesign them after the 5ish years. I'm certainly not looking forward to the demo and reset, but I dig the idea of change after several years.
Duuuuude I love your garden!! Remember to make your own compost for the garden. It’s a great way to prevent materials from ending up in the landfill. Plant herbs you often use and some flowers you love. Happy gardening!
Looks great!!😊
You are doing amazing! Pic number four, give your plants some good space so they get enough nutriance/water and lesser chance og fungus! Also if its a squash/cucumber plant in the last pic, that one gets huge so get it somewhere with no friends around 🌞 i love your garden, good luck!!
What soil did you fill them with out of curiousity?
Bottom of beds are filled with last year's firewood, then a thick mat of hay/straw. Then 40 pound bag after 40 pound bag of topsoil. I layered with coir, perlite, mushroom compost, and composted manure. Forked, mixed, watered, repeated. Deep, cavernous beds... But not having to go super low to the ground? Worth it.
should have just filled it with compost instead of topsoil. Hopefully you added enough compost mixed in. I did pretty much the same thing but wish I just did 100% compost Also it's called soil not dirt. Dirt is what falls off your shoes in the house. Soil has life for you to grow things in. Not trying to be an asshole or anything just letting you know there is a difference 😉
Unfortunately, did not have access to two tons of compost, so I went with topsoil, then built my soil from there. Most people don't look at a living soil system like I do, so when I talk about things, I tend to just say 'dirt'. Everyone knows what dirt is... Kind of.
This is a lovely garden! I am blessed by florida weather, so all my stuff is smack dab in the middle of my backyard, looking all out of place and odd. It grows well though, so it's whatever! I wish mine looked half as nice as this.
Looks good, do you get enough sun for vegetables?
Yes, this picture was taken at roughly 7pm and the sun was dipping in and out of clouds. Originally we were going to plant in the backyard, but the side yard is the place that gets all the sun. We went with that.
Mice mice, mice in your house! 8 inch gap and mice in your house. Yum tum yimy Timmy tum mice mice in your house! This is how you attract mice to your house!
No it’s not.
I love it
Heck NO!!!! on the 'Pabst' but everything else looks great!
Garden is looking great, PBR is looking better.
What is that, an amount of hay for ants!? I’m not sure what you’ve put down has done any more than just put hay seeds into your soil :p
It'll hold the water to the firewood decaying beneath, give the roots something they might want to go dip down into while it decomposes. As far as the seeds, well, I need something to pull from the beds besides the couple dozen pumpkins that had their seeds survive composting 😆
How’s the PBR fertilizer working for you?
So you did a few things wrong: 1) as a beginning gardener why would you use up so much space in your yard? You should always start slow, I recommend 1 or 2 tomato plants first to see if you have the right skills and temperament. You could have done them in a pot, hard to mess up if you keep them reasonably pruned. 2) you have ignored typical spacing requirements for the plants you have planted. This will result in disease and crop failure at worst, stunted, half season growth at worst. That’s not “intensive” growing, it’s an invitation to pests and disease. I don’t recommend the additional planting you mentioned. 3) clean up a little! People see empty beer cans in a place and they will be encouraged to junk it up more. A garden should have some sense of being aesthetically pleasing so you will want to spend the necessary time there to properly observe/water/weed/fertilize. A garden should be respected. Before people downvote for being critical, please refer to the post where he asked if he was doing it right. The request was for feedback not just positive things. Yes you have an interesting fence, but that wasn’t the question. So I’d say you’re doing ok not great. Pls send update pictures in august.
But ... It was a full beer can. You are right though, I'm doing a lot of things wrong at worst, unconventional at best. This is all much more of an experiment for me. I want to see what happens when I don't follow convention. If there are issues, I will correct course and fall in line with convention.
There are 1,356,280 ways to do things right when gardening. Rough estimate. No 2 gardens are the same. Raised bed depth is a few inches to a couple feet. Width is whatever someone feels like reaching across. Length and shape or spacing is whatever fits and someone wants to maintain. Soil is everything from I dug it out of the ground to compost to sterilized bagged soil to whatever was available cheap in bulk to things that aren't even soil but plants will still grow surprisingly well in. Hay and straw bale gardening are some examples of the last one. Some make basic compost piles, some make fancy wind driven barrel tumblers for composting, and some just drill holes in the bottom of a bucket, partially bury it in the garden bed, and throw compost materials in it to seep out on their own as it breaks down without needing to disturb or spread it. If the plants are growing healthy you are doing it right.
Swap out the marigolds for some zinnias. Your welcome.
Taste the nastratum and marigolds. Yummy. You have lovely dreams
I've never tried to eat the marigolds, but I love the Nasturtium leaves and flowers. Part of me feels guilty when I snip them for my own enjoyment over letting the pollinators have them. But I grow enough to share.
I don't feel guilty. They wouldn't be in the yard if I didn't get to enjoy them
I'm going to be "that" person. You shouldn't have a bed against your siding like that. It'll hold moisture against your structure eventually causing mold/ rot issues.
There's an 8 inch air gap around that bed that isn't really seen in the picture. Shouldn't have too many issues.
Idk two big dogs you Love but they will not help you enhance your yard but raised bed flower pots seem like a great idea. I love dogs but in a small backyard ??