How to Grow a lot of Food in a Small Garden - 9 tips

From One Yard Revolution:

9 tips for growing more food in a small garden:

1) Grow in Beds, not Rows
2) Optimize Spacing between Beds and Plants
3) Grow Vertically
4) Succession Planting
5) Interplanting
6) Grow in the Shade
7) Grow Edible Plants in the Front Yard
8) Grow Microgreens
9) Grow in Pots & Containers

Ideas from viewers

1) Interplant sweet peas with sunchokes. The sweet peas fix nitrogen, the sunchokes act as trellises for the peas, and both attract beneficial insects.
2) 3 sisters garden
3) Grow dwarf trees and plant shade tolerant crops underneath
4) Grow in window boxes
5) Optimize use of space by growing food you like the most

Elevated Garden Bed/Plant Box

Good Ideas Wizard Elevated Garden. Self-Watering Elevated Garden, Holds Over 10 Gallons Of Water, Includes Potting Gravel For Self-Draining Functionality, Made Of Polyethylene In The USA.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Ideas-GW-EG-GRN-Wizard-Elevated/dp/B00COGVAF2

The planter is available from Walmart and Menards.

Here is self-watering raised bed from the same company:

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Ideas-GW-RBG-SAN-Garden-Sandstone/dp/B0090I5D9G

Here is an alternative: Keter Elevated Garden Bed/Plant Box

http://www.amazon.com/Keter-Elevated-Garden-Bed-Plant/dp/B00BJFJCSQ

How to Build a Concrete Block Raised Bed Garden

"John from http;//www.growingyourgreens.com/ shows you how to build a concrete block raised bed garden. In this episode, John visits his local concrete block company and shares with you some of the concrete blocks that may be available to you. He will also discuss the reasons you may want to use concrete blocks to build your square foot raised bed garden. Next you will discover how to layout your in your backyard garden. John will then show how to lay the concrete blocks with sand and level to ensure you have a nice looking raised bed garden that stack properly for the professional look. After watching this episode you will discover how easy it is to build your own concrete block raised bed garden without using cinder blocks but using solid blocks that look better and are more functional."

How to Build Cheap and Simple Raised Beds From Start to Finish (video)

From MI Gardener:

How to build raised beds from start to finish. This garden was a 4x4, and the cost was a total of $56. That is $28 dollars per bed - including soil and plants.

Breakdown:

(8) - 2"X8" 4 ft. = $20
(2) - 3 cu. ft. Spagnum peat moss bricks = $15
(2) - 40 lb. bagged mushroom compost = $6
(2) - 40 lb. bagged cow manure = $6
(42) vegetable plants = $9



Editor's comment: SIPs such as Earthbox or Growums are still an easier and more efficient method to grow vegetables than raised beds.

How to Make a Raised Garden Bed from Bricks - YouTube http://buff.ly/1f7U9AH

No Till Gardening

From University of Maryland Extension:

Raised Garden Bed Kits from Home Depot

This Home Depot video highlights the options they carry for raised garden bed kits, including:

- cedar
- plastic "Patio Pickers"
- 32" high elevated redwood bed kit



Raised Garden Bed Kits - YouTube http://bit.ly/16yTwLI

How to Build a Raised Garden Bed

How to Build a Raised Flower or Garden Bed - YouTube http://bit.ly/WbOcVz

How to build a raised garden bed with pavers

You can use a variety of materials to construct raised beds. Most beds are made of wood.

However, pavers make great edging material that lasts virtually forever, and this works great when edging up to a concrete path. A simple paver costs between 40 cents and $2 at Home Depot(depending on size). You will need about 30-60 pavers (depending on size) to build one raised garden bed. Here is a good example of such inexpensive paver: Pavestone Holland 4 in. x 8 in. Concrete Paver, 39 cents http://goo.gl/F2OEF

To get good alignment, get some chalk and draw a line across them to indicate how far you bury one end into the ground. You can also put a wooden stake at each end, and stretch a piece of string across the top at the right height to get the tops level if the ground is uneven and can’t be used as a reference. You can hang a small builders line level on the string to make sure your string sits level if you have one.



Pavers at Home Depot





How to Build a Raised Island Garden Bed with Retaining Wall Bricks:



Paverstone Landcaping & Garden Edging - DIY videos from Home Depot:





$35 raised bed at Home Depot

How to Make a Raised Garden Bed from Bricks - YouTube http://buff.ly/1f7U9AH



References:

Raised Garden Beds « Deep Green Permaculture http://goo.gl/5o1qa

Raised Beds & Accessories -  at The Home Depot http://goo.gl/aj5kE

Greenes 48 in. x 48 in. Cedar Raised Garden Bed, $34.97 at The Home Depot http://goo.gl/FtSK5

How to Build a DIY Raised Garden Bed - The Home Depot http://goo.gl/9nqyc

Pavers & Step Stones at The Home Depot http://goo.gl/bMmD0

Successful Raised Bed Garden - Cement Block Construction - YouTube http://goo.gl/4q34e

Home Depot Buying Guide: Pavers http://goo.gl/bPc2T

Raised bed with pavers - Minneapolis Square Foot Gardening Plan | My Square Foot Garden http://bit.ly/VklZML

Sub-irrigated raised garden bed

What you need:

1. raised garden bed
2. liner. You need an impervious plastic sheeting (not weed protector than allows water to drain)
3. 4-inch perforated corrugated pipe (Flex-Drain)
4. 1/2 to 3/4-inch vinyl draining pipe

#3 and 4 are available at Lowe's.

Sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) are known erroneously as "self-watering".

References:

Inside Urban Green: Corrugated Drain Pipe Sub-Irrigated Planter Bed http://bit.ly/OIrp2E
A DYI sub-irrigation systems for planters-SIP - a set on Flickr http://bit.ly/OLgiK2
Inside Urban Green: Toronto » Rooftop SIP City http://bit.ly/NoNHdv
Sub-irrigated Raised Beds & Planters (SIPs) - a set on Flickr http://bit.ly/NeIMJY

Videos:

Food Is Free Wicking Bed Construction Demo - YouTube http://bit.ly/OIrqnd
2011.09.09 - Sub-Irrigated Container Garden - YouTube http://bit.ly/OIrnYs
Wicking beds, barrels & IBCs - Playlist by Rob Bob -YouTube http://bit.ly/1ujvovr
Wicking beds - Sustainable Gardening Australia Footprint Flicks - YouTube http://bit.ly/OIrraI
'Above ground' Wicking Raised Garden Bed - Water Installations and Greywater Reuse Sys - YouTube http://bit.ly/OIrt2m
Self-Watering Container Gardening System: Richard's Garden - YouTube http://bit.ly/OIrtPK

Irrigation options for raised garden beds: soaker hose

I bought this hose at Home Depot for $10 and adapted it to fit one 4x4 foot raised garden bed. It works well for that purpose because of its length of 25 feet. The hose is held in place by small wooden sticks or recycled wooden tongue depressors.

The weeper/soaker hose allows for efficient watering with less waste and reduced evaporation. It performs best with low water pressure, ensuring gentle, even watering. It is very flexible and you can bend to contour the margins of the square foot garden in the raised bed.







25-ft soaker hose in a 4x4 ft raised bed.

Gilmour Weeper/Soaker Hose 25-Foot 27025G by Gilmour:



Here is an alternative option: Nelson 50180 Simple Soaker Flower Watering Sprinkler with 50-Foot Tubing, Five Nozzles with Plastic Spikes, Risers, End Plug Set, and Deflectors: