At the EDG Row 1 and 2 are closest to the hedge that is home to rabbits, squirrels, quail and numerous other creatures that love to devour our crops. Our tried and true methods for protecting our tender seedlings with hardware mesh on the bottom and protective netting on the top have been regularly defeated.
So this spring we installed 4 new raised beds in row 1 & 2. All are 7 feet long by 2 feet wide. Two of them are 15 inches high and two of them are 29 inches high. We are looking forward to planting in these without having to get down on our hands and knees or bed over. 24-36 inches is recommended as the best height for raised beds. And the 2 foot wide width eliminates back issues when reach across the bed.
But a lot of soil is required for the tall beds, specifically 8 cubic feet. We used a modifed form of Hugelkulture and filled the bottom half with sticks and branches that had recently been cut from the orchard on the farm. For the two tall raised beds they each required 4 wheel barrels of native soil, 4 wheel barrels of young compost and 4 wheel barrels of finished compost. Thank you Eric D and Vanessa L for taking the lead.
We may still have to use protective netting to keep the birds out, depending on the crop, but hopefully all the critters that live in the hedge next door won’t be able to easily get access.
Article by Jean Christofferson