What's your verdict?
 

I start seeds in styrofoam cups. I do exclusively square foot gardening and
have several boxes going. I use the 32oz cups that I buy in bulk from Sam's
Club. I put about 1 inch of potting soil in the cup.

When it comes time to plant I just cut the bottom out of the cups and plant
the whole things. This leaves me the proper amount of empty cup to do the
watering called for in the Square Foot Gardening book.

Well, everything that happens, wilt, browning leaves, low yield, bugs,
disease etc., happens because I PLANT THE DANG CUPS, according to my wife.
She, and others, say this is a definate no-no. I disagree. What do you say
and why?


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

"J.C." wrote:

I start seeds in styrofoam cups. I do exclusively square foot gardening and
have several boxes going. I use the 32oz cups that I buy in bulk from Sam's
Club. I put about 1 inch of potting soil in the cup.

When it comes time to plant I just cut the bottom out of the cups and plant
the whole things. This leaves me the proper amount of empty cup to do the
watering called for in the Square Foot Gardening book.

Well, everything that happens, wilt, browning leaves, low yield, bugs,
disease etc., happens because I PLANT THE DANG CUPS, according to my wife.
She, and others, say this is a definate no-no. I disagree. What do you say
and why?

Get a new wife?

Plants here are constantly growing through the little hole in the
bottom of the black gallon pots and thriving, even when we don't want
them to.

What's your verdict?
 

"Harry Chickpea" wrote in message
...
"J.C." wrote:

I start seeds in styrofoam cups. I do exclusively square foot gardening
and
have several boxes going. I use the 32oz cups that I buy in bulk from
Sam's
Club. I put about 1 inch of potting soil in the cup.

When it comes time to plant I just cut the bottom out of the cups and
plant
the whole things. This leaves me the proper amount of empty cup to do the
watering called for in the Square Foot Gardening book.

Well, everything that happens, wilt, browning leaves, low yield, bugs,
disease etc., happens because I PLANT THE DANG CUPS, according to my wife.
She, and others, say this is a definate no-no. I disagree. What do you say
and why?

Get a new wife?

I already have, 4 times but this one's a keeper, 34 years so far.


Plants here are constantly growing through the little hole in the
bottom of the black gallon pots and thriving, even when we don't want
them to.

What's your verdict?
 

"J.C." wrote in message
. ..

"Harry Chickpea" wrote in message
...
"J.C." wrote:

I start seeds in styrofoam cups. I do exclusively square foot gardening
and
have several boxes going. I use the 32oz cups that I buy in bulk from
Sam's
Club. I put about 1 inch of potting soil in the cup.

When it comes time to plant I just cut the bottom out of the cups and
plant
the whole things. This leaves me the proper amount of empty cup to do the
watering called for in the Square Foot Gardening book.

Well, everything that happens, wilt, browning leaves, low yield, bugs,
disease etc., happens because I PLANT THE DANG CUPS, according to my
wife.
She, and others, say this is a definate no-no. I disagree. What do you
say
and why?

Get a new wife?

I already have, 4 times but this one's a keeper, 34 years so far.


Plants here are constantly growing through the little hole in the
bottom of the black gallon pots and thriving, even when we don't want
them to.



I would not" PLANT THE DANG CUPS". Who knows what kind of chemicals come out
as it "rots"? Ever see the smoke when one burns?

Keep the wife, it's cheaper tan the alternative.

What's your verdict?
 

"Jimmy" wrote in message
. ..

"J.C." wrote in message
. ..

"Harry Chickpea" wrote in message
...
"J.C." wrote:

I start seeds in styrofoam cups. I do exclusively square foot gardening
and
have several boxes going. I use the 32oz cups that I buy in bulk from
Sam's
Club. I put about 1 inch of potting soil in the cup.

When it comes time to plant I just cut the bottom out of the cups and
plant
the whole things. This leaves me the proper amount of empty cup to do
the
watering called for in the Square Foot Gardening book.

