# garden plots



## peelin' drag (Oct 21, 2005)

I would like to make some garden beds about 4x8 ft. To plant bell peppers, jalapenos and some herbs. How deep and what should I fill it in with? thanks.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Dirt... DUH!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist...

Seriously, 6 to 12" of compost-heavy soil and you are good to go. You may want to till the existing soil at the location of you new plots prior to placing your frames. 

Don't forget to top dress with some mulch to suppress weeds & retain moisture. Good luck!!!


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

GO get a yard of rose soil from a good dirt yard like Natures resource and maybe the other one that has 7 locations here in town. Watch out for the no name soil yard as there is no telling what they have in there mix.

Do a raised bed, that is 6- 12" above the ground and do your thing..... remember spacing and drainage ..... roots dont like wet feet


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

mix some epsom salt(gallon), blood meal(Gallon) and coarse sand(100lbs per bed) with bedding mix .


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## peelin' drag (Oct 21, 2005)

thanks folks. going to till it up then put plastic down before I make my frame.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

I wouldn't put down a plastic barrier...


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm in the middle of doing the same thing. Built a bed out of 2x6's yesterday.










I figured the grass would die with 12 inches of dirt on it. But now I'm reading otherwise, that the grass around here is hardy enough it just might grow through.

Should I put down a sheet of weed barrier on top of it? Maybe even kill the grass first?


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

I use round up in my garden all the time to kill whatever.


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## BradP (May 24, 2004)

Use newspapers, then rocks and sand for drainage. Newspapers are biodegradable I believe and they kill the grass. I did the same for mine.


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## jamisjockey (Jul 30, 2009)

BradP said:


> Use newspapers, then rocks and sand for drainage. Newspapers are biodegradable I believe and they kill the grass. I did the same for mine.


I'll have to remember that next time. Just used a layer of landscaping weed barrier on the bottom.


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

Profish00 said:


> I use round up in my garden all the time to kill whatever.


*** ???? ..... Please do not use round up in a gargen where you plan on eating any of the things you grow!!!

FOR that matter nor in your landscape .....

Simply put down 4 sheets of *wet newspaper* over the grass. It will decompose and kill the grass and create a tiny layer of compost.

I did this in my landscaping in the front yard before I put mulch over it.

Look up lasagna gardening - it's a no-dig, no-till *gardens* book, and it shoud have some info out on the web.


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Maybe that is why it grows so good.

http://www.google.com/search?sclient=psy&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=Is+it+OK+to+use+Roundup+on+vegetable+garden%3F&btnG=Google+Search


Muddskipper said:


> *** ???? ..... Please do not use round up in a gargen where you plan on eating any of the things you grow!!!
> 
> FOR that matter nor in your landscape .....
> 
> ...


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

*couple of research articles on why not to use round-up*

The Women's Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) and CHOSE (Coalition for a Healthy Oakland School Environment), showed that chemicals such as Round-Up (glyphosate) can result in reproductive damage as well as damage to the kidney and liver, and some studies show a link between the chemical and cancer. 
(Chemical Injury Network, June 2001)

Glyphosate (Roundup) is one of the most toxic herbicides, and is the third most commonly reported cause of pesticide related illness among agricultural workers. Products containing glyphosate also contain other compounds, which can be toxic. Glyphosate is technically extremely difficult to measure in environmental samples, which means that data is often lacking on residue levels in food and the environment, and existent data may not be reliable. 
("Greenpeace Report - Not ready for Roundup: Glyphosate Fact Sheet," greenpeace.org - April 1997)

Glyphosate is found in weed killers and may cause cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, nerve, and respiratory damage. 
("Special Report: what you need to know about pest control," Natural Health Magazine, May/June 2001)


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Peanut butter causes cancer also


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

A few articles as to why not to use round-up

http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=463

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC33138


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## Mantaray (Aug 29, 2004)

I just read this thread and would like to chime in a little info about Roundup. As a part of my job I was investigating about some fish kills at a golf course and kept wondering why fish kill reports just kept coming up every once in a while (every 2 month spans or so). Finally I asked golfcourse employees what kind of insecticide they used and they said Roundup, to kill weeds that grow on rocks along the golf course ditches that weed wacker could not get to. Well guess what, Roundup not only killed weeds, it also killed frogs, minnows in the ditches and then made its way out to the nearby bayou, killed thousands of shads, sunfish, catfish, etc. These fish just came to the surface gasping for air but I found dissolved oxygen in normal level in the bayou. I advised golf course employees not to use Roundup and so far have not received any fish kill report in 6 months and counting. Here is a study on Roundup and I think this is a good & informative study. If you don't have time to read it at least look at the conclusion. Not only it would kill weeds but frogs and insects in your yard as well and you shouldn't get it near your vegies garden. It is bad stuff in my opinion. Just read and decide for yourself.

_http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/2005/Roundup-Aquatic-Communities1apr05.htm_

_Conclusions_
This study highlights the importance of examining the impact of pesticides within the natural ecological context in which the taxa live. Single-species toxicity studies are invaluable to assess the relative lethality of different chemicals on both target and non-target species. However, when toxicity studies are embedded in the nexus of interactions that compose natural food webs, we can arrive at very different interpretations due to the prevalence of both direct and indirect effects. At realistic concentrations, the two insecticides had substantial negative effects on the predatory insects and cladocerans, but they had substantial indirect positive effects on the copepods and tadpoles. The two herbicides had quite contrasting effects; 2,4-D had no impact on the community, whereas Roundup caused a major reduction in amphibian diversity, an indirect, positive impact on the periphyton that the tadpoles consume, and an indirect, negative effect on the biomass of insect predators. It is important to note that these impacts occurred over relatively short time scales (two weeks). Over longer time scales (months to years, depending on the species), many of the taxa have the potential to recover their population sizes, provided that the pesticide exposure is not a recurring event.


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## Dead Wait (Mar 8, 2005)

Please excuse me if i'm incorrect but, I thought Roundup was meant to Kill, Not intended for Growth. Why would you use something that kills the thing's your spending money on with the intention on growing it?


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## Muddskipper (Dec 29, 2004)

I think he uses the round up for the weeds that are around the stuff he wants to grow


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## Mrschasintail (Dec 8, 2004)

Okay, I use roundup too. Don't feel bad. Just for the initial weed kill. I won't anymore. It works though, and it does not effect the growth of the garden. Now I'm not saying that it doesn't poison me. But the garden still grows.


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