begatted

BEGATTED
those of you who are old testament scholars
know what begat means

for awhile i have been blogging and writing and talking
about doing organic gardening
especially the 4 ft square foot gardens
the keyhole garden
or some variation of them

so i enjoy it when i get to visit one that was created
using my blog and instructions on how to do it

i also receive via email and facebook pictures of the
ones that people do
altering it seems my recommendations to fit their needs

this weekend when i went to our family reunion i visited
one of my students
well she was my youngest sister

she wanted a garden but had the problem of shade
i mean lots of shade
and
lots of deer rabbits squirrels birds
those things that can decimate a garden
or
like the shade can  prevent or slow down its growth

this is her square foot garden

she took those cinder blocks or cement blocks
put 3 on one side and 4 on the other

now her problem was that the best spot with the
mostest sun
was on her asphalt driveway

yes you can garden on your driveway
her garden is proof of this

she added soil she got from the garden center
now what i add to the ones i do is the natural gardeners
hill country soil or they now call it all purpose garden blend
this garden will hold about 3/4 of a cubic yard of soil
i use this one as it has compost topsoil greensand granite sand
shale compost tea sulfur and terra tonic
its all ready to plant
or
you can make your own using the keyhole garden method
dirt manure compost greens like grass clippings kitchen waste
browns like leaves newspapers cardboard phone books all mixed
together which makes a rich soil

so she bought her soil locally
planted the garden
initially on the other side of the house
it got attacked by deer rabbits other varmints and the sun
wasnt right
you need for example 6 hours of sun to make eg tomatoes

so she moved it to its present location on the south side
its shady but it gets enough sun to grow most things

she added the top plates on top of each side
it makes it easier to sit on
she filled up the remaining holes and planted things
like rosemary
marigolds
strawberries
for some reason the deer wont bother the garden
she thinks its the rosemary she planted
maybe its the big owl there huh

she has tomatoes peppers strawberries cucumbers growing
right now

i can definitely visualize a great fall winter garden with
lettuces spinach broccoli asian greens winter peas beets
carrots doing quite well in this garden

here are my recommendations to her
she is limited by the location but the garden is doing well

add another layer of bricks to get more soil depth
things like tomatoes will like that extra 8 inches of soil

after the growing season
add 4 inches of a good organic compost to the soil
remember that you make yourself is the best
sprinkle some organic garden fertilizer on top of the compost
work it in if you want too
i just plant my veggies right in the compost

if you can find earthworm castings put a tbsp in the hole
when you plant the veggies
then
water them in with seaweed which has minerals and hormones
that stimulate the root growth

these two things will boost the growth earlier on

then just water them when they are dry

consider mulching the plants which slows down water loss
from the soil
in the winter it keeps the roots warm
in the summer it keeps the roots cooler
it also will break down eventually to compost and soil
i use leaves that yall donate to me

she also is growing this bell pepper in a five gallon bucket
it actually looks as well if not better than mine does

so
i guess i can add this to one of my begatted gardens
may there be a lot more of these

i think this year for our silent auction for the
organicgreendoctor team in the
williamson county to walk end alzheimers in georgetown
on saturday september 27, 2014

click on the team above if you want to donate or join our team

i will make one of these plus the soil plus come to your house
and put in place and help you  plant it

thanks sis for doing such a good demonstration garden
think ill use it in my ads for the silent auction

the organicgreen doctor

dear ms gardener

DEAR MS GARDENER
last week we visited the organic vineyard orchard and
ranch in southern utah ran by a family friend
i am not going to post the name or location as i dont
want other people to know where this fantastic place is

the hostess has taken over the garden and has enlarged it
and has plans to grow more veggies there

i spent time looking at the garden and told ms gardener
that i would come up with a list of recommendations for
her to use in her garden
but
instead of sending her an email or letter detailing these
organicgreendoctor recommendations
i would instead would write a blog about it so others could
enjoy the information also


