Yesterday I showed you how we easily and affordably built our first raised garden bed. Today I’ll show you what we planted, but first, we needed to prep the soil. Here is the layer-by-layer guide to our garden, and in parentheses, I have listed the product we used and the cost at time of purchase, all of which were purchased at Home Depot. Quantites listed are for a 4′ x 8′ garden bed.
1. Level the ground under the garden bed for even water flow and growth. Till up the dirt while you’re at it and dig out any weeds or grass.
2. Sprinkle fire ant killer throughout the bed and around the outer edges. Allow this to penetrate the soil for 24 hours before moving forward. (Orthene Fire Ant Killer – $10.48 – qty: 1)
3. After 24 hours, you can begin layering your soil components. To prevent weeds and grass from growing back up into your bed, begin with a layer of cardboard along the bottom. Try to cover as completely as possible.
4. The next layer is peat moss. Peat moss naturally retains water, so when those roots get to this layer, they’ll hold onto their water much easier and have a better chance at growing big and strong. (Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss – $11.97 for 3 cu. ft. – qty:1)
5. On top of the layer of peat moss, spread a layer of cow manure or other fertilizer. The nutrients in the manure help aid vegetable growth, much like compost would. If you compost, you can use that instead of manure. (Black Kow cow manure – $4.97 – 50lb. – qty:1)
6. Next, add a solid layer of garden soil. We chose MiracleGro Garden Soil, which is specifically designed for fruit and vegetable gardens. (MiracleGro Flower & Vegetable Garden Soil – $7.97 for 2 cu. ft. – qty: 3)
7. Finally, fill the remainder of the garden bed with top soil. Leave only a few inches at the top of the garden bed. (Timberline Top Soil – $1.49 for 1 cu. ft. – qty: 10)
Now we’re ready to plant!
We live in Georgia, which is Zone 7B according to garden maps. I found a great planting calendar on A Way to Garden, and there are links for most states.
Using the Georgia planting calendar as a guide, we came up with this planting schedule:
Planting Now:
- Cantaloupe – September harvest
- Blackeyed peas – August harvest, then replant for October harvest
- Giant pumpkin – October harvest
- Zucchini – August harvest, then replant for October harvest
- Okra – August harvest
- Cucumber – September harvest
- Tomato – October harvest
- Broccoli – October harvest
Have you planted fall veggies? What did you plant? Any gardening tips to share?
One Response
I love this! I’m in FL and we fall into zone 9. I am just getting into gardening – meaning I remembered to water my plants almost every day this year. I’m going to be planting peas in the next week and couldn’t be more excited. Please post more about gardening and when and what you grown and how it turns out. I love the encouragement!