What does everyone like to use for building their raised beds?
After much deep thought, I bit the bullet and did decorative concrete block.
@tlazer How tall is your fence, and is it working for you? Don’t think that deer problems are limited to the north woods–we have plenty of deer problems in the TC metro!
i’ve never had deer tracks in my garden…..but bugs bunny>>>>>> 
i just have a chicken wire fence around mine. by about August i take most of it down. they seem to like then new green shoots just coming up.
Thanks for the ideas and bringing up last year’s thread. I haven’t thought about using maintenance free decking. I’ve actually got a pile of it from a friends deck I help disassemble that I couldn’t throw out as I figured I could find something to use it for. We’ve got plenty of time to discuss options still – just need to get buy in from the boss.
Gardening starts in February in our household. Starting seeds and ensuring we have all our supplies and plans. Typically 75-100 tomato plants get into the ground. 30 or so peppers and many many other plants. It is something my wife and I can enjoy together. Our garden includes perenial berry bushes and we try to grow that portion every year.
A good barn cat takes care of the bunnies and the deer stay out with a 4′ fence with wires up higher 5-6-7 foot.
We seed save many things and it is surprising how much that saves in seed costs.
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Im over fighting the creeping charlie in my strawberry patch so im gonna build sone raised planters. Dont wanna use treated wood. If I use just regular pine or similar and stain and seal it will it last longer then just leaving it alone.
If I use just regular pine or similar and stain and seal it will it last longer then just leaving it alone.
I still don’t think you’ll get more than 2-3 years out of it.
Typically 75-100 tomato plants get into the ground. 30 or so peppers and many many other plants.
Aaron, holy smokes! Do you sell stuff or ??? With 6-7 tomato plants, I usually end up giving some away.
yea holy moly rocky thats alot of maters……i thought my usual 20-24 plants where alot…..but i dont give many away!!!!!!!!
i tried doing plants from seeds…….i just dont have the setup!!!!!
With a smaller garden you are probably best off planting a salsa garden.
This! Just be advised a few plants go a long ways. I remember the first year I did a garden and I planted like 10 jalapeno plants. LOL Now I do 2.
I remember the first year I did a garden and I planted like 10 jalapeno plants. LOL Now I do 2.
Yeah, those buggers are prolific!
This! Just be advised a few plants go a long ways. I remember the first year I did a garden and I planted like 10 jalapeno plants. LOL Now I do 2.
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2 things I can grow well, Jalapeno’s and dandelions.
Aaron, holy smokes! Do you sell stuff or ??? With 6-7 tomato plants, I usually end up giving some away.
Ralph we do sell our excess. If you are in the area some time give me a call if you want to see our place. There are days we pick 100 pounds of tomatoes. We processed close to 1000 pounds our just for ourselves. We can enough to last the year. Our goal is to grow as much of our food is possible. I dedicate about $1,000 to our garden every year and soon I hope to dedicate even more.
Here is a pic of my stand in the driveway. We put a small sign out for people to know we have produce every day. It is fun to have people stop by and interact or just be able to shop any time. The other pic was a morning’s harvest.
We sell Eggs, produce, maple syrup, Whole frozen chickens, goat milk soap and other goodies as we have some. The stand was built out of lumber I milled with my step father.
Sharing with others who don’t want to take the responsibility for all the work is great. It helps offset the huge costs to eat clean food.
We don’t use any sprays and use companion planting for pest deterants, manure and fish emulsion for fertilizer and minimal soil disturbance. Our soil is not good and every year it gets better and better.
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This! Just be advised a few plants go a long ways. I remember the first year I did a garden and I planted like 10 jalapeno plants. LOL Now I do 2.
2 things I can grow well, Jalapeno’s and dandelions.
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Cayenne peppers produce like crazy too! We have so many from 4 plants last year. 2 Carolina Reapers produced like 8 peppers but we heard you can overwinter and they produce better the next year and same with other pepper plants. Hopefully it works so we can produce more peppers.
I grew cayennes one year and got so many that I dried most of them. It took me easily 5+ years to go through them all!
You can over winter all peppers i think. I have a ghost pepper in my living room window that i started from seed in 2019.
It only makes tiny peppers in the house but i think it makes a neat looking house plant.
