Everything looks so great – so many green peppers. What are you going to do with them? 🙂 Love how bushy those potatoes are getting too! I feel the same way about aphids, get a new home I say! 🙁

Both my daughters love to eat them raw! I love them in stir fry.

How deep are your grow boxes? They look so shallow, and I thought that the roots would need more room. I just got my garden planted last week because of the rain in eastern OK. We had buckets at times and now into the mid 90’s. Your pics are beautiful, love your posts.

Arlene,
Hi! My beds are 8 inches deep and I get lots of concern for not having them deep enough but I have never had any problem. Most growing seasons are a few months so by the time the plant has finishing the harvest stage, I cut it and the base, leave the roots behind and chop them all up with a knife to decompose for the next thing I plant. There are lots of roots but it all seems to work for me. I have heard buckets can trap water and rot roots if you don’t have enough drainage. I have several holes and my beds drain well. Sometimes in Texas we can really get downpours so I didn’t want to float any plants up or lose them that way. All I can say is that it works for me. I hope this helps!
Good luck to you in Oklahoma! Wishing you safe weather there with all the tornadoes.
Melanie

Hi Mel your garden is looking great. Sounds like you might be freezing some stuffed peppers. I can’t wait to try some of your raised beds, maybe for a fall crop, on your knees should only be used for praying.LOL. I have a cucumber with lots of blooms, and my squash is loaded with babies. The zinneas are finally blooming. It’s going to be 97 here today so gotta get that outside work early and back to working on my web site. Wishing you a blessed day.

Sherry

Sherry,
Ha! I love that idea – great selling point on my garden – “knees are for praying, not gardening” You are good! Ha! I love how there is so much to harvest in the summer. I am picking 3-4 tomatoes a day with peppers and cucumbers too. I really love all your inspirations in your pins. You are so talented and have such and eye for things. Good luck with your website, I am sure you will make it wonderful, you seem to have the touch for that. Yes, work outside early and get inside during the heat. Thinking of you today!
Melanie

Love seeing reports on how your garden is doing – I used to live in your neck of the woods. Now, however, I am in Washington State, and our growing season is much shorter and cooler. I’m a complete novice at gardening, and you’ve been giving me inspiration. So far, I have a huge crop of lettuce!

Vera,
Congrats on a huge crop of lettuce! so fun! I love harvest time! Cooler growing season means less bugs right? Ha – I love the cooler months for that reason.
Good luck to you and keep me posted on how your garden is growing,
Melanie

Is there anything you do for the bugs? Here in NC we have those Kudzu bugs and they eat everything! Don’t want to load up in chemicals!! Moving to TX near Fort Hood in mid-August, so I am super excited to try this idea of the lifted gardens! Do you have a template for how you built them? I found one idea for strawberries using rain gutters! It’s been so hard not doing it here I stuck to a few herbs, basil, parsley, rosemary and some flowers… can’t wait to move to get my garden going! 🙂

Megan,
Hi! How exciting about your move to Texas! Fun! I love the raised garden concept myself and hope others love it as much as I do! I sell my plans on the main page of my website. They are currently on sale for ten dollars. I don’t advertise or use affiliate links, so the cost helps me run my website. I have seen the rain gutters for strawberries but have never tried it. The herbs are a great way to start and maybe after your move you can do something bigger. For bugs I use seven dust in extreme conditions and also homemade remedies as well. Here is one solution I have used: http://www.raisedurbangardens.com/2013/06/home-made-bug-spray-and-a-leaf-eater-caught/
I hope that helps. Please stay in touch and let me know how your move to Texas and your garden is going. I live in the Houston area! Welcome!
Melanie

I love your peppers! How do you get them to grow so well? I’m in the Dallas area and can never get my peppers to produce more than one pepper (and that’s when I’m lucky!). I love your website and the beautiful pictures!! Keep up the amazing work and keep enjoying God’s gift of gardening 🙂

Jennifer,
Hi! I water every day and fertilize every week. I change up fertilizers too just to make sure my garden is getting plenty of nutrients. I read online that peppers like epsom salt so twice this season I have sprinkled some around the base.
Here is a blog post I made about fertilizers.
http://www.raisedurbangardens.com/2013/04/caring-for-your-garden/
I hope that helps! It’s sure hot, dealing with this Texas heat! whew – but I guess it’s hot everywhere!
so grateful to be able to garden.
best wishes for you,
Melanie

love your posting

very good