Planting My garden with the sandy soil...mostly vertical

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Wildwood

Veteran Member
These are pictures of my garden.

2023...this is most of my garden from the front view. There are three rows to the right that aren't in the picture and more garden behind it including two 25 ft. long raised beds and a big squash bed.
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This was after the flood in 2022...tomatoes on the left and okra on the right. Every one of these plants were washed out of the ground and my DS and DDIL gathered up what they could find of the then bare root plants, replaced the trellises and replanted them. They were about two feet tall at the time and I'd just planted them less than a month before so they hadn't formed enough new roots to anchor them in place. I start my okra inside too because if I can get it at least 18" tall before it goes in the ground, the rabbits won't eat it.
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2022...here is a view of the rows from the back. These are my pink eye purple hulls.
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W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
TxGal said:
Wildwood, what type of landscape fabric are you using? That looks like heavy duty material, the type that would be used by nurseries.
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This is some I ordered a couple years ago. I've ordered all sizes. This was to go under the arched trellis on the far right. You only see a small portion of it. The quality was good.




I'll never order from this company again...it has not held up at all.



Tractor Supply carries it in the four foot width and it lasts forever...at least what I got a few years back has held up well.

amazon said:
I love it! It looks low maintenance too.
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It is once you get it set up the way you want it...lots of trial and error. There are three more rows to the right that aren't in the picture and DS came over and helped pull t-posts and cattle panels in most of the middle rows yesterday. I'm doing a whole new set up with two of my tomato rows and some of the rest of the spacing wasn't good...hopefully this will be the last rearrangement. I'm considering moving it all back about twelve feet because I have a walnut tree that is closer than I like on the left.
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
packyderms_wife said:
Are those cattle panels joined together to form an arch? If so how did you join them together?
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They aren't joined together. Each panel is 16 ft. long and 50" wide. It is one panel arched over with four t-posts, one at each corner and 72" from one side to the other and everything secured with zip ties. I do mine a little differently. I leave 18" between each panel on my arched trellises and also start them about nine inches up so I can weed and use the cultivator under them.

The 18" spacing prevents overcrowding and I don't have to walk to the end of the row to enter it. Once it fills in completely, you can't enter as easily but by then the bulk of the work is done and you are just gathering at that point. I usually do peas, beans, cucumbers and small melons on the arches. I'll try and find a picture that shows what I'm talking about. Yesterday DS and I wreaked havoc taking down most trellises to reconfigure one last time. It looks like a disaster area lol. Lord willing, by next week it should all be put back up and ready to plant when the time is right.

This year the stright panels like most in the picture will have experimental green beans...I've finally found a stringless pole bean plus a row of winter squash with a few rows left open for last minute changes and things I can't remember right now. I started this about five or six years ago and it's been a learning process with lots of tweaking. I've about got it figured out lol.
 
C

Coulter

Veteran Member
Wildwood said:
This is some I ordered a couple years ago. I've ordered all sizes. This was to go under the arched trellis on the far right. You only see a small portion of it. The quality was good.




I'll never order from this company again...it has not held up at all.



Tractor Supply carries it in the four foot width and it lasts forever...at least what I got a few years back has held up well.



It is once you get it set up the way you want it...lots of trial and error. There are three more rows to the right that aren't in the picture and DS came over and helped pull t-posts and cattle panels in most of the middle rows yesterday. I'm doing a whole new set up with two of my tomato rows and some of the rest of the spacing wasn't good...hopefully this will be the last rearrangement. I'm considering moving it all back about twelve feet because I have a walnut tree that is closer than I like on the left.
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Most people don't understand how many hours that goes into what appears to be somewhat low maintenance.

Have you noticed any problems growing close the walnut tree?

Do you take up the fabric every year?
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
Babs said:
Beautiful and productive!!
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Thank you! It is much more productive than traditional gardening, especially here where weeds are so aggressive. If I hadn't discovered this method, I would have given up on gardening in this area completely.

Coulter said:
Most people don't understand how many hours that goes into what appears to be somewhat low maintenance.

Have you noticed any problems growing close the walnut tree?

Do you take up the fabric every year?
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You are so right about that...you just do most of the work up front, getting it all set up.

The walnut tree hasn't caused as many problems as I would have expected...it was much smaller when I started gardening in this spot. This year it had a bumper crop though and I have hundreds of them in one corner of my garden...shame on me for not getting them up sooner but it's been a very hard year for me and at that point I was in survival mode. The good thing is most of that corner will be moved around and the ground where they've rested will be covered and the row moved over. We have considered cutting it for years...this may be the year. DH will mill the wood. The shade it throws probably does more harm than anything.

The only time I take up the fabric is to rearrange something. It would defeat the purpose because I would have a massive amount of weeds to deal with before I put it back down. When I put it down, the ground is completely cleared of anything and leveled the best I can get it......it goes down on bare earth. I've already got weeds growing in the small open spaces and in both my big raised beds. The plan was to put plastic over all of it last fall but I just couldn't get to it. so I'll pay this spring with extra clean up but DS is helping me this year so that helps.
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
desertvet2 said:
A homesteading friend of mine used road building fabric. She tried everything over the years and she said that while you pay a premium for it, it does last for decade(s)...
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This is similar but not near the quality. I'd love to get some of the stuff your friend used. I'm still adding things and that uses up my garden budget and more but if I ever get my infrastucture done, I may get the good stuff.

Bud in Fla said:
It looks entirely too neat and weed free! Maybe one day I'll be where I can grow a decent garden again.....but we can grow some fantastic sandspurs here!
Looks great!!!
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Thank you Bud! I hope you can get to a good place for a garden, there are several in my area.