Well, everything that happens, wilt, browning leaves, low yield, bugs,
disease etc., happens because I PLANT THE DANG CUPS, according to my
wife.
She, and others, say this is a definate no-no. I disagree. What do you
say
and why?

Get a new wife?

I already have, 4 times but this one's a keeper, 34 years so far.


Plants here are constantly growing through the little hole in the
bottom of the black gallon pots and thriving, even when we don't want
them to.



I would not" PLANT THE DANG CUPS". Who knows what kind of chemicals come
out as it "rots"? Ever see the smoke when one burns?

Good point.

JC

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
"Jimmy" wrote:

Plants here are constantly growing through the little hole in the
bottom of the black gallon pots and thriving, even when we don't want
them to.



I would not" PLANT THE DANG CUPS". Who knows what kind of chemicals come out
as it "rots"? Ever see the smoke when one burns?

Keep the wife, it's cheaper tan the alternative.

Styrofoam is inert... It does not biodegrade so it's a non-issue.

That's one of the problems with it in land fills...... :-(

It's kinda like nuclear waste. It lasts thousands of lifetimes.

Personally, I use peat pellets and soak them in miracle grow.

Works for me. ;-)

Use raised beds and the water is used more efficiently.

And mulch.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...

Use raised beds and the water is used more efficiently.


Perhaps you missed my original post. I do use raised beds. The purpose for
the cups is to regulate the amount of water as per the specifications in the
book "Square Foot Gardening". My only question is, is there any reason why I
should NOT plant the entire cup when moving from the greenhouse to the
garden, instead of taking the plant out of the cup and planting it?


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
"J.C." wrote:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...

Use raised beds and the water is used more efficiently.


Perhaps you missed my original post. I do use raised beds.

My bad. ;-)
The point got side-tracked.

The purpose for
the cups is to regulate the amount of water as per the specifications in the
book "Square Foot Gardening". My only question is, is there any reason why I
should NOT plant the entire cup when moving from the greenhouse to the
garden, instead of taking the plant out of the cup and planting it?

Not that I can see... Styrofoam is inert.
As far as I know, it's not going to be biodegrading and putting toxins
into the soil. I could be wrong. ;-) You may want to google it.

My concern would be size. Are not the plants going to outgrow the cup?
How is too small of a cup going to regulate water usage?

1 gallon plastic pots might work better maybe?
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"J.C." wrote:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...

Use raised beds and the water is used more efficiently.


Perhaps you missed my original post. I do use raised beds.

My bad. ;-)
The point got side-tracked.

The purpose for
the cups is to regulate the amount of water as per the specifications in
the
book "Square Foot Gardening". My only question is, is there any reason
why I
should NOT plant the entire cup when moving from the greenhouse to the
garden, instead of taking the plant out of the cup and planting it?

Not that I can see... Styrofoam is inert.
As far as I know, it's not going to be biodegrading and putting toxins
into the soil. I could be wrong. ;-) You may want to google it.

My concern would be size. Are not the plants going to outgrow the cup?
How is too small of a cup going to regulate water usage?

1 gallon plastic pots might work better maybe?


The cups have the bottoms cut out of them when planted out in the garden so
the roots grow down into the box and outgrowing the cup is no problem. You
use 32 ounce cups and only put about 2 inches of potting soil in them to
start the seeds in. This leaves enough "empty" cup to pour water into when
out in the garden. The SFG book calls for watering the plants individually
with "cups" of water, i.e. one cup a week for X, 1 cup a day for Y, and so
on. Supposedly this regulates the water to preclude under watering or over
watering, which I tend to do.


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

J.C. wrote:

Perhaps you missed my original post. I do use raised beds. The
purpose for the cups is to regulate the amount of water as per the
specifications in the book "Square Foot Gardening". My only question
is, is there any reason why I should NOT plant the entire cup when
moving from the greenhouse to the garden, instead of taking the plant
out of the cup and planting it?

