Cool garden idea

[Philip G.]

OP - you can take a play out of the irish potato farmer playbook and make "lazy" raised beds.  As for hugelkultur, and growing on a straw bale, that is play time.  Gardening soil fertility is as simple and affordable as crop rotation and adding compost.  The other two things you will need to get right are plant spacing and watering. 

From what I understand, there are two potential benefits to raised beds.  A raised bed will give you more soil to work with allowing for deeper roots.  And, your work environment is raised placing less strain on you back.  However, there are downsides as I see it, because there are concepts such as lowered garden beds of argued advantage.

I personally like to keep the normal ground level, til it, remove the rocks and clods by sifting through 1/2 mesh.  Add compost, mix in, make rows, and plant in the valleys. 

[drummerboy]

OP - you can take a play out of the irish potato farmer playbook and make "lazy" raised beds.  As for hugelkultur, and growing on a straw bale, that is play time.  Gardening soil fertility is as simple and affordable as crop rotation and adding compost.  The other two things you will need to get right are plant spacing and watering. 

From what I understand, there are two potential benefits to raised beds.  A raised bed will give you more soil to work with allowing for deeper roots.  And, your work environment is raised placing less strain on you back.  However, there are downsides as I see it, because there are concepts such as lowered garden beds of argued advantage.

I personally like to keep the normal ground level, til it, remove the rocks and clods by sifting through 1/2 mesh.  Add compost, mix in, make rows, and plant in the valleys.

Did all that, hence looking into raised beds in the first place.  I am pleased to report the first year did very well, we have an abundance of tomatoes and cukes!

[Philip G.]

drummerboy - the plant spacing that I speak of is a loaded statement.  Do you direct seed or transplant?

[drummerboy]

tomatoes have to be transplanted here in WI, cukes are from seed though