Grow Your Own – Number Five Is Alive
by John Weckerle
Bed 4, at just a little over 3 weeks after planting.
A few weeks ago, we posted an article on the completion of Bed 4, a dual-layer partially raised bed surrounding an old juniper skeleton that had been planted with a trumpet vine. We are pleased to report that the concept appears to be functioning very well. With the exception of much of the chard (alas, rabbits) and a couple of snow peas that were in questionable shape when they went into the ground, the plants have all adjusted to their new surroundings and appear to be flourishing; there’s even a green bell pepper or two on the way. This afternoon, we noted the presence of what appears to be a “volunteer” tomato plant (from the household compost, no doubt). The trumpet vine survived the winter – rather unexpectedly – and with the enriched soil and additional moisture, there’s a good bet we’ll be making some hummingbirds very, very happy.
In that article, we alluded to the construction of Bed 5, the latest of our horticultural/agricultural experiments. Like Beds 1 through 3, which are lying fallow this year and will likely be relocated and repurposed, Bed 5 is a raised bed. But it’s much more than just a raised bed. Drum roll…
Welcome to Bed 5.
Bed 5 is a 12-foot by 24-foot double-dug raised bed, complete with a hoop house. We’re betting most of you didn’t see this one coming.
We began by enlisting the help of our good friend and neighbor, remodeling contractor Tom Ineson, who has a) a tractor with a lot of nifty attachments, especially a very serious rototiller; and b) a substantial supply of high-quality composted horse manure, which has been composting for more than a year. As a first step, we excavated the bed location 12 to 18 inches below grade and stockpiled the soil next to the bed. We then laid down a thick layer of manure, and Tom rototilled it into the bottom of the bed. A layer of the excavated soil was then applied, followed by more manure, and more rototilling. In all, we added ten small pickup bed loads of composted manure to the native soil, achieving a roughly 50-50 mix of soil and composted manure. This is really wonderful, fluffy stuff; we took a sample down to the Jericho Nursery folks at their San Mateo location, and asked their soil expert what she thought. When she opened the bag, looked at the soil, and took a whiff, she said “This makes me want to grab a spoon and dig in.” Now, your editor is no stranger to soil, but that was some nice validation of our approach to soil formulation.
Senior Agronomy Correspondent Wilson assumed a supervisory role, occasionally assisting with post-excavation excavation assistance, and Senior Agricultural Construction Correspondent Lucy joined your editor to assemble the raised bed. This involved attaching six 12-foot 2 x 12 boards to posts (made of 2 x 4 lumber) that extended to the bottom of the excavation. The posts were situated at the corners of the beds and at the points where the boards come together along the long sides of the bed. We attached everything together with deck screws.
Next, we began assembly of the hoop house. We caution our readers: this is a very complex and dangerous project to accomplish, and we suggest that readers interested in trying this send us a check for $100 for our publication “How To Construct A Hoop House Without Being Killed By Klingons or Romulans.” Those not particularly concerned about being eradicated by popular but nevertheless-fictional interstellar warriors will find that little of the danger and complexity remains exclusive of these particular concerns – but if something big de-cloaks right above you as you’re finishing up, don’t say we didn’t warn you or try to sell you a book that would have kept you from being destroyed.
Once the box was built, the rest was (relatively) easy. Having perused the Internet for hoop house information, we found that the plans we reviewed were not consistent with respect to the diameter of the PVC to be used – recommendations ranged from 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch for the most part, at least for the “bent” method we used. We opted for 1/2-inch PVC because a) we are risk-takers, recognizing that we might have to upgrade if the PVC wasn’t strong enough to withstand snow; b) we know we can find nifty things to do with the replaced PVC if we do, in fact, have to replace it; and c) we are cheapskates. The price difference between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch pipe was just enough to make us want to give the smaller diameter a whirl. Those with an aversion to rework may want to go ahead and use 3/4-inch PVC from the start. We’ll keep our readers posted on how the 1/2-inch size works out.