It will definitely constrain the roots, and perhaps make them rot. If
you put the water at the base of the plant so it goes into the soil, the
roots will grow to be wherever they want to be to capture that water.
That may be where they would have been in the cup (or beneath it), or
not. Plants evolved to be smarter than you when it comes to where their
roots should be, and the ones you want to grow have evolved to grow in
soil, without cups.

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
"J.C." wrote:

The cups have the bottoms cut out of them when planted out in the garden so
the roots grow down into the box and outgrowing the cup is no problem. You
use 32 ounce cups and only put about 2 inches of potting soil in them to
start the seeds in. This leaves enough "empty" cup to pour water into when
out in the garden. The SFG book calls for watering the plants individually
with "cups" of water, i.e. one cup a week for X, 1 cup a day for Y, and so
on. Supposedly this regulates the water to preclude under watering or over
watering, which I tend to do.


--
J.C.

If you have a guide book with a tried and true method, what are you
worried about???

Carry on, then post your results.
I'm very curious about this. I did not garden hardly at all this year
because I could not afford the water. :-(

Please share?
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"J.C." wrote:

The cups have the bottoms cut out of them when planted out in the garden
so
the roots grow down into the box and outgrowing the cup is no problem.
You
use 32 ounce cups and only put about 2 inches of potting soil in them to
start the seeds in. This leaves enough "empty" cup to pour water into
when
out in the garden. The SFG book calls for watering the plants
individually
with "cups" of water, i.e. one cup a week for X, 1 cup a day for Y, and
so
on. Supposedly this regulates the water to preclude under watering or
over
watering, which I tend to do.


--
J.C.

If you have a guide book with a tried and true method, what are you
worried about???

Well, the guide book does not cover what I am wanting to do. The guide book
says to hollow out a saucer type affair and put the plant in the middle. And
that's okay I guess but being a lazy old man, I'm trying to figure out an
easier way to do this while still maintaining a bit of the integrity of the
SFG system.


Carry on, then post your results.
I'm very curious about this. I did not garden hardly at all this year
because I could not afford the water. :-(

Please share?
--
Peace!
Om

Check this out.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/


"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote in message
...
[snip]
If you have a guide book with a tried and true method,
what are you worried about???
[snip]

I believe he did in the OP. Something about experiencing problems
still...

Anyhow, there won't be any issues with using the Styrofoam cups or
having them biodegrade. The "collar" will allow you to maximize the
water while minimizing the effort (of control of weeds, rot, et al.).
The stepped system is already in place so now you should be looking to
figuring out why rot is taking place. A soil virus, maybe?

The Ranger



Could be any number of things. The "soil" is actually a mixture of 1/3
vermiculite, 1/3 composted cow manure and 1/3 spanghum peat moss.


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
"J.C." wrote:

Check this out.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Looks fascinating... :-)
Once I fix up my greenhouses this fall (it's been a wasted summer), that
might be something to consider.

Personally, I have my heart set on hydroponics! IMHO the ultimate in
lazy gardening once you have it set up.

And it also conserves water.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
"The Ranger" wrote:

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote in message
...
[snip]
If you have a guide book with a tried and true method,
what are you worried about???
[snip]

I believe he did in the OP. Something about experiencing problems
still...

Anyhow, there won't be any issues with using the Styrofoam cups or
having them biodegrade. The "collar" will allow you to maximize the
water while minimizing the effort (of control of weeds, rot, et al.).
The stepped system is already in place so now you should be looking to
figuring out why rot is taking place. A soil virus, maybe?

The Ranger

More likely a soil fungus.
Some pH regulation might be in order?
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote in message
...
[snip]
If you have a guide book with a tried and true method,
what are you worried about???
[snip]

I believe he did in the OP. Something about experiencing problems
still...

