Building a Raised Box for Gardening continued

We had the lumber cut to build the 8 x 4 foot raised garden box at the home improvement center.  My husband then measured and marked the exact points for the screws to be drilled into the wood to connect the boards to the legs at each corner.  The boards are eight (8) inches wide, not 1 foot as I previously stated.

Completed Raised Garden Box

It is important to have the box leveled so that the water and nutrients will be evenly distributed and to prevent mud puddles.

My husband, the engineer, used a level for this purpose, what else?  He used a large "square" to make the corners square!  Gee!  I shall leave this subject while I'm still ahead.

The long sides were screwed to the posts leaving 1.5 inches for the end boards.  This was constructed on a flat surface and then hauled to the garden site where the end boards were screwed to the posts.  The box is now complete.

Mr. Blue Jeans

The summer's ground cover of black beans and peanuts were mowed down and the roots removed.  I dug out some of the dirt from the box.  I turned the remaining soil in the box, raked it, and leveled it.

My husband then added agricultural sulfur to the soil in the box to deter nematodes.  Compost from our own pile and the original soil was put into the box; topped off with store bought organic compost and moisture retention garden soil.  The newly constructed raised garden box is now ready for fall planting.

Two rows of red cabbage plants were set in the middle of the box flanked by a row of Contender snap beans on either side.  It may be a little crowded but the snap beans are supposed to germinate in 6 - 8 days and ready to harvest in 55 days.  The red cabbage will mature in 75 - 120 days.

The crop is in the box and a gentle rain is falling.  The garden box is perfectly aligned with the northern end of the bean poles.  The full moon will rise at 7.30 tonight. and the man will smile with pleasure upon our garden, I am sure.  I am not sure how the stars are aligned.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Have a wonderful weekend.