# Built garden from ground up



## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Hey guys i been getting alot of messages to show the garden i built from the ground up. Let me know your thoughts. Its cost me a total of 221.55 to make between plants, soil, pallets.


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## Pobilly Duke (May 9, 2020)

I can see allot of time and effort put into your garden project. Nice! I can appreciate the hardwork, the results are the reward.
But, pardon me for asking, why did you go with the pallet fence? It seems to be blocking allot of healthy sunshine.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks!! We actually get TONS of sunshine most of the day since we cut down the one tree there.. i would say its gets plenty!! Believe me i thought the same thing till we cut the tree down ;0)


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## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

Your plants look healthy. i like the eggplant. What variety is that?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Great job Mikey! You've come a long way from that Jersey Shore pretty boy to a bona fide self sufficient dude! Keep on keepin' on my friend! 

You are getting close to being able to handle some Gen-U-Wine Slippy-Made Pikes! Call me when you're ready! :vs_mobile:


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

To be honest i dont know , ill ask my wife... lol


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

IMO, the pallet fence is a mistake. Being untreated wood, it won't last long and as it starts falling apart, it will be an eyesore. I would also be concerned with it harboring things like wasps & rats. You can tell by your picture, they are shading the garden. My experience is you don't want to do that but I would think especially so up north where you live. Besides impacting the growth of plants, it will shorten your growing season as the soil will be slower to warm in the spring & quicker to cool in the fall. Looks like you set some treated posts so I'd recommend putting up wire. The wire will not block the sun, will not provide habitat for unwelcome insects and can be used as in integral part of the garden and not just as a barrier. You can use the wire to support all sorts of veggies, such as snow peas when it is cool out or pole beans in the summer. I grow muscadine grapes across the top of some of my fencing. In a narrow garden such as yours, would probably want to use the side facing north, which I'm guessing possibly is the side with the wire. That way it wouldn't block the southern sun in the spring & fall, when the sun stays low.

I know a thing or two about garden design harboring wasps. When I built my big raised beds, I placed 2x6s across the top, laying flat. This was to give me a comfortable seat while tending the garden. Worked great too until I got stung a time or two. Ends up, underneath that seat was a perfect spot for wasps. And let me tell you, if you ever see a bright red wasp... RUN!! They are mean, will chase you and if stung, feels like a mule kicked you.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

If nothing else, cut the pallets in half so they aren't so tall to shade out the plants and still provide a border. Using a thick layer of mulch of some kind will help keep down the weeds and retain moisture especially in the summer heat. Mulch also adds heat to the soil in early spring or late fall that helps to extend your growing season. 

Any chance those plants are heirloom varieties? So you can save your own seed for planting next year. If you didn't notice, with all the other shortages earlier this year, garden seeds were on the list as well. There are some available now, but many seed companies are not fully stocked as in the past. If possible, now is a good time to get some for future use.

Overall, I'd say good work cause any time someone plants a garden is worth celebrating. Enjoy the harvest..


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

******* said:


> IMO, the pallet fence is a mistake. Being untreated wood, it won't last long and as it starts falling apart, it will be an eyesore. I would also be concerned with it harboring things like wasps & rats. You can tell by your picture, they are shading the garden. My experience is you don't want to do that but I would think especially so up north where you live. Besides impacting the growth of plants, it will shorten your growing season as the soil will be slower to warm in the spring & quicker to cool in the fall. Looks like you set some treated posts so I'd recommend putting up wire. The wire will not block the sun, will not provide habitat for unwelcome insects and can be used as in integral part of the garden and not just as a barrier. You can use the wire to support all sorts of veggies, such as snow peas when it is cool out or pole beans in the summer. I grow muscadine grapes across the top of some of my fencing. In a narrow garden such as yours, would probably want to use the side facing north, which I'm guessing is the side with the wire. That way it wouldn't block the southern sun in the spring & fall, when the sun stays low.
> 
> I know a thing or two about garden design harboring wasps. When I built my big raised beds, I placed 2x6s across the top, laying flat. This was to give me a comfortable seat while tending the garden. Worked great too until I got stung a time or two. Ends up, underneath that seat was a perfect spot for wasps. And let me tell you, if you ever see a bright red wasp... RUN!! They are mean, will chase you and if stung, feels like a mule kicked you.


I've never seen a red wasp before, maybe their not in my area, IDK....but over a week ago I did get stung by a yellow jacket on the back of my hand just under the knuckle and by that evening the swelling began. Three days later, I looked like I was wearing a boxing glove or a cast....all the way to my elbow and I could not make a fist. Took another 2 days before the swelling was gone and my arm & hand were back to normal. Sure it hurt like the dickens for the first hour or so, but the itching about drove me nuts.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Looks great and seems to be producing so that is good. Great job!

My only question is, aren't all gardens built "from the ground up"?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Sasquatch said:


> Looks great and seems to be producing so that is good. Great job!
> 
> My only question is, aren't all gardens built "from the ground up"?


Arguably, not ALL...


