For various reasons I'm not asking these questions directly to the people nearest me.

1. Why do people make raised beds? I see several little disasters in making these little beds. Thin, narrow, raised beds. At the moment, the plants don't fully cover most of the beds. So, there's erosion. As I water, I see bits of the bed eroding into the little gullies in between. Also, as the wind blows, it takes away some of the topsoil. Not good for the topsoil.

Some of the plants we're growing on these little raised beds we're also growing in another part of the garden, but not on raised beds. I don't see the benefits of making raised beds.

2. Why do farmers cut the plants that are there, and toss them to the side. I have learned that some people believe it's a good idea to expose the soil to the sunlight to kill the bacteria. I disagree but I don't know their reasons very well.

3. We have two tomato beds where we've put down this plastic sheeting to cover the beds. I suppose you know the plastic sheeting I'm refering to. It's got little holes for the plants and for the stakes to be put into. Well, I feel that this robs the soil of the ability to breathe. Also, it makes the soil really hot underneath the plastic. It has a couple of apparent benefits, but I feel the cons outweigh the pros. I welcome any comments on these plastic sheets.

Also, any comments regarding any of these questions. Great. I'd much appreciate it.

I'll probably not check for answsers until next weekend. Maybe before then. Maybe not.

Enough.
Thanks,
Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

If YOU know better ways, then DEMONSTRATE them! Ha! ha! Plant in ways that are more sustainable...and YOU feel are more beneficial. When they see how well YOUR stuff is doing......mission accomplished! LOL. Don't you think?

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Troy, You might find that a square raised bed works much better. I used 6 foot squares to plant a garden in an area of the desert that the agri-business farmers said was ungrowable. You can plant rows in it or just space plants in it. It is convenient because you can keep adding organic material to it while the plants are growing. I like hay as mulch and would keep adding it during the growing season. You might also edge the beds with rocks or bricks so you won't have an erosions problem. Also the hay helps to keep erosion from happening. There is a great book by a lady named Ruth Stout that really gets into the hay thing.
Farmers cut the plants and leave them in the soil to turn them under into the soil. Manusobu Fukoka would just bend them down and cover them with hay or straw. These plants will feed the soil and add organic material.
You will find that the plastic will break down and turn into a mess to pick up later. Hay is much better and you never have to pick it up. Just move it aside a little and pop in your seeds or plants. I hope this helps.

1. Raised beds typically are easier as less digging is required, but the plants should cover most of the bed .. if the rows arent going with the contours of land then yea errosion will happen..it will happen with traditional planting either way .. beds or rows should go with the contours of the land

2. cutting or thining out the plants makes the ones left to grow stronger, less competition for soil, nutrients, water and sun .. otherwise they get too spindly
is the theory , i for one plant more carefully rather then thinning out later as im too bloody cheap to waste seeds LOL ..if something doesnt grow in a particlar spot becasuse of a bad seed , i plant something else there hehe

3. keeping the roots warms encourages faster growth. covering the ground also keeps weeds from coming up and competing with the plants .. if the holes are big enough for the plants they should be getting enough rain ..i use cotton sheets myself as i dont like plastic in my garden ..the cotton allows the rain to penetrate

TroySantos Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For various reasons I'm not asking these questions
> directly to the people nearest me.
>
> 1. Why do people make raised beds? I see several
> little disasters in making these little beds.
> Thin, narrow, raised beds. At the moment, the
> plants don't fully cover most of the beds. So,
> there's erosion. As I water, I see bits of the bed
> eroding into the little gullies in between. Also,
> as the wind blows, it takes away some of the
> topsoil. Not good for the topsoil.
>
> Some of the plants we're growing on these little
> raised beds we're also growing in another part of
> the garden, but not on raised beds. I don't see
> the benefits of making raised beds.
>
> 2. Why do farmers cut the plants that are there,
> and toss them to the side. I have learned that
> some people believe it's a good idea to expose the
> soil to the sunlight to kill the bacteria. I
> disagree but I don't know their reasons very well.
>
>
> 3. We have two tomato beds where we've put down
> this plastic sheeting to cover the beds. I suppose
> you know the plastic sheeting I'm refering to.
> It's got little holes for the plants and for the
> stakes to be put into. Well, I feel that this robs
> the soil of the ability to breathe. Also, it makes
> the soil really hot underneath the plastic. It has
> a couple of apparent benefits, but I feel the cons
> outweigh the pros. I welcome any comments on these
> plastic sheets.
>
> Also, any comments regarding any of these
> questions. Great. I'd much appreciate it.
>
> I'll probably not check for answsers until next
> weekend. Maybe before then. Maybe not.
>
> Enough.
> Thanks,
> Troy.

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

also troysantos there is a very cool book that agrees with your thoughts its called square foot gardening by mel bartholomew [www.squarefootgardening.com]
... if you can find it over there or mail order it its invaluable for its info on just the things you are questioning for example:

he says;

Join Me in a Gardening Revolution.

They say I turned gardening upside down on its head!

Well, I did that only to knock some sense into what we

were being taught.



I didn’t want to dig up and turn over my tough,

unproductive backyard soil every year.

That’s too much work!



I did not want to take a huge part of my backyard and then

have to weed and weed every weekend.

That’s too much work!



I didn’t want to pour out an expensive packet

of seeds into a skinny long row, only to have to come back

and thin out 90% of the plants.

That’s too much work!



There are so many things wrong with the single-row

method of gardening that we have been taught, so I said,

“I’m going to invent a better way to garden.”

And I did ! And this is it.

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Thanks everyone for your responses.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha

I am reading Square Foot Gardening right now. The new book. It is awesome. I skipped some pages and I guess I missed some info. The sides of the Square Foot Guarden (SFG) are four feet each. So why does the author say that you can grow only one cauliflower or other extra large plant per square foot? Shouldn't it be then four extra large plants per SFG instead of one?

I just found out you can grow inside a used tire. It created a greenhouse and warms the soil I can't wait to give it a try.

veganlife one cauliflower in 1 square foot of space gives the cauliflower ALOT of room to grow .. they actually get quite big with all the leaves

them tiny things in the stores are like mini cauliflowers lol ...notthing like a really good garden fresh cauli mmmm

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I know these posts are pretty old, but I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. We have three 6x6x2 1/2 foot raised beds (main objective was to use pannels left over from a shed we took down so the wood wouldn't be wasted!) Actually the dirt stays well inside the box, and it keeps the chickens and ducks out. It also defines the space as being separate from the yard so kids/dogs don't tromp through it. You can grow more plants in less space too.