Anyhow, there won't be any issues with using the Styrofoam cups or
having them biodegrade. The "collar" will allow you to maximize the
water while minimizing the effort (of control of weeds, rot, et al.).
The stepped system is already in place so now you should be looking to
figuring out why rot is taking place. A soil virus, maybe?

The Ranger

What's your verdict?
 

J.C. wrote in message
...
"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
The stepped system is already in place so now you should
be looking to figuring out why rot is taking place. A soil
virus, maybe?

Could be any number of things. The "soil" is actually a mixture
of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 composted cow manure and 1/3
spanghum peat moss.

That seems awful high in acid... My best guess would be the manure;
might not have composted enough. I burned up some pumpkin and zuke
seedlings once by using steer manure that had lost that ripe smell but
wasn't ready for prime time.

1/3 vermiculite also seems just a might excessive. Do you need that much
drainage?

The Ranger

What's your verdict?
 

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"J.C." wrote:

Check this out.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Looks fascinating... :-)
Once I fix up my greenhouses this fall (it's been a wasted summer), that
might be something to consider.

Personally, I have my heart set on hydroponics! IMHO the ultimate in
lazy gardening once you have it set up.

And it also conserves water.
--
Peace!
Om

I tried this for awhile

http://www.aquaponics.com/


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
J.C. wrote in message
...
"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
The stepped system is already in place so now you should
be looking to figuring out why rot is taking place. A soil
virus, maybe?

Could be any number of things. The "soil" is actually a mixture
of 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 composted cow manure and 1/3
spanghum peat moss.

That seems awful high in acid... My best guess would be the manure;
might not have composted enough. I burned up some pumpkin and zuke
seedlings once by using steer manure that had lost that ripe smell but
wasn't ready for prime time.

1/3 vermiculite also seems just a might excessive. Do you need that much
drainage?

Supposedly it is for absorbing and holding moisture. The bottom of the boxes
are covered with that dark shading type material.


--
J.C.


The Ranger

What's your verdict?
 

"J.C." wrote:

I tried this for awhile

http://www.aquaponics.com/

How well does this work above?

I want to grow JUST enough food for one person

What's your verdict?
 

wrote in message
...
"J.C." wrote:

I tried this for awhile

http://www.aquaponics.com/

How well does this work above?

I want to grow JUST enough food for one person

It's very, very expensive to get started. You would be much happier with
"Square Foot Gardening". You can grow enough for a family of 4 in 16 square
feet of space.


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

"J.C." wrote:

It's very, very expensive to get started. You would be much happier with
"Square Foot Gardening". You can grow enough for a family of 4 in 16 square
feet of space.

Yep I'm aware of square foot gardening and the book

But I live in north Missouri where we have winter as
was curious if anyway to grow food garden year round?

I'm looking into ways to become self sufficient. Work
less for money. And being able to grow food year round
would really help!

What's your verdict?
 

wrote in message
...
"J.C." wrote:

It's very, very expensive to get started. You would be much happier with
"Square Foot Gardening". You can grow enough for a family of 4 in 16
square
feet of space.

Yep I'm aware of square foot gardening and the book

But I live in north Missouri where we have winter as
was curious if anyway to grow food garden year round?

I'm looking into ways to become self sufficient. Work
less for money. And being able to grow food year round
would really help!

I think you are going to have to learn to can and preserve and do all the
things the oldtimers did. Put "Sustained Agriculture" in google and I think
you will find a lot of good info.


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

"J.C." wrote:

I think you are going to have to learn to can and preserve and do all the
things the oldtimers did. Put "Sustained Agriculture" in google and I think
you will find a lot of good info.

yeah that's what I thought as well

That's why I was wondering if possible to garden year
round using hydroponics

What's your verdict?
 

wrote in message
...
"J.C." wrote:

I think you are going to have to learn to can and preserve and do all the
things the oldtimers did. Put "Sustained Agriculture" in google and I
think
you will find a lot of good info.

yeah that's what I thought as well

That's why I was wondering if possible to garden year
round using hydroponics

I would think it would be. By the way, pretty country up there. I'm stuck in
the flat lands of south Texas and with this heat it's like living on a
parking lot. About 25 years ago we went up to Branson and almost bought a
farm there for something like $150.00 an acre. Don't I wish we would have
done that?

--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

Use raised beds and the water is used more efficiently.


???

I'm about to tear down my raised beds because they dry out too fast. My
garden was more productive just planting in rows than it is with raised
beds.

Best regards,
Bob

What's your verdict?
 

"J.C." wrote:

I would think it would be. By the way, pretty country up there. I'm stuck in
the flat lands of south Texas and with this heat it's like living on a
parking lot. About 25 years ago we went up to Branson and almost bought a
farm there for something like $150.00 an acre. Don't I wish we would have
done that?

I'm in Hannibal abt 5 hrs north of Branson

But I agree....wish Id bought land down there too as
well!!

However....Id LOVE to be in south Texas when its winter
up here!!

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
wrote:

"J.C." wrote:

I think you are going to have to learn to can and preserve and do all the
things the oldtimers did. Put "Sustained Agriculture" in google and I think
you will find a lot of good info.

yeah that's what I thought as well

That's why I was wondering if possible to garden year
round using hydroponics

Theoretically... using greenhousing with proper "timed" lighting. :-)
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

Use raised beds and the water is used more efficiently.


???

I'm about to tear down my raised beds because they dry out too fast. My
garden was more productive just planting in rows than it is with raised
beds.

Best regards,
Bob

Mulch......
And I filled my bases with sand.

I wasted _tons_ more water on an open garden bed. :-(
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

J.C. wrote:

I start seeds in styrofoam cups. I do exclusively square foot gardening and
have several boxes going. I use the 32oz cups that I buy in bulk from Sam's
Club. I put about 1 inch of potting soil in the cup.

When it comes time to plant I just cut the bottom out of the cups and plant
the whole things. This leaves me the proper amount of empty cup to do the
watering called for in the Square Foot Gardening book.

Well, everything that happens, wilt, browning leaves, low yield, bugs,
disease etc., happens because I PLANT THE DANG CUPS, according to my wife.
She, and others, say this is a definate no-no. I disagree. What do you say
and why?


Since you have no definitive answer, you will have to do "the
experiment". Next time you start plants, leave half of them in the cups
when you plant but take every other one out of the cup. See how the
growth of the two methods turns out. I can't help but wonder if the cup
holds the water around the stems longer that some plants can tolerate.

Steve

What's your verdict?
 

What's your verdict?
 

Since you have no definitive answer, you will have to do "the
experiment". Next time you start plants, leave half of them in the cups
when you plant but take every other one out of the cup. See how the growth
of the two methods turns out. I can't help but wonder if the cup holds the
water around the stems longer that some plants can tolerate.

Steve

We did that this year. Didn't notice that much difference. But, holding the
water longer than can be tolerated is a good point. Might be something to
that.


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

I'm about to tear down my raised beds because they dry out too fast. My
garden was more productive just planting in rows than it is with raised
beds.

Best regards,
Bob

Mulch......
And I filled my bases with sand.

I wasted _tons_ more water on an open garden bed. :-(

But it is true that raised beds consume more water. There is more
exposed surface. Sunken beds preserve water best. Raised beds are great
for everything else, and of course the loss is minimized if one uses
drip, which allows the water to soak in.

What's your verdict?
 

In article .com,
"simy1" wrote:

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

I'm about to tear down my raised beds because they dry out too fast. My
garden was more productive just planting in rows than it is with raised
beds.

Best regards,
Bob

Mulch......
And I filled my bases with sand.

I wasted _tons_ more water on an open garden bed. :-(

But it is true that raised beds consume more water. There is more
exposed surface. Sunken beds preserve water best. Raised beds are great
for everything else, and of course the loss is minimized if one uses
drip, which allows the water to soak in.

