I've been doing a lot of research and figuring on how to do next year's garden. This year's garden was a big experiment -- to see how much I could grow in my limited patio space, to see what I can grow, to resolve the watering problem, and to find out what I want to grow next year.
SPACE AND SUNLIGHT - My two biggest realities
The totes are working very well, with one hitch -- space. I have two rows of totes to maximize the space but that makes it very crowded. I can't access the front of my front plants unless I go outside the building, as I can't get to the front of my patio from the patio itself. But working between the two rows is a problem. And if I butt the two rows up together, I don't have a back wall for the trellis for the melons and I can't get to the front row at all without having to go outside. So that is not a solution to the space problem.
The other problem is sunlight -- I am east-facing and only get the sun from the east -- not the south or the west. Furthermore, it's a 3-story building and the patio has a roof on it, so once the sun gets directly overhead, my direct sun ends. And of course, as the sun rises, the direct sun moves across the patio from back to front. Will the back row of plants get sufficient sunlight? Last year I put the plants along the back wall for wind protection, and they did okay. And this year, with the double row, the back row is doing okay, too. They don't get optimal sunlight, but some of the plants can tolerate some periods of shade, and some even do better with some shade.
WATERING
I solved my watering problem mostly by installing a drip irrigation system. I couldn't get the supplies I really wanted to had to resort to separate drip emitters along a tube, instead of drip tape which already has the holes in it for drip. Also, because I have 14 different containers, I had to have 14 different leads. I used the t-attachments so I can do two totes at a time, but the more holes in the main line, the more opportunities to leak. But what I have, and the size of the totes, greatly simplifies my watering situation.
CHANGE TO A RAISED BED
Even though the totes are doing well, they don't act as a "single" garden. The worms can't migrate from one tote to another, the nutrients don't mix from one tote to another, and neither does the moisture. Next year, the plan is to build a raised bed, roughly 2' wide x 12' long x 1' high. This will span the East edge of my patio. This raised bed will be divided between two beds, 1'x12'x1 -- a summer garden, which is the East patio bed, and a spring garden, which is on the West.
I thought I would use planter wall boxes to form the corners, so I don't have to drill and attach boards, but they won't allow the E-side plank to be flush with the E-edge of the patio.
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That's because of the extension beyond where the plank for the side of the raised bed will go. This will make it difficult, if not impossible, to put braces along the E side for support. I want to have the planks along the E edge of the patio.
I also thought I would use cedar planks for the front, to improve the appearance from the street, but other things I am using in the garden will make that pretty much useless. So I will use pine planks, and get the 2x6 planks that are 12 feet long. I will have a divider down the middle of the bed to separate the summer bed from the spring bed.
The standard board measurements are:
2x4 = 1 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches
2x6 = 1 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches
And the standard length measurement for a 2x12 is 11 1/4".
I want the board from to stand 1/2" above the cement floor of the patio for drainage. I will line the bottom of the frame with weed protection fabric so it will drain properly.
These are the dimensions I will be working with to make the box frame.
2 Side planks
2 End planks
1 Middle plank
This is the basic design. The two side planks, on the East and the West, will be on the outside of the box, and the end planks, on the North and the South, will be on the inside. If the side planks fall short of the length of the patio, the difference will be made up at the south end, because the north end will have a trellis attached and it needs to be flush with the edge of the patio.
The end planks will be measured as follows:
2', or 24", the intended inside width of the bed MINUS 1 1/2" x 2 = 3" to account for the width of the two side planks = 21" PLUS 1 1/2" to account for the width of the middle plank = 22 1/2". Each end plank must be 22 1/2" long.
The middle plank also goes on the inside of the end planks. One plank = 11' 1/4", or 132 1/4", long MINUS 1 1/2" x 2 = 3" to account for the two end planks = 129 1/4" or 10' 9 1/4" long. CHANGE: Use only a 2x4 the length of the box for the middle plank, as that will provide enough to attach the loops to which will support the frost and insect coverings.
The corners of the box will be secured with metal corner brackets to keep the box corners square. Use one for the top planks and one for the bottom planks. Also, screws will be drilled through the side planks into the end planks, 2 screws in each plank.
The middle plank is attached to the end planks with light duty joist hangers attached to the top end plank. Only one middle plank is used so as to allow this to be a single bed for worms, nutrients, and moisture.
On the bottom of the box, furring strips will be screwed to each plank, placed intermittently around the box. The furring strips will be the 1/2" thick x 1 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" long. These are to elevate the box above the patio cement floor to allow for adequate drainage.
With the box in its upright position and in place, will be lined with weed control fabric stapled to the inside of the box. The fabric will extend the length of the bed, the width of the whole double bed, and up the sides about 4". The inside of the box will then be lined with clear plastic along the sides, to extend down overlapping the weed fabric. The sides of the middle plank will also be lined with the plastic.
With the box in position, 4 supports will be put along the East edge. Use 2x4s cut to a point on one end, and measured to go about a foot into the ground, plus the height of the bed, which makes them about 2' long. Screw the 2x4s into the side of the box. On the West side of the box, only use them the height of the bed 2' plus 1/2" for the drainage, because they can't be driven into the ground.
For extra support to keep the west side from bowing, since its supports can't be driven into the ground, use galvanized pipe hanger to connect the side and middle planks. It can be cut into various lengths and has screw/nail holes to attach to wood. Put a couple from the top of the middle plank to the top of the west side plank, and do the same from the bottom of the middle plank to the side of the west plank. If I do this before the west side supports are attached, I might be able to push the hanger strip between the two side planks and attach it on the outer edge of the side plank.
