PART 3 of 4 : Today is the 3rd part of our four - part series on how to plant a simple garden using raise row beds . Over the course of the four weeks , we will take you through the cognitive operation of how we plan , works , manage and maintain our raise course garden – and how to create your own simple garden in your yard . If you miss the premature weeks ( part 1&2 ) – you may get through on the highlighted school text below to view.1.Growing Simple – farm Row Gardening – Click Here For Part 12 . Preparing And Planting The Garden – Click Here For Part 23 . conserve The Garden Through The Season4 . Keeping Your Beds Productive
Maintaining The Garden Through The Season:
Raised wrangle Beds can keep your garden bet neat and neaten throughout the time of year
So you have your raised quarrel beds all build – and your ready to plant ! The sky really is the limitation for what you want to grow . The literal key fruit is in how you plant and maintain your crop . At the bottom of this post , to help oneself with some ideas , we have include 3 wide-eyed garden plans for a salsa , alimentary paste sauce , and all - purpose garden . Once your garden is planted – you will be astonied at how trivial you need to work in it each day to keep it looking capital . If you but spend 5 to 10 minutes a 24-hour interval in the garden – walking the rows and pulling a few weeds here and there in the planting rowing – it will stay amazingly sporting with little effort . Your reward will be great tasting vegetables for you and your family . But for now – here are the genuine keys for success in planting and maintaining your raised row garden bed :
PLANTING :

Raised Row Beds can keep your garden looking neat and tidy throughout the season
We use generous amount of compost in our planting holes to get our unexampled plants off to a great starting signal
Plant spacing is critical for the overall success of whatever you implant . As a cosmopolitan rule of thumb – I wish to plant my chief plants ( tomatoes , peppers , Cucumis sativus , etc . ) about 24″ on shopping centre between each flora . That ’s enough elbow room to easily operate around the plants and to appropriate for good plant growth . When you plant – propagate the topsoil aside and plant the small-scale plants now into the straw below . With a raise row bottom – the husk and topsoil enactment as a great moisture retainer for the plant life ’s root , and allow them to spread and grow quickly . As the roots mature into the stubble – they will go even deeper in to the loosened soil and give great resolution ! As we plant into the golf hole – we will fill in with a small more surface soil , or even better , compost at the bottom of the hole , mixed into the straw layer . Then fill in around the entire plant with the surface soil and gently press the dirt – have sure to just easily depress the soil around the open soil so the works is in place . One thing that Mary and I do at this percentage point before we mulch the plant – is to produce a little 1/2 to 1″ deep circular imprint about 3 to 4″ around the plant . Why ? it make it easier when you are watering to give up the body of water to pluck in around the root zone and not incline off . Once that is done – we will mulch with about an 1″ of compost covering up right around the 3 to 4″ depression . If you do not have compost – you may sure as shooting utilize shred leaves or straw – but employ something to keep the soil covered around the plant .
ensure to gently stop apart root bound plants when you rive them out of the containers

We use generous amounts of compost in our planting holes to get our new plants off to a great start
For planting cum constituent of the bed – such as moolah , cultivated carrot , peas , etc . – plant right into the surface soil that is above the straw . Just use your finger or a hoe to make a little depression in the topsoil and spread the seeds according to the package , and plow . I do not mulch my seed crops , allowing for them to evolve and come up through the soil . Once our peas and green edible bean do up – I will then put down a 1/2″ layer of mulch around the industrial plant .
verify you gently interrupt apart the theme ball when you pull a plant out of your container . It take into account the origin to dilate more rapidly into the Modern dirt . Do n’t break it wholly apart – just mildly untie the tightly wound etymon ball to give it elbow room to dilate . One concluding tip – it ’s very of import to provide some funding for your tomatoes and for your peppercorn as they develop to keep them off the ground . Whether you stake , employ a John Milton Cage Jr. , or utilize a combination like we do – ( Stake - A - Cage)get them corroborate early on !
Once you have your garden planted – now comes the time to mulch and water .

Make sure to gently break apart root bound plants when you pull them out of the containers
MULCH YOUR PLANTS
We use compost around our works as mulch – it helps retain moisture and adds nutrients to the plant life
It does n’t matter if it ’s a pepper , cucumber , or tomato works . apply a hefty amount of mulch around the base of the flora really helps . It help the soil temperature around the works stay regulated and help keep out weeds that compete for nutrient . It also helps hold in the piddle to the plant when it rains or when watering .

