Steph I added a new raised garden bed a couple of weeks after I started my normal full sun raised beds. I decided to stick this box behind the house in an area that gets part sun. I have dedicated this bed to greens and vegetables that love shade or cooler weather. I did grow arugula and mustard greens last year in the ground in this area and they did really well. As a matter of fact, my arugula did so well that it was still there in the spring when it finally bolted.
My back yard is a bit of a problem. The grading is terrible so my flat locations are few and far between. Because of this I have to get creative in my placement of boxes. This garden box, which I refer to as my Magnolia garden, is sheltered on three sides. I have the house and a big Southern Magnolia shading and protecting this site. I’m really excited about this location and can’t wait to see how it does with a raised bed.
My garden plan for this 4×8 raised garden bed:
When I started planting this bed I did have to change a few things up with some of the companion plants. I discovered I was out of some of the seeds so I threw an alternative herb in instead. I know I put down some Stevia seeds and Nasturtium, but I forgot to update my plan. The strawberry roots I purchased seem like they were dead so I’m going to need to dig up some of my fledgling strawberry plants from other areas at this point and put them in.
This is my 8×4 Part Shade Raised Garden Bed three weeks after planting. The Red Barron onions have some great growth at this area and I was even able to clip off a few scallions last night for our baked potatoes at dinner. In the squares that get the most sun, I am attempting both a watermelon and spaghetti squash. I think that area is borderline for sun hours, so that is an experiment.
It’s hard to tell with the angle of my pictures but almost everything has come out of the ground. I have already replanted one of my strawberry plants into this bed since none of the roots I purchased have show signs of life. After three weeks, I need to double check and add more seeds for anything that hasn’t come out. Many gardeners plant multiple seeds per hole, but I’ve never needed to do that. I’ve had great germination rates in the past so I still go for one seed per hole, except for the tiny seeds that sometimes get over planted because they are so hard to handle.
I did a dose of organic fertilizer a couple of days ago on my garden beds and I’m hoping to see a lot of growth in my greens this coming week. Our weather has been so weird this year. It was so cold in the early spring and then overnight the temps got extremely high. Now we are in a weird cooler phase again. I think my plants are way too confused to know what to do.