Honestly the weeds grow so well here, this is the only way I can do it...others have better control than me. I just have to cover them up.
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
amazon said:
Wildwood do you recommend any books or videos that were helpful to you?
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Not really any books but I'm an avid watcher of youtube gardening channels.

Roots and Refuge's earlier videos were very inspirational...that is when she is still in Arkansas. You don't see them in the pics but behind my garden there are two 25 ft. raised beds with four cattle panel arches going from one bed to the other. She inspired me in design but for technical growing info there are others I like too but Jess is the girl for a pretty garden. This is a video to get you started...you'll have so much fun getting inspiration from her. As I remember more youtube favorites, I will post them in the gardening forum here on TB.

Edited to add....this is one of her first videos and they just get better. A few years ago they moved east and her channel is a little more sophiticated now but I still love these early ones.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXOX1nzCnaQ&ab_channel=RootsandRefugeFarm
 
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W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
amazon said:
Wildwood do you recommend any books or videos that were helpful to you?
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DH keeps trying to get me to do a youtube channel but I'm not sure I could. I sound really country and southern...not sure my voice would appeal to most people plus I'm short and a little wider than I use to be and can't be bothered with dressing up or makeup any more. I spend my summers in cut off jeans and a worn out canvas carpenter's apron with all my garden essentials on board.
 
amazon

amazon

Veteran Member
Wildwood said:
DH keeps trying to get me to do a youtube channel but I'm not sure I could. I sound really country and southern...not sure my voice would appeal to most people plus I'm short and a little wider than I use to be and can't be bothered with dressing up or makeup any more. I spend my summers in cut off jeans and a worn out canvas carpenter's apron with all my garden essentials on board.
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Lol. I'm country and southern too. I don't blame you for not wanting to do youtube. I hope you continue to share as gardening season ramps up. : )
 
Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
_______________
In order to generate an alert to another member, place an “@“ symbol in front of their name, thusly:

@ioujc , please read the OP of this thread. The member is alerted with a link.

Also, this doesn’t go on Main. Moving to the Corkboard.
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
Dennis Olson said:
In order to generate an alert to another member, place an “@“ symbol in front of their name, thusly:

@ioujc , please read the OP of this thread. The member is alerted with a link.

Also, this doesn’t go on Main. Moving to the Corkboard.
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Dennis, if I take ioujc off the title could we move it to the garden section?
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I am currently switching to higher raised beds. It's planning for the future. I'm also trying to figure out a "self watering" feature.

The new beds are 19" high. I think I'm going to get steel drums and cut them long ways. Then lay those in the bottom of the bed. Trampoline mat as a screen over them. Then packing with tree debris, leaves, etc to about halfway up. And soil for the top foot. I will still need a full water catchment system but that will help some.

I am debating some cattle panel arches in the long run. And people definitely don't seem to realize that what looks easy mid-season is only that way because of a lot of prep work. But bonus, normally this level of prep work will last for many years. I'll take the front end investment of time and energy to reduce the long term work.
 
J

John Deere Girl

Veteran Member
Wildwood said:
DH keeps trying to get me to do a youtube channel but I'm not sure I could. I sound really country and southern...not sure my voice would appeal to most people plus I'm short and a little wider than I use to be and can't be bothered with dressing up or makeup any more. I spend my summers in cut off jeans and a worn out canvas carpenter's apron with all my garden essentials on board.
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You could do Instagram! You don't have to do video on there, just pictures.
 
momma_soapmaker

momma_soapmaker

Disgusted
kyrsyan said:
I am currently switching to higher raised beds. It's planning for the future. I'm also trying to figure out a "self watering" feature.

The new beds are 19" high. I think I'm going to get steel drums and cut them long ways. Then lay those in the bottom of the bed. Trampoline mat as a screen over them. Then packing with tree debris, leaves, etc to about halfway up. And soil for the top foot. I will still need a full water catchment system but that will help some.

I am debating some cattle panel arches in the long run. And people definitely don't seem to realize that what looks easy mid-season is only that way because of a lot of prep work. But bonus, normally this level of prep work will last for many years. I'll take the front end investment of time and energy to reduce the long term work.
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I'm planning on doing a self-watering system too. Watched a bunch of videos, and put what I liked best together in my head.

We're using 17" metal beds with open bottoms. This is all going over thick landscape fabric. Chicken wire or something similar will be in the bottom as a precaution because of moles.

I bought heavy visqueen as a liner (it might actually be pond liner - can't remember). French drain pipe with the holes in it go down next with landscape fabric zip tied on the ends.

A drain will be added halfway up the pipe. A piece of PVC cut at an angle on the end will be put into one of the pipes to serve as a fill for the reservoir.

Burlap goes over all of it, then a mix of coconut fiber, vermiculite, and compost/soil.

Not 100% sure it will work, but it's so hot here in Arkansas, we have to do something for watering. Weeds are horrendous too, as Wildwood mentioned.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I absolutely love looking at photos of other's gardens. Thank you, Wildwood for posting yours.

We have a very large back yard. At one time, the whole back yard was laid out in a nice maze of raised beds of differing sizes. We grew so much food that I gave a lot away each year and still had more than I could handle by myself. We were in a lot better shape, health wise, than we are today, but I still love to scratch in the dirt. We only have a few of those raised beds left, and the past few years, they haven't been very successful.
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
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Sandspurs!! I’m not laughing at you, but with you. I dig up any and all sandspurs I find with a dandelion root thingie and then I use one of those mini torches like chefs use to melt sugar and burn the heck out of that spot. Sandspurs are from the devil. People laugh when I say that … until they get stuck with one and try and get shed of it.

I’m fairly certain the tree rats have make a pact with the devil to plant those things all over.

Bud in Fla said:
It looks entirely too neat and weed free! Maybe one day I'll be where I can grow a decent garden again.....but we can grow some fantastic sandspurs here!
Looks great!!!
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