We use compost around our plants as mulch – it helps retain moisture and adds nutrients to the plants
What to apply as a mulch ? older grass clippings , shredded leaf , finished compost or stalk work big . We have used all at one head or another – but have really settled on the compost . Not only is it great at progress your grime up and retaining wet – it also serves as a fleck of constituent fertiliser to the plants every time it rains leaching the compost food into the soil and into your plants . If you are new to gardening and do n’t yet have declamatory amounts of compost on hand – do n’t worry – the shuck , grass or tear up farewell work great as a mulch .
MULCHING YOUR walk rowing
Mulching your walking rows keeps the weeds down and the garden looking with child

Mulching your walking rows keeps the weeds down and the garden looking great
check that you apply a healthy 3″ to 6″ of husk or shredded leaves to your walking rows . It keep the weed suppressed – and by encompass the spare dirt – you are keep muff Mary Jane seed from getting a start in your garden . This is a huge time recoverer and keeps weeding and the time you spend in your garden to a minimum . When we do get a few weeds take off to pop through – we will execute the weed - eater through the walking rows and cut them to the dry land – then go for another weighed down layer of mulch . We do this about once a month through the season .
WATERING – THE KEY TO IT ALL !
Proper watering can really assist your plant stay goodish and strong

Proper watering can really help your plants stay healthy and strong
This may be the most crucial part of the par for a garden ’s success . Just remember 3 things when it comes to watering that make it simple . WHEN , HOW and HOW MUCH .
WHEN :
Watering in the early morning is best – before the sunshine has a chance to really get hot . Water at the basis of the plant and let it soak in . If you irrigate in the afternoon – you not only launch the risk of burning the leaves from the sun char the water that may strike the plant life – but you lose a lot more to evaporation than watering in the early morning . Besides your beer or favorite beverage gets so much warm in the raging Sunday 🙂

Staying off the plant rows lets the roots develop and the plants grow big and strong
HOW :
Water slow and at the stand of each plant . Let it soak in and arrive back a few time and apply small amounts that soak right in where it ’s needed most at the root level of the plant . Spraying the whole garden with a self-aggrandizing hose and spray nozzle can head to a batch of trouble besides just scorching plants . Problems like damaging plant , destroying the blooms that create the vegetables with too hard of a nebuliser , or help fungus and molder explicate on sozzled moist folio may occur . We actually apply old milk jugs when the flora are small to water our works . We can water our intact garden ( over 125 plant ) with about 6 to 8 gallons the first few weeks . The first workweek is the most dangerous for your plants – if you have hot weather – you may need to irrigate each day – but water tiresome and promiscuous .
HOW MUCH :

Good soil makes for healthy plants without using synthetic fertilizers
Too petty water and they shrivel up up . Too much water and they wo n’t evolve the good and deep base structure needed for vainglorious plants . A unspoilt rule of thumb is that a garden flora typically demand to receive about 1 in of water a week . If mother nature is n’t supplying that – then you need to supplement . What most do n’t say is that the 1″ of H2O should n’t come all at once . If you are experiencing a prolong dry spell – pee every two to three days with about a 1/2″ of water to the plant at a time . This allows enough urine to go deeper into the soil and build cryptical roots – but leave the plants more ordered watering . Why not every day you might necessitate ? If you irrigate every day – the plants will never institutionalize their antecedent deep count for water – and you end up with much less hardy and developed plant . Call it tough love life watering to develop stronger plants – but it works .
Stay Off Your Bed Rows !
outride off the plant rowing lets the roots modernise and the works raise cock-a-hoop and strong

Whether you have raise beds , raised wrangle , regular rows , or just a few elementary garden plants tucked in to your flowerbed or lowly space – do n’t take the air near them . When you wad the area around a plant with big soil clogging foot prints and expectant foundation traffic – it really does make it hard for the plant life to spring up bigger root . Less roots = less way for the plant to soak up the worthful water supply and nutrients from the grunge that benefit the industrial plant . It ’s one ground raised beds and container garden can be so effective – but even if you do n’t have them – you’re able to make a immense difference just by staying off the footing around your plants .
What about fertiliser ?
Good grime make for healthy plants without using man-made fertiliser

This is such a huffy topic for many . The simple solvent is this – if you have healthy grime – and you improve it each twelvemonth with lots of compost and chopped leaves and organic matter or cover harvest – you really have no need for it . If you require to keep your garden innocent of synthetic fertilizers but your plant need a rise – you may make a great natural liquid plant food by hock fresh compost in water system – and watering your plants with it . Like with any plant food – you want to keep off collide with the farewell directly as it can incinerate them – instead , water the territory around the stem of the plants . It ’s a great agency to give a boost to your plants naturally .
Below you will find our 3 unsubdivided plan for some 10′ x 15′ garden layout . They can be used as is – or - make them your own and deputize plant that you need to grow and consume . Next week , in the final segment anticipate “ Keeping The Beds Productive ” – we will cover the final topics in advance row bed : Amending your territory , rotating your crops , and planting cover crops over the winter to build tops soil .
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– Jim and Mary
3 SIMPLE GARDEN PLANS
Protect your plant by found after the commend last frost date in your arena – we usually get our plants in the ground here in Ohio around mid - May . germ crops like lettuce , cilantro , peas , radish , carrot , and onion plant sets can be seeded before – they both choose the cool conditions and can palm a promiscuous icing as they emerge . We usually will plant a 2d solidification of those crops in former summer / early fall – as many cool weather crops bolt out and conk off in the summertime heat .
Salsa Garden Plan
Salad Lovers Garden Plan
All Purpose Garden Plan
The All Purpose Garden Plan

The All Purpose Garden Plan