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Also we get deer alot


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks for the info


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Thank you so much


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Actually no there not ;0)


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## stevekozak (Oct 4, 2015)

Forum: You are doing it wrong!
MikeyPrepper: Look at all my tasty vegetables! 

:vs_laugh:


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

JustAnotherNut said:


> I've never seen a red wasp before, maybe their not in my area, IDK....but over a week ago I did get stung by a yellow jacket on the back of my hand just under the knuckle and by that evening the swelling began. Three days later, I looked like I was wearing a boxing glove or a cast....all the way to my elbow and I could not make a fist. Took another 2 days before the swelling was gone and my arm & hand were back to normal. Sure it hurt like the dickens for the first hour or so, but the itching about drove me nuts.


Yellow jackets are mean too, especially when you mess with their nest. A normal wasp is bad enough but the red ones are a completely different story.

Kinda funny story, I guess. Saw some red wasps around the front of my horse barn, which we go in twice a day when feeding he horses. I determined they were inside one of the sliding doors as I could see them coming out at the top of one. So I sprayed a bunch of wasp killer & killed some but they kept on showing up. That was getting expensive so I put malathion in my 50 gallon sprayer and sat there I killed a bunch more. Then I had the bright idea to put a ladder up on that door & look for the hole they were using & then spray inside the door. Yep, found a hole & started spraying and yep, they started boiling out from that hole into my face. And yep, in my haste to get off that ladder, I fell off onto my back. Hurt like hell, knocked the breath out of me, but this fat ******* still had some run left in him... so I ran like hell.

Next day, I put my thinking cap on & decided me on top of a ladder with red wasps wasn't such a good idea. So I got out my cordless drill & a squirt bottle full of malathion. From the inside of the door, which was wood, I would drill a hole & squirt in the malathion. After about a dozen holes... problem solved.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

I am goping to take some pics of the veggies now and post them lol


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

stevekozak said:


> Forum: You are doing it wrong!
> MikeyPrepper: Look at all my tasty vegetables!
> 
> :vs_laugh:


Well the OP asked for comments.  Anyone can dig a hole, fill with potting soil, and grow tasty vegetables. But when designing a garden, one can optimize growing conditions to get a better crop and extend the growing season. That was my intent in posting. I wish everyone grew some of their own food.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

All good.. Its cool. I enjoy the comments! I love to hear suggestions and opinions


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

******* said:


> Yellow jackets are mean too, especially when you mess with their nest. A normal wasp is bad enough but the red ones are a completely different story.
> 
> Kinda funny story, I guess. Saw some red wasps around the front of my horse barn, which we go in twice a day when feeding he horses. I determined they were inside one of the sliding doors as I could see them coming out at the top of one. So I sprayed a bunch of wasp killer & killed some but they kept on showing up. That was getting expensive so I put malathion in my 50 gallon sprayer and sat there I killed a bunch more. Then I had the bright idea to put a ladder up on that door & look for the hole they were using & then spray inside the door. Yep, found a hole & started spraying and yep, they started boiling out from that hole into my face. And yep, in my haste to get off that ladder, I fell off onto my back. Hurt like hell, knocked the breath out of me, but this fat ******* still had some run left in him... so I ran like hell.
> 
> Next day, I put my thinking cap on & decided me on top of a ladder with red wasps wasn't such a good idea. So I got out my cordless drill & a squirt bottle full of malathion. From the inside of the door, which was wood, I would drill a hole & squirt in the malathion. After about a dozen holes... problem solved.


YIKES, that thing looks like the killer hornets minus the yellow & black stripes

Them yellow jackets have set up 2 nests in my greenhouse where I store my garden tools. The nests are fairly small considering they've been working on them for several months. I had to get a tool from the back corner untangled from several others propped up and in so doing had banged the roof several times trying to get it out. Well, all that banging made them mad and one just had to kiss my hand as I went out. I count myself lucky the other 20 didn't get me too.


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

Thats a nasty hornet!


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

MikeyPrepper said:


> Thats a nasty hornet!


https://www.southernliving.com/garden/pests/red-wasp-alabama

Many folks are scared of bumble bees, because they are so large. I've never been stung by one and they are everywhere. They are incredible pollinators so I am very pleased to have lots of them. They seem to be very curious as they will fly up real close to me but they never attack. A wasp on the other hand will attack... especially the red ones.


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## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

******* said:


> https://www.southernliving.com/garden/pests/red-wasp-alabama
> 
> Many folks are scared of bumble bees, because they are so large. I've never been stung by one and they are everywhere. They are incredible pollinators so I am very pleased to have lots of them. They seem to be very curious as they will fly up real close to me but they never attack. A wasp on the other hand will attack... especially the red ones.


I don't know of anybody that's been stung by a bumble bee and I agree they are great pollinators. Very busy little buzzers, they are. While I have honey bees, they seem to spend more time on the clover in the lawn than they do in the garden. Bumble bees are the ones to keep the garden going


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Slippy said:


> Arguably, not ALL...
> 
> View attachment 108103


Touche my friend. Touche!


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