FILL THE BEDS
Use the soil from the current totes. Fill to about 4" from the bottom, taking care to evenly distribute and not disturb the week fabric or the plastic lining. Then fill with garden refuse from current garden, chopped up into fairly small pieces. Mix in some shredded leaves. Cover this with more soil from the current totes, evenly distributed and levelled. Add more containers of worms and let them settle in. Through the winter, add more food refuse and leaves and organic soil -- enough new soil to bring the level up to at about 4" from the top. Also add more worms through the winter. When the cold temperatures hit, consistently below freezing at night, cover the bed with about 3-4" of shredded leaves and a screen covering to keep the leaves from blowing away.
Construct the screen covering using 1x2s and chicken wire. Make a simple box using the 1x2s and staple chicken wire to it. Lay it over the bed. If it won't stay in place, put some bricks on top of it. Just take it off when necessary to add more food refuse and worms to the bed. Bury the food refuse in the soil and recover with the leaves.
If the temperatures gets below 0 degrees, cover with clear plastic placed under the chicken wire screen and then put the chicken wire screen back over it. Staple the clear plastic to the bed frame in various places.
SPRING PLANTING
Plant the spring garden in the west half of the raised bed. This will allow the plants to get as much sun as they can when they are growing, and then after well-established, they will receive some shading from the summer garden. Use square foot planting. Start the plants indoors from seeds using a grow light, except for potatoes -- direct seed those. Do 2 feet of potatoes, 2 feet of lettuce, 1 foot of spinach, 2 feet of herbs, 2 feet of strawberries, and 1 foot of spring flowers. Leave the rest of the West end free for summer garden. What I plant is subject to change.
CAGES AND PEST COVERS
Build a simple rectangular cage for the potatoes, 1 foot by 2 foot by 30", to keep them upright and not hanging over other plants when they grow. Use concrete wire mesh that is also used for tomato cages. Make the rectangular cages 2 spaces across by 4 spaces across by 5 spaces high, and have 1 space with the horizontal bottom wire cut for the bottom of the cage. See pictures for prototype tomato cage. Sink the cage into the raised bed to the depth of the bottom space, and staple it to the side and middle panel. This will also help protect from wind as the potatoes grow.
Protect the plants from pests by using a pest cover. Attach straps to the middle and side planks to hold the pvc pipe. Use 3/8" pipe and loop it across the top of the bed. Lay the pest cover over the top of the loops and secure it at the sides and ends.
SUMMER PLANTING
Before planting, prepare the trellis for the climbing melons and the cages for the tomatoes and peppers. The trellis goes on the north end. Use cement wire mesh all along the North side. Extend it to the bottom of the top end plank. Staple the wire mesh to the plank. Use steel posts to anchor the wire. Drive the posts in as far as they will go and attach the wire to the posts. Use the 7'6" height. Only trellis the melons. I already have the wire mesh for this trellis. Use a steel post driver. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-in-x-9-in-x-24-in-Metal-Fence-Post-Driver-901147EB/205960880
Cucumbers, if planted, will go in a cage, like the tomatoes. Beans, if planted, will go in a cage. Peppers will go in a cage, albeit shorter than the tomato cages.
TOMATO CAGES
I prefer caging, but this year I made my cages too small. They would not form into a circle because they were too small. Also I need cages that will occupy an entire one foot square as my summer bed will be 1' wide and I want to have 6 tomato plants in 6 or 7 feet, preferably closer to 6.
I made a tomato cage prototype using a small piece of concrete wire mesh I already had on hand. I made the cage to be 1-foot square, so that called for 2 spaces on each of the 4 sides, as each space is 6". I didn't know if I could bend the wire mesh into a rectangle. I found that if I put the horizontal wires on the outside of the vertical wires when I bend, I have much less risk of the connection breaking and more leverage for bending. Using a board helps immensely. After putting this together, one side was rounded too much, rather than having 90 degree angles at the bends. I used the board again and tied that end to the board using zip ties, and using pressure to bend the wires. I was able to get that side pretty much like the others. Here's a photo of the finished project.
It should push down into the bed along the sides, and then I will staple the bottom vertical wires to the sides of the bed. I can add posts on the East side to provide further support for the cages. I think 1x4s will suffice, attached to the side panels and wired to the cages. I think 1 post for 2 cages will be sufficient. That's what I did with my cages in the past. I will make one end pointed and drive the posts into the ground. I will also attach the cages to each other with zip ties.
My cages will measure 2 spaces for each side, 13 spaces high. After cutting at space 13, that will leave 12 spaces complete and 1 space with only vertical wires to put into the soil. 12 spaces complete will make the cage 6 feet above the raised bed.
The wire mesh is 10 spaces wide, so the 13 spaced will have to be cut from the rolled length. That calls for 39 feet of wire mesh for 6 cages.
I also figured out that I can bend the cut vertical wires so that they are out of the way. I secure them to another vertical wire with zip ties to pull as tight as possible, and then wrap with duck tape so the sharp ends are not exposed, as I've scratched myself a couple of times on the cages this year because I cut the excess vertical wires with a bolt cutter, and that left a short stub that can scratch.
WATERING
For 2021, I want to use drip tape because it already has the drip built into it. I'm not sure I need 2 lines per bed or 3 lines per bed, but I think 2 lines per bed will be adequate. The entire bed will be watered because of the worms and composting going on all the time, but I will install valves because sometimes rain will soak the east bed but not the west bed. The drip tape will be on top of the soil but under the mulch. If I go 2 lines per bed = 4 lines total x 12 feet = 48 feet. I don't know if I can hook the drip line to the main line I already have, as I still have plenty of it. I will still need a pressure valve and a better connection to the kitchen faucet.
COMPOSTING
The raised bed will allow me some space along the south wall and the apartment wall to have a small compost bin so I can continue to compost through the garden season.
