Category: Raised Bed Gardening

Conserve Water & Control Pests with Barrel Gardens

GOSHEN >> Approaching the Ortlieb’s Goshen home, even the mailbox sits in a barrel. Husband and wife, both master gardeners, have filled their backyard with a massive vegetable garden all grown out of barrels. Adorning the backyard of the five-acre property are roughly 800 barrels, by Grant Ortlieb’s count. Filled to the brim with compost, the 40-inch polyethylene barrels stand about four feet apart and cover the yard, the various vegetables poking from the tops. A few houses down the street, a neighbor referred to Ortlieb as simply, “the barrel guy.” Grant Ortlieb had the idea 10 years ago. He’d been gardening for years but altered his approach as a way to control water. Grant Ortlieb initially had ten barrels catching water off the roof. He took a few of those barrels, filled them with compost and used them to grow tomatoes. “It was real easy,” Grant Ortlieb said. “They’re high and dry, the mice don’t eat them, they’re easy to find at the end of the year.” Grant Ortlieb said that he started off with a couple of barrels and it was so successful that he just kept adding more. Now, the sprawling garden has overtaken the Ortlieb’s backyard, with three types of vegetables in each barrel. This is called companion planting, placing romaine lettuce with cucumber and tomato, sunflowers with tomato and basil. Grant Ortlieb said he grows plants from “A to Z.” “Asparagus to zucchini,” he said. Despite the amount of food in their backyard, the Ortlieb’s do not sell or bring their crops to farmer’s markets. “We just give it away,” Pam Ortlieb said. “We could sell it. If people wanted to come here and buy it, it’s here.” She said they usually wind up giving the vegetables away, giving them to friends or trading […]

How to build a strawberry tower | HowToSpecialist

Mr. HowToSpecialist May 22, 2013 Comments Off This step by step diy woodworking project is about how to build a strawberry tower . Building a tower planter for strawberries is a simple project with a powerful impact on the appearance of your garden. Check out all the alternatives before starting the actual construction, as to choose the right plans for your needs. In addition, take a look over the rest of our garden projects, as there are many things that you could add to your property.   There are several ways in which you can make a strawberry planter, including a pyramid-shaped tower or a basic multi-layered planter. While the first alternatives may look more intriguing, the second option is easier to build, even by persons with virtually no experience in the woodworking field. After choosing the design, we recommend you to adjust the size of the tower to your needs and budget. From our own experience, we recommend you to invest in high-quality materials, such as pine, cedar or redwood, as the components will be durable and have a nice appearance. After making the square planters, we recommend you to check if the corners are square and to fill them with soil. Make sure the layers are centered properly, as it is essential to build a strawberry tower with a symmetrical look.     Building a strawberry tower Building a strawberry tower   A  – 2 pieces of 2×6 lumber – 60” long, 2 pieces – 57″ long  FRAME B  – 2 pieces of 2×6 lumber – 47” long, 2 pieces – 44″ long  FRAME C  – 2 pieces of 2×6 lumber – 34” long, 2 pieces – 31″ long  FRAME D  – 2 pieces of 2×6 lumber – 21” long, 2 pieces – 18″ long  FRAME E […]