Hm, I wonder if we are talking about two different concepts?

My "raised beds" are built out of Cinder blocks or limestone. They are
essentially giant planters. :-)
This concentrates the water usage considerably for me...
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

What's your verdict?
 

George Shirley wrote:

Got a travel trailer? South Texas is full of folks that winter over from
the colder states. Most residents call them "Snow Birds" but the
Chambers of Commerce call them "Winter Texans." At any rate they bring
some much needed green (money) into primarily agricultural area.

Could a person get a job down there?

If yes...doing what? What is available?

What's your verdict?
 

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

That's why I was wondering if possible to garden year
round using hydroponics

Theoretically... using greenhousing with proper "timed" lighting. :-)

Thought abt that..... a green house attached to main
house?

It could grow food as well as help heat the home?

Is that even possible in north Missouri? Especially the
food growing part?

What's your verdict?
 

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

In article .com,
"simy1" wrote:


OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

In article ,
zxcvbob wrote:

I'm about to tear down my raised beds because they dry out too fast. My
garden was more productive just planting in rows than it is with raised
beds.

Best regards,
Bob

Mulch......
And I filled my bases with sand.

I wasted _tons_ more water on an open garden bed. :-(

But it is true that raised beds consume more water. There is more
exposed surface. Sunken beds preserve water best. Raised beds are great
for everything else, and of course the loss is minimized if one uses
drip, which allows the water to soak in.


Hm, I wonder if we are talking about two different concepts?

My "raised beds" are built out of Cinder blocks or limestone. They are
essentially giant planters. :-)
This concentrates the water usage considerably for me...


And I add a generous amount of peat into my raised beds. The water
retention is phenomenal.

..

Zone 5a in Canada's Peat-abundant Far East.

What's your verdict?
 

wrote in message
...
George Shirley wrote:

Got a travel trailer? South Texas is full of folks that winter over from
the colder states. Most residents call them "Snow Birds" but the
Chambers of Commerce call them "Winter Texans." At any rate they bring
some much needed green (money) into primarily agricultural area.

Could a person get a job down there?

If yes...doing what? What is available?

I'll pay you all the vegetables you can eat if you'll follow me around with
an air conditioner. G

Seriously, they just had some kind of job fair up in Houston because 5000
jobs have gone begging for over a year. But, if a job was all that was
keeping me here (actually it's my bank) I'd be gone in a minute.


--
J.C.

What's your verdict?
 

cloud dreamer wrote:

Hm, I wonder if we are talking about two different concepts?

My "raised beds" are built out of Cinder blocks or limestone. They are
essentially giant planters. :-)
This concentrates the water usage considerably for me...

Yes, we are. By raising, you can only lose water, with respect to the
same setup, at a lower elevation. it is not only the increased surface,
but the bits of debris creating gaps, the vole/mole tunnels, and
anything that lets water out in between the cinder blocks or under
them.



And I add a generous amount of peat into my raised beds. The water
retention is phenomenal.

you could do that in sunken beds as well. The difference is that you
would have to dig up soil and replace it with peat. There is nothing in
raising the soil level that improves water retention. Water flows
downhill.

What's your verdict?
 

In article . com,
"simy1" wrote:

cloud dreamer wrote:

Hm, I wonder if we are talking about two different concepts?

My "raised beds" are built out of Cinder blocks or limestone. They are
essentially giant planters. :-)
This concentrates the water usage considerably for me...

Yes, we are. By raising, you can only lose water, with respect to the
same setup, at a lower elevation. it is not only the increased surface,
but the bits of debris creating gaps, the vole/mole tunnels, and
anything that lets water out in between the cinder blocks or under
them.



And I add a generous amount of peat into my raised beds. The water
retention is phenomenal.

you could do that in sunken beds as well. The difference is that you
would have to dig up soil and replace it with peat. There is nothing in
raising the soil level that improves water retention. Water flows
downhill.

What about container gardens?
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson