Rebuilding a Raised Bed

I've previously discussed how I build my raised beds from the ground up. But this spring I had to rebuild an existing bed that was falling apart.

When I bought my place five years ago the previous owners had built a small, L-shaped raised bed around a little porch area attached to the barn. After a couple years I realized there were no boards on the "back side" of the bed as soil would wash away under the porch after a heavy rain. I got tired of re-filling the beds. One spring, before establishing my herb garden there, I dug out all of the potting soil along the front side of the porch and added boards on the back side. The following year I did it on the side of the porch - there was probably a bag's worth or two of potting soil that I scooped out from under that porch!

Last fall the front part of the raised bed started to deteriorate. The corner braces were made from lats, and the nails were pulling out. On top of that the 2x6 boards were starting to warp with nothing to hold them in place.

My original plan was to pop the boards off, replace the corner stakes with something more substantial (2x4s, like the other beds), and reassemble everything.

But I wasn't counting on this:

Bugs (termites? ants? I don't know) had eaten out large sections of the boards. There was rot around some of the nail holes on the ends of the boards. And some of the nails had rusted away to the point where they were as big around as a needle. No wonder they were pulling away.

Time for Plan B. Start by digging out perennial herbs that were near the boards that were going to be replaced. Then keep digging until much of the soil is out so I can work unimpeded.

Into the wheelbarrow, and moved to the barn aisle and out of the sun.

Tarps are handy for recovering as much soil as possible.

The front part of the box came together pretty quickly. The tricky part was getting it level before screwing the boards down to the stakes. I used some scrap to temporarily tack the boards together until they were ready to be screwed down. Cinder blocks and angled scrap (from cutting the points in the stakes) were used to adjust the boards until they were level.

The tricky part was setting the corner and side. The side section was built into the grade. As I took it all apart I realized only the top board ran the full length of the bed. The lower boards were cut off at an angle rather than digging down into the dirt beneath. I had to use more scrap to tack the boards together before popping them into place.

Tacking the side section together. The bottom-most board (on the top here) will only be anchored to the corner stake.

Same section, now put in place.

The tricky part was getting the corner stake pounded. I placed the blocking holding the boards together in a position where there was just enough room for that corner stake. This way the blocking boards would help to drive it in the right spot.

To prevent any roots or weeds from sprouting out between the boards the inside of the box was lined with landscape fabric. This will also help prevent the soil from washing out underneath the boards, especially on the sloped side section.

Landscape fabric get stapled inside the box.

Finally two days after I started what should have been an afternoon project, and two extra trips to the home improvement or hardware stores for additional materials, the bed is done.

After putting back the soil that had been saved on the tarp the beds needed to be topped off. I used my preferred blend of two cubic feet of commercial garden soil and three cubic feet of top soil. After this I applied a layer of mulch.

Most garden vegetables don't tolerate mulch, but the herbs do quite well with it. I used some spilled hay from the horses, being careful to pick out the seed heads before putting it in the bed. I can easily punch holes in it to add new herbs, and it helps limit the number of weeds that pop up. It also is handy for discouraging the cats from using the bed as a litter box.

Give it a year or two and that wood will be as weathered as the porch beside it.

Potato Turnover

Potato digging time! A little later than last year, but then again there was a good bit of rain last week that hopefully helped plump up the tubers.

This spring I planted two different varieties. I planted Yukon Golds again, with potatoes from last year's crop that had sprouted in storage. I also tried a new variety called "Adirondack Blue."

Adirondack Blue

Yukon Gold

This year I also waited a little longer to dig, waiting for the vines to die off more than in past years. I was hoping I would have larger, and more uniform, tubers. At this point about half of the leaves have died off.

Dying back

A quick reminder, potatoes need to be "hilled" about the time the flowers start appearing. This is because the tubers tend to form close to the surface, and exposure to light will make the potatoes turn green. I spent many a summer day hilling potatoes by hand with a hoe when I was growing up, and it's pretty easy when you can pull soil up from either side of the plant. In raised beds however I have to improvise - so I just dump a layer of soil mix around the base of the plants. It works for keeping the tubers green-free, but it makes for a mess when it comes time to dig. I need to be careful that I don't spill soil (too much) out of the bed and onto the mulched paths around the beds.

Digging carefully

Two other challenges with digging potatoes. First, I need to keep turning the soil several times to make sure I unearth all of the tubers. When I was digging for the Adirondacks I went through the row three times before I was confident I found everything. With the Yukons, the tubers tended to be on the periphery, so I was having to dig vertically along the boards and right up underneath the kale to make sure I found everything. I'm not ready to pull out the kale yet, which created the second challenge of digging close without disturbing those roots (much).

After digging I need to spread them out on the rubber floor mats in the barn aisle. This helps the residual dirt to dry and fall off and the skins to harden up a bit before storage. I grouped the taters by variety to compare the yield. Here's the results:

At the top are the Adirondack Blues, which are really more purple in color. The five foot row didn't yield much in terms of number, but the size of the tubers is more uniform.

The huge pile is the Yukon Golds. Lots of variation in size, but also a huge number. Not bad for a seven foot row.

And that little pile off to the upper right? Those are Dakota Pearls! I had planted Dakotas last fall in the same place I planted the Yukons this spring. Apparently I wasn't very good about sifting through all of the soil to find the little tubers because there were a few volunteers that came up this spring. They were easy to spot when I started digging because the vines were smaller and more upright, not as aged as the Yukon vines. When I dug up the Dakotas they were just as the name implies - very round and obviously white (though they look dirty/gray in the photo above).

Now, you are probably wondering of the Adirondacks are really purple all the way through. A quick peek inside (thanks to accidentally stabbing one with the garden spade) reveals the answer:

Speaking of accidental stabbing, here's tonight's dinner! Once the skin is broken the potatoes don't store well. They will be the first to be eaten.

Anyone else think Minions and Umpa Lumpas when they see these?

And yes, they retain their color through cooking!

FYI, my favorite prep on these is roast them in the oven with the skins on. Cut into bite-size pieces, toss in olive oil, add Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan about half-way through to loosen.

Now, for the turnover part of this post. What am I going to put back in this spot?

I'm a big fan of rotating crops to help control pests. But the soil is also nice and loose. And now that we are coming into summer I'm limited in what plants I can start now that can tolerate the 90 degree temperatures we will have by next week. Sweet potatoes fit the bill.

The kale will provide some shade while the vines get established. After last year's adventures, with vines spilling out of the tub and rooting into the surrounding mulch, I think this bed will have more than enough space for redirecting the vines and getting the tubers to develop in a more suitable medium.

As for the rotation, yes these are both potatoes but they are from different botanical families. Irish potatoes are from the nightshade family, as are tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers. Switching things up with sweet potatoes, which are from the morning glory family, will create a crop rotation.

Oops

Three and a half months since my last post?? Jeesh, time flies.

I'd like to say it's because I've been busy in the garden (which I have) but that's not the only thing going on around here. Very busy time at the real job this spring, but now that I've got some downtime I'm trying to get one of the horses back in shape and the house painted.

So, what has been going on in My Alabama Garden you may ask?

In February:

I finally picked the parsnips and the last of the carrots,

I prepped for early vegetable planting (with help from the dog),

 and started frost-sensitive seedlings in trays so I could bring them in on the cold nights.

In March:

There was a big rehab of the herb bed (expect a full post on that),

finally picked my first crop of Brussels sprouts (maybe a post on that),

and tried round 2 of the mushroom kit (not as productive, FYI).

In April, I didn't get any good garden pictures but the bird feeders were a popular subject:

Finally, in May the harvest started coming in. But I'll save that for another post. :)