the picture of the gate looks so austinish

here is a picture also of the garden

now

dear ms gardener

you have more than enough space to produce a ton of good
vegetables
you are lucky and live in an area where your weather is mild
enough to have a long spring summer garden and not have to
worry about the heat like we do in central texas

you also have a good water supply just a few feet under the
ground where the garden is
you lucky guys you
our well levels are 450+ft
of course at the country we use rainwater in our garden

then
your basic soil is a good one
or i should say your acid soil
its on the acid side of the ph range so you dont have to
worry about adding stuff to it make it more acid
you lucky guys you

now the things i am going to tell you to do
pertains to everyone wherever they live
i have heard the natural gardener john dromgoole talk to people
all over the us on his organic radio show on 590klbj on saturday
and sunday
he tells these folks everywhere the same thing

first three things to put in your garden to be successful
your shadow
compost
water

do all three of these and your chance of being successful is improved

since you have such a good soil to start with
a sandy one mixed with a clay one
if you didnt do anything
you would probably have a good garden
just
look at that beautiful vineyard yall have and those beautiful orchards

but
you need to be sure and add compost to your beds whenever you
plant your veggies if not done already
i suggest a 4 inch layer
the best compost of course is the one you make yourself

i saw your chickens busily working on your compost pile
your garden will love that stuff later in the year

i would suggest a wooden frame or a wire frame to hold the
composting materials inside the compost pile
similar to what i do at the country n
the chickens cant scatter it everywhere
and
it will keep a depth to the pile which helps to keep it moister
and compost faster

at the end of the season add a layer of compost on your beds when
you rest it for the winter
that will allow it to only get better and enrich the soil


add a sprinkling of liquid molasses per directions on the bottle at this time
also add the molasses again at the beginning of the season
the molasses provides sugar for bacterial growth which is necessary for
the improving the life of the soil


also add humate as per directions on the bottle when you add
your molasses

humate is the dark liquid stuff that happens when you take compost
put it in a sock then put it in a bucket of water
it activates the microorganisms in the soil
add an aquarium pump to this and run it for several hours
and you get compost tea-the mothers milk for your garden

the humate in the bottle is a richer version of this

humates are necessary again for the bacteria to work


then add an organic fertilizer

then cover it with a thick layer of mulch
this will all ripen over the winter
so in the spring you are all ready to plant

when you do plant a transplant


at the bottom of the hole add a tbsp of earthworm castings
this provides a boost start to the plant as it grows its roots


water it in with liquid seaweed which stimulates root growth with
its micronutrients minerals and hormones
then consider sprinkling a light amount of an organic fertilizer
if not done already
this will provide nitrogen for several weeks

then based on the heat or cold mulch the plants well
remember mulch breaks down eventually to make compost and soil
and will greatly improve the structure of the soil
overtime you will develop a good layer of good organic soil
as good as the hill country soil i bought from the natural gardener
when i first started my garden

water your plants when the soil gets dry
do the finger test by sticking the finger in about an inch
if its all dry the garden needs watering

be sure and mulch thickly between your beds and in any walkways
with anything like wood chips leaves etc
this also breaks down slowly over time to make compost and soil

you will find over time that your quality of soil will improve
will hold water well
use less water
and

will produce big ole tomatoes like this one



here is a list of organic pest control products
neem oil
diatamaceous earth
bt or bacillus thuringienesis
spinosid
beneficial bugs like ladybugs which i noticed yall had a lot of
when i was pruning the grapes
last months mother earth news has a list of what pests to use these on
i left my copy at the ranch

on our trip i talked with several organic farmers in colorado who
farm in the winter

i suggest you try to do lettuces swiss chard spinach carrots beets etc
during the winter in one of your square foot beds

by using a single or double row cover like i use at the country n
my veggies withstood a temperature drop to 10 degrees without
damage this winter

