Hi all, I started rebuilding my beds this weekend and actually remembered to take a few pictures. This is the original layout - four beds, each almost exactly 3 feet wide and about 15 feet long. The sides are one 2x6 high. Katja is helping. The boards have all been removed. So, in place of the current setup there will be 3 beds that are four feet wide apiece, with another level of 2x6 in height, and more heavily planted than before. Pretty much everything I've read on this and other sites says the new layout will work well, so I'm optimistic. I'll update with a few more pics when I get the new beds built and in place. Hey lantanascape (and anyone else who wants to weigh in), Thanks for your info. So, just to clarify on the planting plan you posted, all the X's in your plan would represent pepper plants? So you're saying that, on average, you'd be successful with 14 pepper plants in a given 4x4 plot of planting area? And you would have carrots or lettuce in between them? This is fascinating to me and I'm excited to give some of these techniques a try - I'm just wondering how, in your example, the sun is supposed to get to the shorter plants once the peppers start to grow up? Also, would you plant tomatoes with the same spacing or spread them out a little? Thanks again for the info and these forums. They're great. - Chris

Contact your counties office of your state Agricultural Universities Cooperative Extension Service about having a good soil test done (usually in the $6.00 to $15.00 range). These simple soil tests, 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy. may be of some help in determining what you have. A good soil for plant growth will have between 5 and 8 percent organic matter.

