The Boxes

So here is what I have done so far:
     First the plan, you have to know what you want to do and where you want to do it.  I know that it sounds simple to most but, don't forget the plan.  If you don't have a plan, get a plan. Draw it out, make any tweaks to your plan that seem necessary and then...STICK TO IT. Make sure you you keep in mind shade, sunlight, and your water source.

     Next comes your ideal spot. I chose raised boxes, the boxes are made of 2"x10"x12' boards.  They are 12' long and 4' wide, you could make them any size that you want.  A friend of mine gave me the boxes because they had decided to upgrade to bigger boxes.  I then took a 2x6 and cut them down to make the 1"x1.5"x8' long stripes of wood to make the frames for the green house and the summer shade cover.  I used wood screws to put everything together because, when water is added to wood it will expand pulling on the screws.  When nails are used over time the constant expanding and contracting will cause the nails to be pulled out, so the screws are a better choice in this case.  I then dug a trench, with the help of my wife and "Big Ed", to put the drip system pipe in.  I used the standard drip line pipe that is on the roll and I only needed 50' of pipe.  You may need more or less depending on the distance from the faucet to the last box.  After the pipe was laid in the ground I filled in the holes and called it quits for a few days, remember "fat man farming", not "physically fit young man in shape" farming.  See the picture below.

Empty Boxes

     Next I spent the day driving back and forth from the local dirt guy.  These boxes took just under 5 yards of dirt.  Being in an arid climate I choose to buy a good quality top soil as opposed to prepping the dirt that was already here, I don't think that I have enough years left in my life to get this dirt ready for anything of value to grow in it.  Remember when figuring out how much dirt you will need, a yard of dirt is 3' cubed, or 27 cubic feet. Take the size of your box, length x width, and multiply that by the depth. I used 10" boards and figuring in for the uneven ground added two inches to give me 12" of depth.  This made my boxes of 12' x 4' x 1' a total of 48 cubic feet of dirt.  After the dirt was in, I finished off the main water line for each box.  The dirt is a good mixture of manual, sand and organic compost material.  Next year I will add my own compost as I will have had time to get it all cooking. See picture below.

Almost Done

     Today, 2/18/2013, I set up the drip system for the tomatoes.  I will be using the far box, the one on the right of the above picture, for the tomatoes.  I will be placing 12 plants in there, 10 beef steak and 2 hybrid cherry tomato plants, I ( with the help of "lil'J" and "Sassy Sammy") started them in a small planter greenhouse (purchased at the local Garden Nursery) in the house.   See picture below.

Tomato Drip System

Indoor Tomato Greenhouse

 









 
      After this was completed I noticed that there would not be room for the cucumbers so, IMPROVISE, I used some terracotta pots from last year and placed them at the end of the boxes and added the drip line to them.  The cucumbers can be grown vertically up a cage or or left on the ground, each way has its advantages and disadvantages, I chose to leave them to the ground; however, everything is subject to change at any moment so I will keep you posted on what happens as they grow. 

For the Cucumbers

More Cucumbers

 










     Next came planting the Peas, Green Beans, Carrots, and Radishes.  The "Girls", lil' J and Sassy Sammy, planted the peas at the far end and then the green beans.   I then had the "Girls" plant only one row of carrots and one row of radishes, next week and every week after we will plant another row of Carrots and Radishes, this way we will have a steady supply of each.  When all the planting was done it was time to make the green house, and of course...it was at this point I received a "wind advisory" on my phone. As I said before, I live in a dry and hot part of the country, so it was really no surprise to me that stormy weather would start rolling in at this moment. I almost expected it.  Must be Satan trying to lend a hand again.  No matter... I will take it in stride.. and count it as a blessing that my greenhouse will have a test of strength. I'll know soon if I'll need to make any adjustments.  I purchased a 6 MIL painters drop plastic roll and wrapped the frame of the box.  I simply stapled it to the wood frame with a standard carpentry staple gun.  (For stapling plastic to the bottom of the box, I used a roofing slap staple gun. This is not necessary, but easier, the regular stapler will work.   Below are the final pictures on the boxes.  My next post will be on making the compost or manure tea for fertilizing the boxes.

Outside View

Inside view

     One last observation, I think that the greenhouse is a great idea, however, I think that next year I will make individual panels that can be removed.  I would need to make 11 that are 4' x 4' and again they would be removable for easier access to the greenhouse.  As it stands now I have to tare and re-staple the plastic back on.  If you choose to make them the way I have DO NOT forget to make a door that is covered to allow access to the greenhouse.

Thank you for viewing my post,

The Fat Man

A Little About Me

     I am a 41 year old male.  My chosen profession is one that requires me to remain "Large in Stature".  In the off time, I enjoy a little gardening.  This can be quite challenging as I work a shift that takes me away from home most of the day and into the early evening when most people would prefer to do their gardening.  Do to the fact that I like to act a little lazy in the morning, which creates my challenge with gardening, I still feel compelled to share what I have learned with those who are interested.  I would hope to share something that may be beneficial to you, the reader.  

     Taking in to account what I have mentioned above, I live a HOT and DRY climate, did I mention HOT and DRY, if not, let me just say that I live in a HOT and DRY area.  It was so hot last July that Satan informed me that he knew of a cool place to hang out, somehow I doubt that, but nevertheless I sent him on his way and gave no more thought to it.

     Being a man of faith I know that there is something more than this life and I know that all things where created spiritually before physically; that being said lets take the seeds, sow them and then pray they grow.  I hope along the way I can learn a little more about the very essence that is life.  Together we can take the seed of faith, plant it in the earth and hope and pray that it grows into what it was meant to be.

     Along the path that I am about to begin, it is my intention to check in at least once a week with stories and photos from the previous week.  I will share my designs that I have come up with and those I have poached from others, giving credit to those whom I have poached from, as well as measurements and the tools that I have used.  On this day February 17, 2013 I have started this post, I will post pictures of what I have done to this point.  On February 20, 2013 I will be undergoing  a surgery on my left wrist and will turn all the physical labor over to my Bride of 17 years.  I will continue to update if possible, if not I know that she will help me out.  If you are reading this after October 2013 than you get to see the results and see if the information was useful, if not than I hope I do not waist your time.  (at least you'll learn what not to do if I am unsuccessful)

     One last thing, as you can see by the photo's, raised garden beds are a must!

     Thank you ,

     The Fat Man