also when you are at the farmers markets talk to the farmers to find
out what they do to the soil in the area
what products they use
what plants they use that work well in the area
when do they plant the different plants
you know everyone should do this wherever they live

dont worry
expect a ups package with all these ingredients in it

please post a picture of
your garden
your thumb as it gets greener

tell all the wwoofers we said hi

as well as the dogs hank and jack
and
of course the man behind the whole operation
mr db

the organicgreen doctor

the garden

THE GARDEN
this weekend i met a new gardener
who will be planting her first new garden
at her new home

she has two raised beds probably about 8-10 ft x 4 ft

i of course offered a lot of advise on what to do

i told her today i would post a blog on my garden
including pictures
hoping this information will be useful to her
and
maybe to you

the life blood of a garden is its soil
all my soil was originally started by laying down cardboard
and or newspapers on the ground
building my frames for the beds with limestone blocks
dont use treated wood
then going to the natural gardener in austin buying their
hill country soil which has everything in it you need to
get vegetables to grow

what i noticed though was the veggies did well but in the
heat of the summer they didnt do as well as i wanted
later i figured out it was my soil depth

so
i dug out each bed added at the bottom tree branches limbs
trunks cardboard newspapers leaves compost soil in layers
so that i now have a good 2-3 feet of soil
it makes a difference in this dry hot climate we live in here
since all that stuff in the soil helps hold moisture

each time before i plant
i add 3 inches of compost now i make my own
i add a sprinkling of a good organic fertilizer
i use ladybug brand 8-2-4 according to directions on the bag
i then sprinkle a light dusting of cottonseed meal as per the bag
then when i plant a plant i add a small amount of earthworm castings
thats worm poo

then i plant it
im lazy so i dont even mix it all up i let nature do it

after things get growing i start adding mulch
i use pine straw when i can get it
when not available i use leaves

then i just water them making sure the soil doesnt get all dried out
usually thats once a week based on the weather and rain
i do the finger test
sticking my index finger down to the second joint
if its not wet it needs watering

plants commonly dont do well
either from not watering enough or watering too much

i dont use any pesticide or nonorganic products in the garden

if you see worms and ladybugs in your garden then thats a good sign

in my garden now

here are my garlic almost ready to pick and let dry out for two weeks
then i hang them in braided chains
these i plant in november

here are my potatoes red lasodas
i will dig some in a few weeks to get some new potatoes
but will dig up the whole plant when the plant starts dying back
these i plant in late january or early february

here are my onions which are mostly 1015 ones
these are eaten as green onions when needed
they are harvested in may or june
when the stalks start falling over
these are hung woven together until we need them
these were planted in late january

here are my tomatoes this row has 6 plants and another row has 4
this is the right amount for us to take care of
i planted them in late to early march
being careful to keep them covered when things got cold
these tomatoes do well in my garden
juliette sweet 100s early girl celebrity several heirlooms
such as cherokee purple arkansas traveler mortgage lifter brandywine etc
some will make it through the summer and produce well this fall

we will also replant tomatoes in july for the fall

we have a summer garden bed that consists of
basil peppers bell banana mild jalapeno poblano
egg plant clemson spineless okra red german okra
these will produce until it freezes this fall

we have a bean garden made up of
asian long beans that are best eaten in salads
bush beans that are eaten in salads and grilled
we dont do any shelling beans thats too much work

this is a tatume squash a heirloom that is like a zuchinni
but is more round and runs in a vine like a cantaloupe or pumpkin
it isnt affected by the squash borer which wipes out zuchinni
and yellow squash after awhile

this is a armenian cucumber
its long and narrow and seems to grow well here
the white stuff is diatamaceous earth to stop the pill bugs
we dont pickle or put any of these up
we just eat them raw
the cucumbers not the pill bugs

its planted in my keyhole garden thats in an old water trough
it will grow up pvc pipes ive added that go over the trough