I'm pretty much the same way. It's a bit off topic, that's why I asked but hey it's your topic, so let me see if I can summarize. Here goes.... Oh, if you are interested in the irrigating part of this thread, scroll down, as this is longer than I expected & off topic. Last year, I drove to Biloxi, MS in a car a friend gave me. An 87 Chev Celebrity. With gas prices on the rise my thought was two fold. This got better gas mileage than my F150 plus if any thing happens to it, I could just leave it, rent a car and keep going. If I had the F150, I would feel obligated to pay inflated, out-of-state roadside repairs. Well the car ran fine on the way down. My return trip began on Fri. May 13th at 00:45. I am not superstitious (good thing). After about an hour & half of driving, I began to hear a noise pulled off the highway to check it & the oil. At an idle the knock didn't seem too bad, the oil was good (had it changed before I left). Asked a local for directions, she mentioned go over the "Dolly Parton bridge". So at some point after I crossed the "Dolly Parton bridge" the vehicle emitted a severe knocking noise and lost power. After pulling off to the shoulder in a rural area of I-65 in Alabama (with no street lights), I investigated and found a puddle of oil under the engine. I was happy this did not happen a few miles back in the middle of a long bridge with no breakdown lanes. While I have never had an experience like this before, I knew that the engine was beyond repair. This is when you get that nauseating, sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Pitch black out, somewhere after 2 am, and you just have NO idea where the hey you are. No street lights, no signs to read to tell someone. I grabbed my Cingular cell, happy to have a signal. I dialed 911, The local police transferred me to the Alabama Highway Patrol who informed me if I had AAA, I would have to call them myself. The dispatcher hung up without giving me the local number. I could not locate my AAA card to find a number but checked my cell phone to find a number to the office in CT which luckily had menu options for roadside assistance. After finding out I was in AL, I was transferred to another number. While this dispatcher was trying to determine where I was located (I had absolutely no idea) I saw headlights pull up behind me. Thinking, oh good it is the highway patrol, it turned out to be a well meaning civilian (who appeared to be under the influence) offering me a ride to Montgomery, some 3 hours north. Afraid to admit I did not know where I was, I told him the police wanted to know what mile marker I was at. He informed me I was approx. 6 miles north of the Bay Minette exit. After a few more minutes he insisted if I did not get in his car, he would have to get going. I felt it unwise to get into a car with a strange man in an altered mental status. I thanked him and off he went. The AAA dispatcher contacted a local towing company who called me some time later requesting a mile marker, informing me AAA would only pay him to search for 3 miles and if I was not in that area he would have to stop looking. Despite my best efforts to describe where I was, the tow operator could not determine where I was located. Approximately 10 miles north of the bridge is all I knew but that didnt seem to help. A desolate part of I-65 in Alabama, without lights but plenty of trees and absolutely no other signs or markers. Apparently the entire stretch between Bay Minette and Montgomery is pretty desolate. This would have been a good test for OnStar. During further conversation with the tow operator, he informed me there is one highway patrolman who works 200 miles of the interstate. With fog limiting visibility as time went on, we agreed that if I wanted assistance, I would have to start walking to find a mile marker and call him back. I grabbed a flashlight and began walking north on this lonely unmarked stretch of I-65. Thinking someone might stop if they saw a disabled vehicle with emergency flashers followed by someone walking, I decide to walk in the direction of travel. I flashed my light while walking, hoping someone would stop, maybe a truck driver with a CB radio. Making use of the headlights on the southbound vehicles I checked both sides of the highway, I continued as the flashing lights of my car faded from view. After walking for about 2 miles in the pitch dark with trucks and cars whizzing by at 75-80 mph I happened upon another motorist on the southbound side experiencing car problems with an air conditioning belt. After assisting him with my light, I was able to convince him to give me a ride to the next mile marker. He appeared to be hesitant since my flashing lights were not visible from where we were. It turns out that I was north of the 141 mile marker and the 142 mile marker was missing on both sides of the highway. What are the odds? When tow operator arrived, he agreed the car would need another motor. But said "no one will give you any money for this". I asked about the availability of a used car. After telling me he did not have anything, he advised me that if I was to buy something locally, I would again have problems within 100 miles (no warranty). He said "they do it all the time to people in your situation". I again contacted the local AAA. Their first referral was to Enterprise Rent A Car, who insisted I would have to return the car to Alabama, NOT. I again called the local AAA dispatcher who had to research and call back with a 3 way conference to National Car Rental agent, located in Charleston, SC., who insisted the nearest one-way rentals were only available at the Mobile Airport. The tow operator told me it would be at least an hour drive to the Mobile Airport. I had no idea how I could get to the airport at this time of the morning and began inquiring about rooms in the local area. Hearing my discussion with AAA the tow operator informed me that I have AAA-plus and he could take me up to 100 miles. He said this was within range of the airport. After pulling off to the side of the road and discussing it further, we decided the airport would likely be my best option. It was 4AM and the National counter did not open until 6:30 AM. He agreed to wait so I could unload my luggage. The fun did not stop there but continued with airport police threatening TSA would confiscate my luggage or the vehicle if either were left unattended. Meaning, I could not leave my luggage on the sidewalk while going to the rental counter. I remember saying "hmmm then 'I' won't have to worry about it". Well he didn't think that was funny. If you are the tow operator reading this, I want to Thank You, you were a complete gentleman and a huge help in my time of need. I continued on to visit with my daughter in Orangeburg, SC and a long time friend in Princeton, NC. I had the worst experience of my life at the Sun Moon Inn, Orangeburg, SC but that is a whole story in itself. I would NOT recommend the Sun Moon Inn to anyone. After my daughterÂs friend suddenly passed on in October, I returned to Orangeburg. This time in the F150 with trailer in tow. I am happy to say this trip was w/o incident. Now folks, back to gardening. Ed, it is raining here again today & now again tonight. In fact, there are reports of a tornado touching down in Westchester County, NY and in Fairfield County, CT (Greenwich). Gumby_CT

You don't need to wait until another house to make a better raised bed garden. Once you know your mistakes or even if not mistakes, but you know what you want to do better, plan it out and add it to your list of garden to-dos. (I just re-read that you have some HOA but I would guess your next garden plans still fit into what they allow you to do). Some varieties of squash get really large. Even just one plant can cover several tens of feet horizontally or vertically. Check the sizes on all your plants. It also sounds like you might like reading about square foot gardening. It doesn't have to be implemented this year, since you already have your plans set out, but you can consider it for next time. It's also a lot of gardening info to digest so read it and get a grasp on it before changing at a whim. There are alternatives to growing potatoes, though in a bed is OK too. It's not too late for starting them in your area. Asparagus can pretty much remain in that bed forever, so consider that you'll probably never plant anything else there if you don't get rid of the asparagus. For your extra beds as well as different places along your beds and yard, you may also want to have plants which attract pollinators, or plants which may help attract destructive bugs. For that, companion planting might be something to try also.