| Roof Top and Paved Surface Raised Gardens |
an introspective series of articles about raised gardening
| Phone: 770-887-4815 admin@raised-garden-bed.com |
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Suppose you have a yearning for a small vegetable garden and
are limited because you live in an apartment or in a condo and
there doesn't seem to be any place available to plant one. One
option is to adapt a raised garden bed to whatever space there is
available whether it be a cement driveway or asphalt patio or
even an apartment or inner city condo roof top. A garden can be
grown virtually anywhere there is space for a 4 ft. by 4 ft. raised
garden frame.
The raised garden beds are usually constructed using decking
planks because of their immunity to rot and insect damage.
Because of their end use as decking, they necessarily must to be
very straight and have little warpage so decking is ideally suited
for the construction of raised gardens. Standard boards are 5-1/2
inches wide, allowing for a choice of either shallow or a fairly
deep garden depending on whether one frame is used or a
second is stacked on top of the other.
Once the frame is placed on the hard surface, it is filled with
bags of topsoil which are purchased at the local garden center.
The bags weigh about 30 to 40 pounds and each contains up to a
cubic foot of soil. A garden that measures 4 ft by 4 ft. and eleven
inches tall would require 14 to 18 bags. The bags of soil come in
several types; top soil, humus, potting soil, etc. They are all very
similar in texture and I have settled on top soil as my preference.
We have selected a 5-2-4 nitrogen fertilizer which comes in 50
pound bags. Since it is granulated, it may be conveniently applied
using a coffee can with 1/4 inch holes drilled into its bottom and
used as a shaker. The plastic lid is fitted to the other end of the
can. As each bag of soil is emptied into the frame, a quantity of
fertilizer is sprinkled onto each surface while being raked smooth
and awaiting the next bag of soil. This way, there is a strata of
fertilizer distributed throughout the soil as it is filling the garden
frame.
Once the raised garden is full of dirt, planting may take place. If
tomatoes are to be planted from garden center seedlings, make
sure you provide a wire frame in order to contain the plants as
they grow. Once they reach about a foot tall, they will require as
much as a quart of water daily to reach their full potential.
In late summer when the hot weather varieties have become
exhausted, consider replanting as a fall/winter garden.
Next Chapter
are limited because you live in an apartment or in a condo and
there doesn't seem to be any place available to plant one. One
option is to adapt a raised garden bed to whatever space there is
available whether it be a cement driveway or asphalt patio or
even an apartment or inner city condo roof top. A garden can be
grown virtually anywhere there is space for a 4 ft. by 4 ft. raised
garden frame.
The raised garden beds are usually constructed using decking
planks because of their immunity to rot and insect damage.
Because of their end use as decking, they necessarily must to be
very straight and have little warpage so decking is ideally suited
for the construction of raised gardens. Standard boards are 5-1/2
inches wide, allowing for a choice of either shallow or a fairly
deep garden depending on whether one frame is used or a
second is stacked on top of the other.
Once the frame is placed on the hard surface, it is filled with
bags of topsoil which are purchased at the local garden center.
The bags weigh about 30 to 40 pounds and each contains up to a
cubic foot of soil. A garden that measures 4 ft by 4 ft. and eleven
inches tall would require 14 to 18 bags. The bags of soil come in
several types; top soil, humus, potting soil, etc. They are all very
similar in texture and I have settled on top soil as my preference.
We have selected a 5-2-4 nitrogen fertilizer which comes in 50
pound bags. Since it is granulated, it may be conveniently applied
using a coffee can with 1/4 inch holes drilled into its bottom and
used as a shaker. The plastic lid is fitted to the other end of the
can. As each bag of soil is emptied into the frame, a quantity of
fertilizer is sprinkled onto each surface while being raked smooth
and awaiting the next bag of soil. This way, there is a strata of
fertilizer distributed throughout the soil as it is filling the garden
frame.
Once the raised garden is full of dirt, planting may take place. If
tomatoes are to be planted from garden center seedlings, make
sure you provide a wire frame in order to contain the plants as
they grow. Once they reach about a foot tall, they will require as
much as a quart of water daily to reach their full potential.
In late summer when the hot weather varieties have become
exhausted, consider replanting as a fall/winter garden.
Next Chapter
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Raised Garden Beds may be located on
virtually any surface such as pavement or roof
tops.
virtually any surface such as pavement or roof
tops.
As can be seen, a hearty crop of vegetables
may be grown on any hard surface.
may be grown on any hard surface.