you need 8-2-4 ladybug fertilizer or an equivalent organic fertilizer
cottonseed meal sold in small bags
worm castings

i use liquid seaweed to water in my new seedings to get them started
i use johns liquid fertilizer once or twice a month to water my plantings
when i think of it
it has fish emulsion seaweed and molasses in it

a good compost
the best is the one you make yourself
ladybug brand farm style compost is an excellent one

other companies and nurseries have their own brands and are good

for insect control
i use a hand vac to suck them off my plants and then i dump them
in a bucket of water
diatamaceous earth to dust around the plants at times to slow down
the pill bugs and the slugs
bacillius thuringienesis or better known as bt to control caterpillars
spinosid for insect control
seaweed for insect control
a good book is the texas bug book by malcom beck and howard garrett
ladybugs

on the radio klbg590am on saturdays and sundays from 8-1100 am
and
ktsa550am on saturdays from 530am to i think 900 am
have excellent organic garden shows

i hope this information will help you have a successful garden
ive learned the most from my failures

the organicgreen doctor

another one done, radio interview

ANOTHER ONE DONE

this year to raise funds for our walk to end alzheimers team
i decided to donate a 4 ft square organic garden that would
be installed by the organicgreen docotor thats me
and
we would auction it off to the highest bidder

the winner of the garden hg was excited as she swooped in
at the last minute and put down the highest bid for the garden
so
last week we arranged a time to put the garden in and plant
all the veggies for the fall

we started with a cedar frame of 2 in x 12 in cedar boards
then marked off 1 ft squares with metal wire

we first prepped the site by digging a level surface to place
the frame
hgs husband has over time used this location to mulch and
compost some leaves
so the topsoil there was quite rich

we then added a layer of cardboard and then several layers
of newspapers
they have a lot of worms in their yard so the worms will be
attracted to the cardboard and will eventually eat it and
make a good amount of deposits of earthworm doo
which is the best fertilizer to put in a garden
they also will crawl through and through the soil to keep
it well aerated

we then added the frame
then added a 1/2 yard of the natural gardeners lady bug
hill country soil with its minerals sand several composts

and then topped that with bags of the ladybug brand
square foot garden mix which uses coconut shavings to
help hold moisture for this small garden

we then added a 3 inch layer of lady bug barnyard compost
then we added a  sprinkling of lady bug 8-2-4 fertilizer and
topped this off with a light sprinkling of cotton seed meal
the fertilizer releases nitrogen slowly over the next few weeks
and the meal releases the nitrogen quicker for the plants

i scooped up a handful of this stuff and i swear it smells
so good that i could eat it like it was chocolate

then hgs younger daughter miss o came out and helped me
prep the garden as above and helped me plant all the veggies
for the garden watering it well with a seaweed solution
she added a lima bean she had grown at school
we are hoping for a nice warm winter on that one

we also left a few spaces so they could plant something else
later on

we planted these as i know that they will be successful in
the square foot garden in the fall
swiss chard kale cilantro broccoli asian greens lettuce spinach
multiplying onions snap peas-my favorites
i couldnt talk hgs hubbie into letting me plant beets
they will replant more spinach in a few weeks and more lettuce
and will plant a square of strawberries

these things should grow and produce all winter

bon appetite hg etal
thanks for the pictures and the donation


RADIO INTERVIEW

here is a national public radio kut austin link to an interview that i did along
with two others for the alzheimers association
there is an audio version and farther down the page a video

this will be running several times a day this month on kut 90.5 fm

the organicgreen doctor

did it again

DID IT AGAIN
ive never been one who likes to talk a lot
but if you get me started on alzheimers disease organic gardening or
solar power or rainwater collection ill talk your ear off

i go into my lecture mode or my doctor mode
and will tell you much more than you really probably
wanted to know

heck
this week i sat in a dentists chair for close to 3 hours
during the drilling and whatever else he was doing
he made the mistake of asking

