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RFI: Veggie gardening newbie has some basic questions
My wife would like for me to put in a spot for her to grow some
vegetables and fruit, and knowing nothing about this, I have some basic questions. 1. We live in the Westlake area, with very little soil, so I will have to put in a raised bed. How much soil should I have? My initial thoughts are to put in an 8x16 foot area, using 6"x6"x8-foot treated pine for the base, probably two high. This gives about 12 inches of depth, assuming I might be able to dig down a little bit, I am only looking at 15-18 inches max of soil. Is this enough? My wife has mentioned tomatoes, okra, melons, including watermelons, and other various things that she might like to grow. I have no idea at all what these require soil and sun-wise, or even if they are growable here in Austin. The area I have targeted will not get full sun all day, but will get (after clearing out the last of the cedar) probably full sun in the morning to mid-afternoon. 2. Any other suggestions for what to use to hold in the soil in a raised bed? The 6x6x8-foot pieces are about $21 apiece, meaning I am looking at $250 in wood alone for the base. Can one get those old RR ties around here? I wanted wood, preferably cut, because of #3 below. 3. Securing the area. I know I will have to fence the area in, as the deer are horrible around my house. I thought I'd put up a 6-foot fence, using 2x4s bolted to the base. Will I have problems with birds or other critters that will cause me to want to put something over the top? My guess is no, but I thought I'd ask. 4. Anything else I need to consider as I plan this project? I hope to be able to have enough cedar trunks to use that for the base, which would save me a lit of money, but I am unsure if this will work. We'll see. Thanks in advance. andyd |
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