Yes, you can overwinter peppers. I might try that after this year. I had three peppers off a reaper plant and a single pepper off of a scorpion. I saw a few videos about it and you basically just hack the top off, leaving the main stem and bring it indoors.
Curious what tomato varieties you do best with, outdoors4life? I’m about an hour west of Green Bay, so our climates should be similar. I had a poor season with my testing. I tried 14 different varieties, 73 plants total, and the only ones I’m definitely planting again this year are Amish Paste and Rose. The year prior I had less than half the number of plants and about 3x the yield with only three varieties. Last year we were able to keep up with eating them fresh.
Yes, you can overwinter peppers. I might try that after this year. I had three peppers off a reaper plant and a single pepper off of a scorpion. I saw a few videos about it and you basically just hack the top off, leaving the main stem and bring it indoors.
Curious what tomato varieties you do best with, outdoors4life? I’m about an hour west of Green Bay, so our climates should be similar. I had a poor season with my testing. I tried 14 different varieties, 73 plants total, and the only ones I’m definitely planting again this year are Amish Paste and Rose. The year prior I had less than half the number of plants and about 3x the yield with only three varieties. Last year we were able to keep up with eating them fresh.
I typed up a response and it disappeared.
Amish paste and Soldaki are our favorite.
Lots of companion planting for better pollinators.
We are overwintering our reapers and trimmed them down so hopefully they do well next year. We have a freeze dryer so we like peppers to powder. There is no way I’ll ever try the reaper though. I sell them to the crazy people who can handle them.
If you want to see pics there are all sorts of fun pics posted on FB.
https://www.facebook.com/BramblewoodFarmMN
What in the world do you do with a Carolina Reaper pepper, eat it?
I was asked how tall my fence was. I’m pretty sure the fence panel was 50” wide on top of two stacked 2×8” which would be 15” so the total height off the ground should be about 65”. Deer always in my yard but have yet to see them in the garden. All summer left the plants alone, meaning they didn’t eat any of the pea plants or cucumber plants that were hanging outside the fence as they climbed. But this fall they ate what they could reach of my Brussel sprouts leaves, which I would not have thought they would like. I liked the fence because it was sturdier than chicken wire and to me was a better appearance and hold up better being like 4ga material. My garden sits out by the road and is in my front yard.
What in the world do you do with a Carolina Reaper pepper, eat it?
Theyd be good in salsa if you like a bit more kick.
But this fall they ate what they could reach of my Brussel sprouts leaves, which I would not have thought they would like.
That surprises me, too. I have had them eat peas, beans, pepper, tomatoes, and raspberries, but they have never touched my broccoli.
What in the world do you do with a Carolina Reaper pepper, eat it?
I make hot sauce.
-J.
What in the world do you do with a Carolina Reaper pepper, eat it?
One idea we have is adding to maple syrup.
My brother loves spice and so we freeze dry and will send him some.
I love summer and fall with all the fresh produce. It is so wonderful having consistent good food.
Our issue is the Squirrels climbing the wood corner posts and get in. They find up the ripe tomatoes and try to drag em out. Not sure if metal garden stakes in the fence would stop them from climbing.
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Squirrels are very resourceful. Unless the whole garden, top included was fenced in, I don’t know that you could keep them out. A pellet gun might work.
hey swimjiggin………your grass needs to be cut!!!!!!!! 
with the birdfeeders right by the garden i dont have squirrel issues in the garden? and i have a chicken wire fence around it. yea them skurrels are pretty resourceful when it comes to getting at food!!!!!!
So metal garden stakes won’t help, thanks for the advice. Ya I should start plunking them with the bb gun, that’s funny Glenn!!
So metal garden stakes won’t help, thanks for the advice. Ya I should start plunking them with the bb gun, that’s funny Glenn!!
maybe iffin ya kept them greased up????
the bird feeders up at the cabin have PVC pipe on the outside of the feeder poles. i’ve watched countless times……..no skurrels get up that!!!!
Been January since anyone posted about their gardens. I did some prep work in mine yesterday. Its a bit of a mud hole in there right now but I leveled it off. This is the first time I’ve had my own garden and I am going to try cucumber, tomato, and rhubarb.
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