my live oak tree died after it was planted
i went into my arborist mode and explained what may have
happened
planted too deep
girdling roots
over watered
not watered enough
weed and feed

live oaks dont die like that

then he asked about gardening and what to plant
i went into my organic garden teaching mode
he almost didnt get my teeth all done in time
i suffered some since the anesthetic had worn off some
it was worth it though
another convert i think

my wife she and i have put in several gardens
those square foot gardens
for folks in the last two years
hoping to infect them with the gardening virus
some have managed to continue gardening with some success

they just need to know how to start and what to do and
what and when to plant

we have provided that knowledge for them

on a recent habitat house the new homeowner made the mistake
of mentioning how she wanted a garden
another worker said you need to talk to the organicgreen doctor
about a garden
that was a mistake

we now went into the organic garden mode and here is what we
did

we take the mel bartholomew square foot garden concept
merge it with the dr deb tolmans keyhole garden concept and
come up with the keyholeless square foot garden

its a 4 foot square garden with a central 1 foot composter

i build a frame this time from 6 inch cedar boards
we then select the appropriate site
dig down 12+ inches and remove all the soil
then take the 1 foot diameter cylinder composter and bury it
6 inches deeper in the middle of the square

on the bottom we line it with a double layer of cardboard
cover that with a thick layer of old newspapers
then dump in john dramgooles hill country soil from
the natural gardener nursery

(this soil is already made with everything you need in it)

they now have 16+ inches of the best soil made

the soil level around the composter is slightly higher than
the edge of the garden
this somehow helps to diffuse moisture and nutrition out to the
borders of the garden

the composter is filled with composter material
i added buckets from my compost pile that the chickens at
the country n keep turned over for me

all the homeowner has to do is add leaves left over veggies from
the kitchen occasional dirt and manures or compost
to continually feed the garden
all they add is water and occasional dumping of compost over
the garden twice a year
and love

1 foot squares are made with wire to aid in planting
so they have 15 squares to plant

in this garden we planted
since its winter time
oregano onions garlic multiplying onions carrots english peas-which
will grow up the composter-lettuce spinach potatoes swiss chard
kale cilantro and arugula

in late march they will replace some of these with beans
tomatoes malabar spinach bell peppers jalapeno peppers
egg plant etc

we planted 9 onions which sell since they are organic for
$1.50+ a lb. this garden should grow 9 1+ lbers
you do the math
the swiss chard should last up to 2 years
a bundle of these are $2.50

the multiplying onions are from some i got from my dad
25 years ago
they will last forever

the lettuce and spinach will be harvested by cutting them
off above the ground and they will grow several bunches
of lettuce and spinach
estimated at $5+ a package it will probably produce 3-4 of these

etc etc etc

when its cold we keep it covered with this row cover

we will follow their garden the first year to help them get started then
they are on their own

hopefully theyll get infected with the organic garden virus

good luck with your keyholeless square foot garden

the organicgreen doctor

square it, garlic

Walk to End Alzheimers
we are walking in the bell county/temple 
walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 3 2012

you can walk free but a donation to and or joining
my organicgreendoctor team is appreciated

join us there

SQUARE IT
i am frequently asked about gardening
people are always saying to me

wish i had a square foot garden

i recently was sitting talking with some people about
gardening
one has recently moved here from out of state

if you live here you know you cant garden like you do
in other parts of the country

theres no soil
its hot in the summer
theres not much water

so you have to make adjustments to your gardening techniques

i promised to repost or redo my blog on  4 ft square foot gardening

i want to kiss keep it simply simple

find a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun and a spot
the deer cant get to

scrape off the grass

cover the area with 10 layers of newspapers that extend past the
4 ft width

build a 4 ft square frame from cedar or old left over recycled wood
but not treated wood

mark off 1 ft squares on the frame


get the best garden soil you can find
in this area its the hill country soil from the natural gardener
it comes in bags or you can buy it in bulk like i do


they also make a lady bug brand of mel bartholemews square foot
garden mix that has stuff in it that helps to retain moisture

place the frame over the garden area and dump the solid inside
the frame

start out with plants not seeds if you are new at this since
your success rate is better

plant them
keep them watered every day for a week or two then
as needed
stick your finger in the soil up to the second knuckle
if its dry you need to water it

water by drippers hose soaker or hose end low sprinkler

keep it mulched when the weather is cold

yes its that simple
the garden fails because you over water it or under water it
do the finger test

the fall is the best time to plant and garden in this area
for the 1 foot square you can plant cilantro parsley broccoli
cabbage brussell sprouts asian greens asian cabbage swiss chard
mulitplying onions strawberries
you can plant two per square of spinach lettuce some asian greens
you can plant 4 per square of garlic (see link below)
you can plant a row of carrots turnips beets to 1 square

the natural gardener also has demonstration gardens of this
technique of gardening

these plants will all grow all winter long here

yes its that simple

GARLIC

i plant garlic every year
this year i planted over 100 plants since we use a lot of it
last year i left them in the ground too long and watered them
too much at the end and was left with rotted garlic

should have read this article first
its the best one ive seen about how to grow garlic

you can put garlic in pots in the flower beds
anywhere theres a spot to plant it
and have garlic next late spring
and it looks good in the landscape

the dirt doctor has a good organic gardening book he
wrote with
i think the information in this link is also in the book

read this links article and plant some garlic

your pasta and soups will appreciate it

the organicgreen doctor

fall gardens

Walk to End Alzheimers
click here to donate or join 
the organicgreendoctor.com team

click here to find your local walk 

FALL GARDEN
this weekend i watched this segment on the keyhole 
garden that was on pbs klru central texas gardener
with dr deb tolman
watch it and youll want to go put yours in 

yep it was impressive
you can watch it by going online to their website

ive used her principles at my house and also at 
the school where my wife she works

as mentioned before we took all her soil from her two
square foot gardens and solarized it this summer
to get rid of the bermuda grass
we then made a 5 ft square foot garden with a 
central composter 
the bottom of the bed is lined with several layers
of newspapers
we added good organic soil from the natural gardener
in austin 
it has several manures compost green sand and all the 
good bugs you need
its ready to plant when you place it in your beds

we then added another layer of concrete blocks 
her soil depth is now about 2 feet
we may add another layer this spring

she and her students planted kale spinach arugula asian greens
oregano swiss chard multiplying onions cilantro garlic chives 
when it gets cooler she will add lettuce more spinach carrots
beets garlic strawberries and broccoli 
this winter she will add potatoes and green onions 

she and her students and fellow teachers will eat out of 
this keyholeless square foot garden all fall and winter 
and spring

sometimes hands on education is important for kids
some have never planted anything 
many of these kids are at risk

good job guys
more pictures later as it matures

in my garden here i have a circular keyhole garden
that i have 4 tomatoes planted in it
i am going to let them sprawl over the garden like
nature intended them to and see what happens

just under that 6 inch layer of fresh hill country garden soil
is a mixture of shredded newspaper shredded cardboard 
paper leaves chicken manure compost from my chicken
composter and anything else i can find that will safely 
decompose in my garden

it should all heat up and decompose into this rich garden soil

later in january this will be the site where i will plant all of my 
potatoes

in my regular garden with its 4 ft x 12 ft beds i have planted
partially my winter garden 
i will plant the same things my wife she planted in her garden 
and will nurture it over the winter until the spring
it will then be converted to my hot summer garden 

we rarely buy much for our salads during the fall and winter
as we harvest what we need from this winter garden

this is a picture from the natural gardeners square foot garden 
their plants were planted earlier this month
you can see how nicely it has filled in the spaces

