Built this raised bed from scratch and wanted to get some feedback from people who know more than me before I get too far into the season.
Specs:
~4’ x 8’ x 2’ elevated bed (not ground contact)
Wood frame with internal liner
Trellis setup using wire grid for vertical growth
Bottom layer is logs/cardboard, then partially composted food scraps, manure, and soil mix (kind of a hugelkultur approach) and also have red wrigglers in it too.
Location: Central Florida
What’s planted so far:
Back row: strawberries (established and producing)
Middle: broccoli + climbing beans (on trellis)
Front: peppers, carrots, and some herbs
Also testing cucumbers/melons along the trellis
A couple things I’m unsure about:
Spacing – feels like I may have overplanted, especially with broccoli + beans sharing space
Nutrient balance – since I used a layered fill with compost/manure, wondering if I should already be supplementing or let it ride. I’ve hit the broccoli (middle) and herbs (closest) with fish fertilizer, and the strawberries with berrytone.
Watering – soil stays pretty moist due to depth and organic base… not sure if I’m at risk of overwatering
Companion planting conflicts – anything here that’s going to compete hard or stunt growth?
Goal is to maximize yield in this space without turning it into a jungle I can’t manage. Any advice, corrections, or “you’re about to regret that” warnings are appreciated!!
by seanhir
3 Comments
The cucumbers and melons are going to get about 5x bigger than you think. The rest has a chance. The carrots won’t develop either I guess. But other than that you have a chance.
If you remove anything…. Tbh the broccoli as you’ve already missed the season. It won’t produce now. You could remove the broccoli and train your cucumber vines through the terrace to have enough space
I r8 it an 8/8, looks gr8 m8.
On a 1-10 scale this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Way way way too close together.
You’re in Florida so you’re too late for broccoli temperature wise but also cabbage moth wise. They’re gonna shred those plants soon. I would just harvest and eat them now. My suggestion if you do another spring crop on broccoli is to start in Jan-Feb and plant them a solid 2.5 feet apart. At full size they’ll have a 3-4 foot diameter and the cabbage moths will start hitting in March. If there’s more space between them you have a better chance of isolating and treating effected plants before your entire crop is covered in caterpillars.
You’ve got space there for 1 cucumber. 2 if you want to push it. You can companion plant with peas and beans sharing a trellis but only if you get the companions in way earlier than the cukes so they are finishing their cycle as the cukes are taking off. If your cukes are healthy their leaves will completely shade the other plants and they will out compete them for water and nutrients too. You want to be picking beans by the time the cukes are hitting the trellis.