We marked out locations approximately every 4 feet along the long sides (some people go with 5 feet, but we’re using smaller-diameter PVC than some), and drew vertical lines on the side of the beds. This requires using a total of twenty-four 10-foot sections of PVC pipe. Then we attached two half-round, 1/2 inch conduit brackets along each line using sheetrock screws which, along with deck screws, may be among the most universally useful fasteners invented to date. If you have managed to dodge the phasers and make it this far, make sure that you don’t tighten the screws all the way until you’ve inserted your PVC, or you will not be able to do so – at least without having to back out the screws. Just from the standpoint of efficiency, and also because it ends up being more satisfying, we recommend getting all the brackets in place before inserting the PVC.
Two brackets along a vertical line drawn on the outside of the bed hold the PVC for the hoops.
Two 2 x 4 boards fastened to the bed at each end provide stability for the assembly and a place to mount a door at one end. We bought a cheap wooden screen door for the task.
For our ridge line, we used approximately 4-foot pieces of PVC and connectors. At the ends, we used T-connectors (2), and for the others we used four-way connectors(5). To get the best fit, we measured between each set of inserted PVC pieces, and added 1.5 inches (this is how far the PVC extends into the connectors). Some people use longer pieces and screw them to the hoops, and this will probably work just fine.
T-connectors at the ends and 4-way connectors in the interior fasten the hoops and ridge line together; cable/zip ties fasten bird netting, rabbit fencing, and hoops to each other.
Safe from attack by enemies from space (we did write the book on that, after all), we then began preparation to deter adversaries of a terrestrial nature. Along the inside of the hoops, resting on top of the boards, we attached 28-inch rabbit fencing to the hoops all the way around, using cable ties (zip ties). We attached it to the tops of the boards using U-shaped nails. We recommend doing the long sides first, and then the ends, and not trying to just wrap the whole thing in one shot; we correctly predicted that this would help avoid aggravation associated with the odd geometries of wrapping planar materials around a curved corner onto a flat end, and so on. We left a few inches of extra material on each end to make it easy to connect everything.
That should take care of the rabbits. However, other potential competitors, especially deer, could easily just hop over the rabbit fencing. Then there are the flying rabbits, and the Klingons. To protect against third-dimension attacks, we used a method we tested on Bed 3 and some outside-the-fence trees and shrubs: bird netting.
We purchased a 100-foot by 7-foot roll of bird netting. Beginning at the door end, we attached one corner to the ridge line and rolled the netting out to the other end. We then attached the netting to each fitting along the ridge line and the top of the rabbit fencing. Bird netting was also applied to the ends, except for the part occupied by the door. Stretched tight, the netting provides a certain degree of stability and protection against vertically-oriented intrusion. With this configuration, we are protected against everything bigger than a squirrel, and if they become a problem, we can always run another row of netting along the rabbit fencing.
With the structures all built, it was time to start arranging the inside of the bed. For this summer’s planting, we created five rows and two slightly wider hills, separated by lower areas (why walk around on really good soil when you can pile it up and plant on it?). This approach probably gives us an effective available rooting depth of nearly three feet, which some references suggest is well worth the effort. The tops of the rows and mounds, as well as the walkways, were mulched – the tops to keep moisture in, and the walkways to allow for easy harvesting when things are wet. We ran soaker hose along the tops of the rows/hills, and duct-taped the portions traversing the walkways to help the water get where it needs to go. Watering is on a timer so that we never forget to turn the water on – or turn it off when it’s time.
"Hills" and walkways maximize potential rooting depth, and soaker hose covered with mulch helps maximize effective water use.
Then, of course, came the fun part: planting. Tomatoes went on the north side (always put your taller crops on the north side of your beds to avoid shading other plants). We sprinkled seeds of cosmos, zinnia, and coreopsis along some of the tops to help draw in the pollinators. Previously started plants now in Bed 5 included:
- Roma, grape, and beefsteak tomatoes
- Basil and dill
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Yellow summer squash
- Green beans (Blue Lake, Contender, and Maxibel, all bush varieties)
- Broccoli
- Red bell pepper
From seed:
- Romaine lettuce
- Mesclun (salad greens)
- Carrots
- Radishes (these have already come up)
With the hoop house, we now have the ability to try for a year-round harvest. No, we probably won’t be eating tomatoes in January, but we just might be eating spinach, kale, chard, collards, and other greens; lettuce; snow peas; and more. Of course, we have some structural work to do before autumn; the uprights will have to be trimmed and the door lowered before we throw the plastic over it all in the fall. Small potatoes, though, compared to the work so far – and now that we mention it, maybe we’ll just try growing a few.