this is what my wife she and my garden will look like in 
the next 3-4 weeks

remember
fall and winter is the best time to garden in central texas

the organicgreen doctor

keyhole square foot garden

KEYHOLE SQUARE FOOT GARDEN
whats a keyhole square foot garden

well i made it up
i took the ideas from the keyhole garden and combined it
with the ideas of a square foot garden

what comes out of this is a keyhole square foot garden

mel bartholomew is the god of square foot gardening
i have three of his books
the first is dated from the 1980s and i have his latest update
version of his book square foot gardening

here is his website for the square foot gardening foundation
which promotes square foot gardening nationally and internationally
and
here is his blog the mel bartholemew blog

the idea is simple
you can garden anywhere
in an apartment in the city in the country in a high rise etc
build a 4 ft square frame and add good dirt
and then add plants
its that simple
he has a mixture he recommends internationally and nationally
but a local source of his soil for the area where i live is the lady bug brand
of square foot garden soil-a mixture of coir fiber and vermiculite
to hold moisture and five different composts

i recently wrote a blog on the keyhole garden method that is
being promoted especially in africa and other areas using
local rocks and materials to build a circular raised garden with a
central composter and with a pie shaped wedge cut out of the
circle so you can walk into the composter and reach the middle
of the garden
it has been a very successful method of gardening in these foreign
countries
here is a reference to an article on keyhole gardening and my blog
reference

so i had the idea of taking the features of both methods and combining
them into a method i call the keyhole square foot garden

here it is

at the habitat for humanity house i am working on my wife and i
donated a garden to the new home owner
we recently met with her and the three of us put in her new garden

heres how we did it

first we located a site that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight
this one gets some late afternoon shade

we scraped off the top layer of soil
since the soil is deep at her site i opted to dig out 6 inches of her
soil then added this 4 foot square frame of left over 2x6 untreated lumber
dont use treated wood
use cedar or rock or concrete blocks or untreated lumber
so we then have a space thats 4 ft x 4 ft x 1 ft deep

i elected to go to my nursery i like here called the natural gardener
they are the ones that makes mels square foot garden mix for this area
it probably takes 3-4 bags to fill a 6 inch deep garden as mel usually
recommends

i opted to use their hill country soil instead which is the best garden
soil made as it has several types of compost in it granite sand
all the bacteria and fungi needed for plant growth
just dump it in and plant the stuff

we lined the bottom of the hole with cardboard recycled from the
construction site and cut a hole in the middle for the composter
that was made from left over chicken wire and concrete wire
it was placed in the center of the space and was placed it another
6 inches in the ground
its total height was 4 ft (guess that would make this is a cube foot garden)

the bottom was then lined with 10 sheets of newspapers
just trying to keep out all of those dang weeds and also provide
food for all those worms we want to attract to the garden

next the 4 ft square frame was placed down over the composter
there are 1 ft squares marked off on the frame using wire stretched
across the frame
this makes it easy to plant things in 1 ft squares

then we dumped that good old soil in there and we were ready to plant

in the composter we placed layers of chicken poop compost thanks
to my girls at the country n  of compost from the natural gardener  of
oak leaves  of shredded newspapers and added a bananna peel on
top to top it off
shell add compost material over time from her kitchen from mowing and
from leaves as they fall
all she adds is water to keep it moist

later we will add 2 ft path around the square foot frame using
plastic to block the weeds and addi crushed granite on top of the plastic

we planted these items in her garden-two tomatoes malabar spinach
oregano leeks mulitplying onions swiss chard arugula beans basal
bell pepper banana pepper jalapeno pepper and egg plant
nice garden choices huh
this fall late she will add a winter planting to this area

we then added bird netting over the pvc frame we placed to protect
against varmints
that squirrel sat on her fence and licked his chops
at 48 hours he has not attacked yet

now we have the new invention
the keyhole square foot garden
a self contained garden
just add water and compost material and love

will update pictures as the garden grows

the organicgreen doctor