And pretty!

Wish I could share! This should be done by the time the outdoor garden is ready to go into the ground. Keeps us busy.

How's the weather?

We've had several days of getting ready to and then snowing, still coming down right now, it'll all be gone by Thursday.

So how much actual soil did you need for those bags?

I am trying to decide how to go about the garden this year. One part of the puzzle includes the fact that I may move before the season is done. The good part is that if/when I do move, I'll just be moving two units over on the same property so strategic placement will afford access from either unit. The unit in between is my friendliest neighbor and would be a partner in the garden either way. I think it will go behind her place since we're situated in a kind of row with no development behind us. Have to protect from deer and wind. I think the bags might be a good idea, I can make a perimeter with hog wire. We don't have soil up on the hill, here so that has to be added and the weeds are such that a separate containerized soil is required.

I have seeds up the... so the soil and containment are my interest this time around. I still have a patch down at the bottom of the hill, at by buddy's place, that has nice black soil, he's going to actually till it with a machine this year. I got so much out of it, even with deer ravaging it in the early part of the season, that I have won the right to have a bigger, properly prepped patch this year. He just happens to like when we can go out back and get a portion of our mutual Sunday dinner, fresh as can be. I'm trying to teach him how to cook healthier foods. Having a garden out back is helpful. I told him that if I owned his place, at least half the back yard would be producing food. He's got it half full of antique trucks.

Anyway, the bag idea is intriguing, tell me more, please! (I am still also considering straw bales or an old water trough.)

filled with soil top the very top, loosely packed. You could get two 3 gallon bags filled with some room to spare. I like to fill mine 2-3 inches down from the top. There are all different sizes, but for easy portability 7 gallon and below are easily moved. There are numerous vendors of the bags I choose to use the AC Infinity line, while not the cheapest in dollars the quality is a great trade off. I have reused the bags for a few grows. They last.

It’s been a little while since I’ve made ‘new’ soil I’ll find my formula and post it a little later. That’s for using in bags. It got great aeration. I reuse the soil from the bags over and over, too many good things in there to start completely over again… I regenerate the soil in between grows.

https://acinfinity.com/fabric-pots/

For containment of the soil why not use the bed of one of the pickups.

Straw bales are great. I’m reusing mine again this year. Had to rebale one but they’re good to go already. The warm streak we had allowed me to get them ready early. They do have a tendency to break down which gives me an immediate idea. If you do have an old water trough instead of filling it with soil put the bale in it. Don’t break down the bale just use the trough to hold the bale in place. You’ll need drainage through the bottom but you would’ve need that anyway. It would have to fit though.

Do you put soil in the bales or just put what is around the seedlings in? I've never tried bales before.

The trough thing, I used on for a couple years at the old place and we put scrap wood in the bottom 18" then straw then 3cuft of soil with a 10" rim for wind protection of young plants. Also made it easy to cover for frosty nights.

Plenty of time to think it out.

This one’s a video

https://www.democraticunderground.com/115912136

This link shows the bales in action.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/115912437

I put a thin layer of composted soil on the top just enough to fill in the tips of the straw for the ability to hold seeds.
Last year I tried squash’s and lettuce. This year I reconfigured the bale arrangement and I’m going for butternut squash, green beans, three kinds of peppers, red, yellow, poblano.
Hey it’s all an experiment.
Only problem with bales …not very mobile, if at all during the season.

The links! I'll be reviewing those after a nap - I'm up at stupid hours since I have to get up after about four hours - so I do a second sleep when I get drowsy about this time.

I am really interested in doing something more effective this year. The last two years have been experimental in this new environment.