Raised Bed Gardening 101

This past Saturday we had our first spring gardening class of 2009, Raised Bed Gardening. It was well attended, with both questions and dirt flying. This year we had decided to plan and plant our own little Victory Garden in the raised bed area to the north of the property. Most of our regular gardeners will remember this as the area where our amazing white rose blooms so profusely all summer. Don't worry, it isn't being taken out and re-located - it will be one of our big pollinators as it brings the bees in with it's breathtaking beauty and scent. It is also located directly west of our vegetable and herb selling area, so we thought it would be a great way to showcase what you can do in a raised bed, as well as supply us with well needed veggies for our summer salads on work days. Last year we grew some amazing tomatoes and basil, but this year we are shooting to fill the whole bowl with fresh greens, peppers, tomatoes, herbs, squash, carrots and ???

Our Victory Garden is taking a slight twist over the historical meaning, a kitchen garden planted during wartime to relieve food shortages. Our Victory Garden will take on our personal twist as we fill it with small sticks that have special meaning for the author. What has your personal victory been this day/week/year/life? We invite you to participate as we supply small stick signs for anyone to write on and place in our raised bed when it is completed.

Michelle and I started the class with a little basic information, and then she got the digging going. Over the next hour we were able to get one corner of the bed started as well as hopefully inspire everyone in the class to go home and start planning out their own. We ended the session with a tour out to our worm box, lifting the lid and smiling as we watched the hundreds.....or what seems like thousands, or worms that are growing and thriving in the back garden. Stop by anytime, we will walk you out there to take a peek.

Here is Michelle pointing out the MOST IMPORTANT thing to amend for gardening success in our desert sand/clay area, the soil and the addition of living nutrients.
And what would a class be without our sweet Harriet weaving her way in and out of our fellow gardeners legs, making sure that Michelle and I are doing everything correctly.

If you missed the class, or just need some helpful hints, click on the link below to take you to the website page where we have summarized much of what we talked about.
Happy Gardening, Susan

http://www.flowertreenursery.com/veginfo.html