Gardening in Raised Beds and Containers

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Gardening in Raised Bedsand Containers

• Rick Durham
• Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist
• University of Kentucky

ANR Update, Hopkinsville, Ky, Oct 20, 2011
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Outline

• Why garden?
• Site selection
• Constructing raised beds
• Containers suitable for garden plants
• Soils for raised beds and container gardens
• Gardening intensively

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Why garden?
Why Garden in raised beds and containers?
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Site Selection

• Site selection impacted by
• Trees
• Buildings
• Slope
• Drainage
• Soil quality

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Constructing raised beds

• Height typically 6-8 inches, taller to better
  accommodate limited mobility gardeners, greater
  than 6 inches requires support
• Width 4 foot or less if accessed from two sides,
  2 foot if accessed from one side
• Aisles between beds 1.5 2 feet, wider to
  accommodate equipment such as wheelchairs,
  wheelbarrow, lawn mowers
• Length variable

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Construction materials

• Locally available and purchased woods slow to
  decay
• Locust, cedar, cypress, redwood
• Treated wood - pine
• Recycled plastics (TREX) and vinyl
• Stone, bricks/blocks, poured concrete
• Mounded earth
• Used tires

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Issues with materials

• Treated wood
• Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) was phased out in
  2003
• Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) is approved for
  wooden garden structures
• Used tires
• Contain many heavy metals that slowly leach
• Zinc is a particular problem
• Concern regarding ground tire mulch, materials
  from whole tires leach more slowly

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Containers for garden plants

• Materials clay, wood, plastic, cement, metal
• Wood that resists decay or treated with Alkaline
  Copper Quaternary (ACQ)
• Drainage holes several of ¼ inch, larger
  diameter with screen to prevent soil loss
• Depth of 10-12 inches to allow root growth and
  prevent frequent drying

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Soils for raised beds and containers

• Raised Beds
• Good garden soil amended with organic matter
  (compost, composted manure)
• Containers
• 1 part good garden soil
• 1 part organic matter (peat, compost, composted
  manure)
• 1 part porous material (vermiculite or perlite)
• Adjust pH as recommended by a soil test

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Growing vegetables intensively

• Fertilizer
• Raised beds 1-2 pounds of a complete fertilizer
  (10-10-10) per 100 square feet, side-dress during
  growing season as needed
• Containers ½ cup of a complete fertilizer per
  bushel (8 gallon) of soil mix, or regular feeding
  with water soluble fertilizer (consult label)
• Water
• Raised beds at least 1 to 1½ inch per week
• Containers every 1-2 days during summer

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Intensive Gardening - Space

• Vertical training
• Stair-stepping
• Intercropping
• Succession planting

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Intensive Gardening

• Season extenders
• Row covers
• Hot cap/cloche
• Water walls

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Management

• Cultivars to plant
• ID-133, Vegetable Cultivars for Ky Gardens
• Specific cultivars for containers Table 9 of
  ID-128, Home Vegetable Gardening in Ky
• Many All-America Selections cultivars (www.all-am
  ericaselections.org)
• Pests
• Consult ID-128
• Safest approach (pesticide free, organic, IPM)

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Management

• Promote pollinator health and invite beneficial
  insects by planting flowers in/around vegetables
  promote diversity
• Proper spacing promotes air movement and reduces
  likelihood of disease
• Cleaning up the garden after harvest reduces
  overwintering pests
• Crop rotation using containers may be more
  effective than relocating within a bed

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Discussion of other resources

• Raised Bed Gardening Video
• Organic Pesticides in the Garden PowerPoint by
  Mike Klahr, Boone Co.
• Square Foot Gardening PowerPoint by Deborah
  Hill, UK Forestry
• ID-128, Home Vegetable Gardening in Ky
• ID-133, Vegetable Cultivars for Ky Gardens