Hi there, I saw your post in the other forum and you had mentioned wanting to plant a pumpkin. Start from seed as early in the spring as possible. Plan to have your vine take over the WHOLE yard. If you bury pieces of the vine back into the soil it can help provide more nutrients to the farther areas of the vine.
Last but, in my book, most important prevent powdery mildew. In your area, which is similar to mine, just about every thing is susceptible.

This year I tried spraying every other day with chamomile tea. I simply placed the tea bags in a spray bottle and left it in the sun. When I got home from work I gave all a good soaking. This held of the PM for quite a long time. I was growing squash, zucchini, and pumpkin for WAY longer than usual before PM set in. And actually  we got so tired of harvesting that I just stopped spraying the plants.

Good luck and welcome to the forum

Hi:
I have a miniature potager growing. I live in East Atlanta, not too far from you!! You are so smart to have put up the dog fence.
With all those extra blocks, you could build yourself a great raised bed herb garden over by your deck and stairs. The scent after a rain on rosemary is so lovely, you could enjoy it while sitting on the deck. I think you've done a great job. Did you plant some lettuce? What about greens? Now is a great time to plant greens, cole crops, etc.I need to get mine in!

GGG

GGG

WOW PM sounds like a pain! When you quit spraying for it, it kills everything? What are the conditions that help PM start?
I read the other day that if I water I should water in the morning so that my veggies aren't wet all night long....

I've viewed many more pics of ya'lls gardens, I plan to build two more next year, one on either side of the one I built. I also built this one in a manner so that if I choose I can divide it in half, not the two posts for a gate on the front and back of garden, I would just have to figure out a way to install two gates in the middle of a wire fence. Probably have to pull up one block wall, put in two more posts and redo wire etc.

I afraid it's too big, and that If I built one on either side I would end up prefering them all the same size, here a little illistration....
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I like Wikipedia's definitions the best so I have included a link to their explanation of PM.

Morning watering is best if you can do it and try to water from the ground level, not watering the whole plant - just the soil around it.

We live in a very humid environment so naturally just about every thing is susceptible to some kind of fungus. Not so bad though if you just learn to garden around it.

I bought several Rosemary plants from Lowes with PM for 50 cents each. They had been overwatered and left in the shade.

I simply planted them out in the open in the sun and while I have been careful not to water them I did lightly mist with the tea - not a good soaking though. I now have several nice plants. My DH and some workmen even trampled one of them a few times and it still keeps coming on strong.

You're going to have a lovely garden! If you decide to go with the two additional beds, why not just enclose all the raised beds in one large fenced area? You could add some narrow beds just inside the fence if you like, and some beds on the outside for flowers would be particularly nice. If you put up a wooden fence, you can even hang a planter box or a two, or more, on the fence - I did this last year and dropped my extra herb plants (the smaller varieties - definitely not basil!) in there and they were very easy to access.

Diane

I would like a wooden fence in the design of our privacy fence. My and the wifes concern is that it would block sunlight. Is that a valid concern?

I understand potager is a mix between vegetable and flowers. I'm not sure that my gardens will have any flowers. I'm here because everyone told me to post here, not in "their" forum.

I considered fencing in the area and then building gardens inside. It would be easier. I'm just not sure I want to, how do i put it? I feel that if a part of my yard was sectioned off it might look and "feel" different than if a bunch of small sections were sectioned off. It's more work and provides less than ideal access to the edges of my beds... does that make sense?

Firstly, please don't feel you were unwelcome in any of the other forums. While I'm not a regular poster in any of them, most people seem too nice for that ... well, some of the Landscape folks can get a bit twitchy and esoteric at times, lol, but they're coming at it from a professional's point of view.

I truly believe that the people in the Vegetable forum sincerely thought there would be mutual benefit for you and the Potager forum if you were to also post here, as well as in the Vegetable forum.

The fence will block sunlight. Because it looks like you have a clear sky above (no tree canopy, like I have) that might be alright. Just a thought: how about a fence in the same style as your privacy fence, but lower and with spaced pickets? Actually, I think that one fence enclosing the entire area, with one gate, would be less work than three separate fences, with three gates. If you leave enough room between the edge of the bed and the fence, you'll have room to work.

