The Beekman Heirloom Garden is primarily made up of 52 raised garden beds.We got a great email recently from someone who was inspired by our Beekman Heirloom Garden Design, and he asked us all the right questions about how to build his own. So we thought we'd share our answers.
Q. I’m trying to avoid pressure treated wood, but cedar is so expensive. What kind of lumber did you use?A. Yes, please avoid pressure treated wood, which contains toxic chemicals that leach into the soil, and your plants. We used rough-hewn, 2-inch-thick, local hemlock from a nearby lumber mill. We know we’ll have to replace our boxes as the wood breaks down, but their thickness should stave that off for quite a few years. They’ve held up so well through the first three winters that we’re already planning on being buried in them (eventually.)
Q. How tall are they, what are their dimensions, and did you use any internal braces to keep the boxes from collapsing?
A. They’re 18 inches high, 4′ X 6′, and no, they have no braces. With the thick wood and heavy nails they can withstand leaning, kneeling, and the occasional frustrated kick when the cabbage moths show up.
Q. What did you use for weed suppressant ground cover?
A. Well, confession time….we used landscape fabric under the gravel pathways between the beds. We know, we know, it’s not the most environmentally conscious choice. If we were re-installing today, we’d probably forgo the fabric. The detritus from spilled soil and decaying plants builds up quickly anyway, and the weeds sprout just fine on top of the fabric (as weeds will do.) Lately we’ve looking at investing in a flamethrower. Seriously. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and trying to keep things tidy for visitors isn’t easy. One other option is to simply allow just enough room between beds for a push mower to pass, and let the grass grow.
Q. What about irrigation?
A. We sank a few 4X4 posts into the ground and mounted sprinklers on them. They are connected to hoses which run to a pumped well. Overhead watering isn’t good for all plants, though, and can lead to fungus and mildews on tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, squash and others. So we plant those varieties out of range of the sprinklers and rely on soaker hoses for them. We use a timer since sometimes we’re in the city for extended periods. (If not easily removed, all hoses must be drained completely for winter storage.)
20 Comments
you mention visitors in your blog about how does your garden grow. do you sell the eggs, vegetables and soap on site? i will be passing by on my way to Cornell and would like to purchase your products. eggs, goat milk, soap etc. thanks.
Hi, Bruce
When are you coming our way? We are just putting the finishing touches on the first-ever Beekman 1802 shop right on Main Street in Sharon Springs. We’ll be open for the season on May 15
Hi
You can treat the wood with a great citrus product called OrangeTKO. It is pure citrus concentrate which when applied to the wood will treat the wood and preserve it for many years. It is also a great cleaner, control termites, mold, ants, etc.
Thought you would like to know. Love what yo all are doing.
My watering question from an earlier posted comment is now answered. Thank you!
Now, I’m only curious if you could tell a bit about those wire cages/hoops that you appear to be using, I assume, as a trellis? Do I have that right?
Those are called “hog panels” and you can get them at your local ag store. Here’s our post about how we make them.
I just got a Mini Dragon Flame Weeder. In my case the small disposable LP tanks are good. You would likely want the bigger version. I really like it. After it rains I head out to flame weeds while the ground is still wet. I have wood chip and grass clipping mulches.
I find it effective for newly germinated plants but not very good for established ones.
My plan is to prepare my raised beds in the fall and flame any new weeds in early spring before planting the cool weather crops. Hopefully this will allow me to minimize stirring up new weed seed.
HI, Carla
We want to get one of these. Thanks for the review and the tips
What do you fertilize your gardens with?
Hi, Crissy
With a barn full of goats and rabbits, we have a virtual fertilizer factory
Hello, I am growing Basil and I have found a green worm yuk.. he has eaten big ole holes in my beautiful leaves
so how do I get rid of him or them? I found 2 and removed them with my hand but I dont want him back..please help.
I am a first time growing long time cook so I need some help. Thank you so much.
Sorry for the misspled words Im a Terrible dyslexic.
Please consider concrete blocks to build raised beds to last. I didn’t use any weed suppressant in my garden. The depth of the soil in the bed eliminates weeds growing from below. The occasional weed in the gravel can be kicked out on my daily pass through the garden. Also, please encourage water conservation. Here in California it is a sweet (and expensive) resource. Drip irrigation is the most efficient method to conserve water and eliminate fungus.
Your use of bunny poop is to be applauded. That is THE best fertilizer I have ever used.
Thank you for providing this forum to share and learn. You boys are invited to my garden party anytime.
I love that you guys are trying to be as eco-friendly as possible. For my raised bed veggie garden we used old tree trunks. We back up to some woods, so there is always an ample supply of fallen trees. When one of the trunks starts to get rotted, we just replace the old trunk with a new one. We also make our own compost. Every year we have enough compost to add to the veggie and the new flower beds that we are constantly fixing. I’m going to have to try to make your trellises for next year!
Hi, Arlene
We love the idea of using the old tree trunks. I bet that is beautiful, too
I can’t wait to force my husband to build me some of those raised beds! LOL! Maybe in the spring, or even better, this fall! Do you recommend throwing lots of grass clippings and dried leaves on the top to improve soil? Is there any particular soil mixture that you like?
I can’t wait for your store, next summer i am going to sharon springs for my sweet sixteen birthday present i can not wait to see your store!
Love that you’re using bunny poop! We have worm bins that we dump our spent bedding in, and the worms love it.
Hey guys!
My husband and I have a large garden in our back yard. We’re the subdivision anamoly and the envy of the neighbors because of all our fresh produce. We also compost all of our grass clippings, leaves, (appropriate) leftovers, etc. to use on the garden. We had an awful time with grass growning becuase of the grass clippings in the mulch. My husband DID by a flame thrower and burned all the seed before he turned the garden for this first time this year. It worked wonders…and he was able to use the flame thrower. He was in heaven.
What do you do about pest control in your garden. I had a terrible time this year with bugs and the tomatoes… They are covered in teeny little bugs and I think that birds are also using my garden as a buffet… any suggestions… Anyone????
1. learn to use garlic.. either as a spray or buried under plant
2. i assume they are organic and heirloom?
3. what are you feeding the plants?
4. use a refractometer to measure bric..higher bric means no pest/disease
5. for birds soak chickpeas in whisky for one hour or so then place out for birds to eat. will need to go thru all local birds that are eating there, then use as needed
andy lopez
@Cee Cee – If the bugs you mention look like tiny white moths, then what you have are whiteflies. Unless they’re present in overwhelming numbers, they’ll be a nuisance but won’t harm the fruit. In large enough numbers they can rob the plants of moisture, so you may need to keep them well-watered. Spraying garlic water to repel them is a good suggestion; also, many fragrant herbs will deter insects. Try planting chamomile, lavender or rosemary near your tomatoes. Whitefly mainly affects plants which are started indoors, so one way to minimize them might be to wait until it’s warm enough to sow seed directly in your beds.
The only sure deterrent for birds is netting draped or suspended over the plants. I’ve been lucky enough not to have that sort of problem (yet), but my grandfather used to swear by pie plates–the thin, ‘disposable’ tin ones you can find in the grocery store. He would dangle them from strings attached to the tops of long wooden stakes every six feet or so along his rows of raspberry bushes. A slight breeze would be all it would take to cause each plate to swing and spin. The motion, reflections, and noise of the plates hitting the stakes seemed to scare the birds off. If you (and your neighbors) can deal with the sound effects, this might be a solution.