Well, May 24 weekend is almost here, time to start planting again.  For our second learn-as-we-go round of organic, raised bed/square foot gardening.  This year we’re doing somethings the same, some things have changed.

First, we moved the garden from our backyard to our east side yard.  The neighbour built a fence last year that shaded the garden, now it’s back in full sunlight again for the morning.  Great thing about raised bed gardening – it’s easy to move.  We just unscrewed the four boards and relocated them, screwed them back together.  Laid down some weed control fabric, then a half dozen wheelbarrow loads of soil later, all done.  Actually, we moved half the dirt (sorry, it’s ‘soil’, not dirt :) ). Then we emptied the entire contents of our compost heap on top (composted and not composted, both.  We just dumped it all in there.).  Then we put the rest of the dirt on top.  Might as well compost right in the garden I figure.

Then we laid out the twine in square foot sections again.

The other thing that’s the same is that my son, while now 13, is still interested in doing this.  He helped me move it and he helped me plant.  It’s hard to maintain interest at this age, the garden is still a good way to do that.

What’s changed is what and where we planted.  We’ve moved the potatoes, tomatoes, and corn right out of the garden.  The corn we planted against the house.  We had a spot about 3 foot long by 12-18 inches that was a former flower garden.  Actually we had sunflowers there.  Now it’s got corn.  Three rows of about 4 hills each.  Probably over planted, but what the heck.  The tomatoes are going into planters that we’ll keep on our deck with the flowers my wife plants.  The potatoes we’re going to build another box probably 4X4 or 6X4.  They were simply too intrusive last year so they get confined to their own box.

And then we planted.  Here’s our layout in an 8 X4 raised bed this year:

Radish Radish Radish Radish
Carrot Carrot Carrot Carrot
Lettuce Lettuce Lettuce Lettuce
Squash Onion Onion Cucumber
Squash Beet Swish Chard Cucumber
Squash Beet Swiss Chard Cucumber
Bean Bean Pea Pea
Bean Bean Pea Pea

The layout logic was this.  I put the smaller plants to the front, larger ones to the back,so that they all get sunlight.  Squash and cucumber go to the sides as they will drape over onto the lawn.  And we picked these plants because we like to eat them.  Note that each table cell above is a one square foot section.  And as I noted, the corn is planted in another small area against the house, the potatoes will be in another box entirely, and the tomatoes are going in planters on the deck.

Now we wait!