Lean to over raised bed

[Selymbria]

Looking very good - what sort of a plan did you decide on with the watering ?

I installed a water butt inside my garage and bought a mini drip irrigation system I am thinking of installing. The water butt is just behind that white door that can be seen on the left

[nickdub]

Excellence scheme - sufficient water will make all the difference - I suppose you can add some fertiliser to the system too :-)

[Selymbria]

Hmm food for thought! Let me research... thanks Nick

[nickdub]

You're very welcome - I think the Israelis have done a lot of research on this, as obviously water is a major issue for their agriculture.

[Selymbria]

You are right, I got netafim drip irrigation system installed before (which I believe is an israeli company) but not for vegs for my walnut orchard in Turkey, but didnt use fertilisers with it.

[Selymbria]

I installed a drip irrigation from the water butt but we didnt have any rain for the last few weeks here.

Below is the state of my raised bed, everything is jumbled up and competing for space. I never thought the courgette leaves will be this big! Each one is twice the size of my head and getting bigger

[Babru]

Wow, this looks amazing! Well done Selymbria, and good luck with the crops.

As someone with a blank canvas paved garden, not sure what to do in it, this forum is really inspirational.

[nickdub]

Excellent job - well done.

[Bigmallly]

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party. Square Foot Gardening if kept under control is a great way to grow in small spaces. The only thing I would have change to the bed albeit a little late in the day is, I would have pulled it 2 foot away from the brick wall so you could access all sides. If you are still wanting cover, a leaned roof could be erected leaning down towards the wall, guttering installed & a waterbutt in the corner of the wall/fence.............as I say, it's a little late in the day for all that now.

[ESBkevin]

Enviromesh gets you many benefits of cover like wind protection whilst allowing rain/water to permiate and sunlight to access the veg. It keeps out the bugs and cabbage butterflies (remember it also keeps out the pollinators like bees etc.
It cost of course but have a look on youtube at Michael Brotherton or Muddy boots channels where they use frames that fit together and can be collapsed flat for storage when not required.
You might need different protection for each plant group.

[Selymbria]

Thank you for the praise and suggestions. I have a water butt inside the garage(behind the wall) and the frame I built is to cover them when it comes to september to prolong the season.

I made a mistake to plant too many courgettes, they took over the right half of the bed. Maybe my soil is too strong with N hence the big leafy plants

I tied the cucumbers on the stakes as they were lying on the ground. Just rope doesnt carry the weight of them.

Few pics from today, I see cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes and beans but they are very small.

This year is for learning.

[nickdub]

Thank you for the praise and suggestions. I have a water butt inside the garage(behind the wall) and the frame I built is to cover them when it comes to september to prolong the season.

I made a mistake to plant too many courgettes, they took over the right half of the bed. Maybe my soil is too strong with N hence the big leafy plants

I tied the cucumbers on the stakes as they were lying on the ground. Just rope doesnt carry the weight of them.

Few pics from today, I see cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes and beans but they are very small.

This year is for learning.

I always count every plant I get an edible harvest from as a success - so its seems to me you're doing very well. Courgettes do take up a lot of room, if grown successfully - on the other hand 2 plants are usually enough to produce enough for most people's wants.

I've been gardening for over 40 years, and I look on every year as a learning one. :-)

[Selymbria]

Update...

Everything is growing like crazy, tomato plants atr about 6ft and courgette leaves are bigger than a football now. I harvested a courgette the size of my upper leg. It is crazy. Cucumbers are growing strong too.

[nickdub]

Very well done - you've got some lovely healthy plants there.

[Selymbria]

Very well done - you've got some lovely healthy plants there.

Thanks Nick, motivation is important to keep going