New to this Gardening thing!!!!

[ShannonE]

Very new to this gardening thing. I have built my raised garden because of my natural ground in the high desert of Nevada. I just got 2 strawberry plants that I put in little pots till I get my boxes I want to put them in on the side of my raised garden. And for fun I had my daughter plant little tomatoes and peppers in a little green house kit and that is it. I have been told my last frost is like end of May so I am scared to start planting anything. My garden is 8ft by 4ft and I think around 16 inches high.

My question would be should I fill my raised bed to the top of my boards? I have filled it half way but for some reason I do not see that to be enough for carrots and onions. As I am going to grow my tomatoes in their own container as well as potatoes and my strawberries will be in their own section on the outside of my raised bed.

I bought the Kindle Edition of Gardening For Dummies and still have a lot of reading to do. So far with materials I have spent about $200.00 to just start up and I don't even have garden tools. (WOOPS) I live 4 hours from any major city that would have garden centers like Lowes or HomeDepot. This Friday I am going to a major city where I could go into and get things aka vegetables and fruit plants. (which I plan to do).

I am scared about my garden not growing and producing anything. I know it takes time and patience but I hope the end result will be worth it. (I mean I have killed a Cactus before). Any help with any tips or tricks would be great. Thanks Again and till next time....Keep calm and Garden on

 

[Chuck]

Very new to this gardening thing. I have built my raised garden because of my natural ground in the high desert of Nevada. I just got 2 strawberry plants that I put in little pots till I get my boxes I want to put them in on the side of my raised garden. And for fun I had my daughter plant little tomatoes and peppers in a little green house kit and that is it. I have been told my last frost is like end of May so I am scared to start planting anything. My garden is 8ft by 4ft and I think around 16 inches high.

My question would be should I fill my raised bed to the top of my boards? I have filled it half way but for some reason I do not see that to be enough for carrots and onions. As I am going to grow my tomatoes in their own container as well as potatoes and my strawberries will be in their own section on the outside of my raised bed.

I bought the Kindle Edition of Gardening For Dummies and still have a lot of reading to do. So far with materials I have spent about $200.00 to just start up and I don't even have garden tools. (WOOPS) I live 4 hours from any major city that would have garden centers like Lowes or HomeDepot. This Friday I am going to a major city where I could go into and get things aka vegetables and fruit plants. (which I plan to do).

I am scared about my garden not growing and producing anything. I know it takes time and patience but I hope the end result will be worth it. (I mean I have killed a Cactus before). Any help with any tips or tricks would be great. Thanks Again and till next time....Keep calm and Garden on

Your first question: Yes fill it to the top because after you water it the soil will settle and will continue to do so for awhile. If you have 16 inches of soil that will be plenty for carrots and onions. What you need to be concerned about is the fertility of the soil that you put into your bed. The more organic matter incorporated into the bed the better. Make yourself a little more knowledgeable by reading the posts in the organic forum of this website about soil and how and why a successful garden depends on what you feed your soil. In a successful garden the soil feeds the plants instead of chemicals feeding the plants. In the long run an organic garden will be less expensive and much healthier to you and the plants you grow than feeding them with an oil derivitive

 

[headfullofbees]

Very new to this gardening thing. I have built my raised garden because of my natural ground in the high desert of Nevada. I just got 2 strawberry plants that I put in little pots till I get my boxes I want to put them in on the side of my raised garden. And for fun I had my daughter plant little tomatoes and peppers in a little green house kit and that is it. I have been told my last frost is like end of May so I am scared to start planting anything. My garden is 8ft by 4ft and I think around 16 inches high.

My question would be should I fill my raised bed to the top of my boards? I have filled it half way but for some reason I do not see that to be enough for carrots and onions. As I am going to grow my tomatoes in their own container as well as potatoes and my strawberries will be in their own section on the outside of my raised bed.

I bought the Kindle Edition of Gardening For Dummies and still have a lot of reading to do. So far with materials I have spent about $200.00 to just start up and I don't even have garden tools. (WOOPS) I live 4 hours from any major city that would have garden centers like Lowes or HomeDepot. This Friday I am going to a major city where I could go into and get things aka vegetables and fruit plants. (which I plan to do).

I am scared about my garden not growing and producing anything. I know it takes time and patience but I hope the end result will be worth it. (I mean I have killed a Cactus before). Any help with any tips or tricks would be great. Thanks Again and till next time....Keep calm and Garden on

Welcome.
May I direct you to the organic forum? Since you are new to this gardening thingy, may I recommend that you learn the most rewarding and healthy techniques?

 

[Everbrown]

What are you using for soil in your raised bed and what would you like to grow there other the carrots and onions perhaps?

 

[Greenhorn]

Boy you are out there, I used to know people in Diamond Valley - Eureka area.

I think you should fill the raised bed up as possible, it will settle and organic material will breakdown so you want to accommodate for that as possible. Also each season it should also be replenished with a compost or mulch that includes a fertilizer component, like a soil amendment. If you have any issue with slugs or snails in your raised beds, just put a copper (pipe or- tape...) around the top edge, this will prevent them from getting it. If you have birds getting into your raised bed put a tall piece of PVC at each corner and drape bird netting to make a canopy cover.

Another suggestion would be to use a slightly acidic potting mix for the strawberries. Neutral soil is about 7 and Strawberries like 5.5 - 6.5. As your Strawberries are going to be in containers you should be able to get acidic potting mix when you go to town.

Don't be afraid of gardening, it's one big experiment.

1st things first, make sure you have water in very close proximity to anything you plant. The one thing I learned was if water isn't close and convenient to the plant, the chance the plant will be successful is low.

The second thing is go crazy, plant as much as you think you can manage. Get (on line or when your in town) a bunch of inexpensive pot, a bag or two of potting soil and a bunch of different seeds and have fun. Put some soil in the pots, seeds in the soil and see what happens. You can always transplant from a pot to a raised bed pretty easy if something in a pot was particularly successful or plant that in the raised bed next year.

Be open to surprises. It might end up that a few things you wanted to grow didn't turn out how you thought, but some other stuff will surprise you and often turn into a new favorite. This goes back to the "get a bunch of seeds and pots" to see what happens.

Don't forget some flowers in addition to edibles, flowers are typically very willing, useful and beautiful. While you typically can't eat then they can add a lot of value to the household. This is where buying a bunch or seeds and pots and just trying stuff it is also good, that is how I found some new favorite flowers like Cupid's Darts, Globe Amaranth and a few other neat flowers.

Again don't worry, some stuff will work some won't, it's one big experiment, have fun with it.

Oh and as far as tools, with gardening you don't really need a ton of stuff or a bunch of new technology stuff. A flat end shovel, spade end shovel, soft rake, hard rake, mini soft rake and a pick are about all I use 99% of the time for large tools. For little tools a couple of little trowels, a weed pick thing and maybe a soil moisture meter is about it. The most important tool in the garden is you (and I mean that in a polite way). Interact with the garden, observe it, make over it, be it's friend,

Anyway, hope that helps a bit.