From page 13

customized to your arm length.
Half the bed width should be equal
to the distance from your shoulder
to your wrist.

This means you never have to
step into the bed to do any work.
Pathways become unnecessary.

The length of the bed will vary
depending on the required size and
your enthusiasm.

The best of the vegetable gar-
den, or your level of procedure, is
to set up three raised beds six to
eight feet long in an urea where you
have room for expansion.

Ha small bed proves to be inad-
equate the first year, the length of
each bed can be extended until
there is sufficient space. Starling
small and achieving success is bet-
ter than taking on too much in the
first year.

Creating three beds hus several
advantages.

In the first bed grow those plants
which produce edible Jeaves such
as lettuce, spinach and swiss chard.
in the second, try some plants that
produce seeds such as peas, beans
and corn. This leaves the third bed
for the root crops of carrots, radish-
es, turnips and parsnips.

Each group of plants creates dif-
ferent fertilizer demands on the

’ soil. Leaf crops will demand more
nitrogen, whereas seed and roct
crops will require more phospho-
rous and potassium, Growing dif-
ferent crops in the beds in subse-
quent years will give each section
of soil a rest. .

The other major benefit ofa:
three-bed rotation system is the
avoidance of disease and insects.
By moving the plants each year
they are less likely to be reinfected
by soil-borne larvae or fungus.

_.~ Raised beds always require
additional soil than what you have
in the garden. One method of gain-
ing extra soil is to sink the raised

- bed into the native top soil and then
dig the path areas dawn to the
frarne level and add the soil to the
box. °

_ . By sinking the frame three inch-
es into the soil and then using the
Path soil to add to the box, you

_ might gain six inches of soil. Add.
two inches of backyard or commer-
cial compost to this soil and you
will have a bed eight inches deep.

As you add more organic mater- _--

ial to the soii each year it won’t

take long too build up a 10- to 12-
inch bed of rich soil,

Be sure to screen or hand pick
alf the rocks from the existing soil
because many vegetables, particu-
larly root crops, have tap roots that
do not like rocks in their path.
Rocks can also be hard on tools and
fingers -vhen working in the soil.

Aligning the beds ina north-
south direction may not be possible
but it is the preferred way. This
arrangement allows morning sun on
one side, midday sun from above
and afternoon sun on the other side.

To improve the solar exposure,
plant the short crops at the south
end of the beds and the tall ones at
the north end. -

With a limited space for planting
you may wish to construct cold
frames lo fit over the raised beds.
This will allow an early start and a
double crop from the same ground.
If the raised beds and portable cold
frames are all the same size they
will be interchangeable every year

By planting your raised beds in
blocks rather than rows you not
only save space but you feave little
room for weeds to grow.

For example, a two foot by four
foot bed would allow you to plant
15 heads of fettuce or several hun-
dred carrots.

Before planting vegetables such
as lettuce try to anticipate what

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your weekly needs might be. There
is no point in having all 15 heads of
lettuce ready at the same time if
you can’t use them. Other crops
such as carrots can be used or hilled
up for late fall or winter use.

If you have never grown vegeta-
bles, this may be your year to try a
new type of garden in a raised bed
and have the pleasure of harvesting
a bountiful crop this summer.

pO y Lo US HE NS Bf AY ENE

Bed size varied with length | use wa

ter with care on lawns

LAWNS OR gardens should be watered only when they really need
it, and over-watering should be avoided, not only because it's waste-
ful, but also because it can damage the plants we're trying to help.

As the rainy weather disappears and watering becomes necessary,
remember these watering tips: Lawns do better when watered every
few days. The best time to water is before 10 a.m. or in the early
evening and on calm days. Following this schedule will help cut down
on the amount of water lost to evaporation.

Join us for our FREE PH.
& N.PK. SOIL TESTING
Consultation Clinic

12 Noon - 4 pm, April 17th

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