Your yard looks quite large; nevertheless, I would soften the fence and integrate it into the rest of the yard with those plantings I mentioned around the outside. Vining plants, daylilies, roses, flowering shrubs ... whatever suits your taste. Don't forget the beautiful and beneficial creatures that are a gardener's delight and ally; you might select some plantings to provide food, cover and/or nesting material for them.

These are just my thoughts, what I would do, given that amount of space and that exposure. I would probably develop an herb/rose/cutting garden just at the bottom of the steps from the deck, as well, and defintely at least one bird feeder and bird bath. Unless the camera deceives me, maybe there's room for a small fruit tree there? A water feature would be fantastic. The trip to the vegetable garden would become a feast for the senses. See how easily I get carried away, lol?

Above all, it's your garden and what you do must reflect your taste and style and the time and effort you wish to invest in it.

Diane

-quote harleysilo-
I'm here because everyone told me to post here, not in "their" forum.
-end quote-

harleysilo,...have a bad hairday? Ok, take a deep breath...

Only one person recommended the potager forum and did so *very* nicely thinking the potager forum would be of some help to you...and that person is still trying to help/encourage you in *this* forum. :) Most all of your initial questions were answered in that thread...opinions on using your PT fenceposts, worry about the pH/calcium leaching from the footing of your house, and one person even went so far to show you how to post pictures!
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Rather than the PT fenceposts and leaching from the house footing I would be more concerned with the herbicide used on the pompas grass...I wouldn't be overly concerned about the RoundUp that you used, but the "something a little stronger" part kind of worries me.

Do plant flowers...they help attract predatory insects (plants with small, multi-flowers appear to be better for these). Flowers and herbs also help lure in more pollinators so that (hopefully) you have pollinators already around when your veggies start blooming. Somebody has already suggested a narrow bed on the outer perimeter of the fence, which is a good idea. Just two or three "good" choices of flowers would enhance things greatly.

A single fence around the present and future beds is the most simple approach and actually looks like a "vegetable garden". On the side next to the house you might want to install some extensions to the posts so that you can run a trellis back there for vining plants.

I do see a couple of problems (from my viewpoint) with your design, though. My idea of raised beds is NOT to walk in the growing area. Your fencing is directly at the sides of your raised beds and you will not be able to work from the outer perimeter...thus being forced to enter/walk on the bed. With a bed 10x17 there has to be paths of some kind to access the plants. I've seen one idea (can't remember it's "name") where portable paths (planks of wood) are used and the entire planting area is planted intensively except for the 12" or so "paths". You could go this route, or you could use some of your cement blocks to build some permanent paths within the large bed. Of course if you decide to go with a wood fence you could back the fence off several feet from the bed frames, or back the present fence off a few feet to give you operating room.

For me, I like room to work. :) I'm also in the process of creating a small garden. My beds are 4x8, which will allow me to reach in from either side of the bed. My paths are/will be 4' wide so that there will be room to squat/sit and work with the plants, manuver a wheelbarrow in there, and being as I KNOW the plants will be hanging over the sides the paths will actually narrow up (can you tell I'm optimistic?(grin)). I sat down and drew out a plan for my garden and thought it looked very creative and functional. Then I got to studying and found that what I had "designed" was actually called a 4-square kitchen garden and the design had been around for hundreds of years....so much for my creativity! :) Basically it consists of four rectangular beds with a bed around the garden proper's perimeter. Here's a rough sketch of it...
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In case you're curious I've included a link to my trials and tribulations so far with my under-construction garden. :)

Best wishes with your garden!
Ed

harleysilo, we haven't heard anything from you in quiet a while...you didn't hop in your jeep and drive off into the sunset did you? :)

Ed

Hey, I can't see your pictures. Do you have a page with your pictures I could look at? I am just embarking on building a potager and love to see what you have accomplished.

Hey, I can't see your pictures. Do you have a page with your pictures I could look at? I am just embarking on building a potager and love to see what you have accomplished.

Ditto! Photobucket wants you to join just to see the pics!
Nancy

No I didn't drive away dirt tracker. I must have gotten busy at work since that's the only time I surf the web!

I planted tomatoes this weekend, haven't had time to build another garden so you'll see what I did below in the pics.

I planted Lettuce, spinach, radishes and carrots last year, had to till under the lettuce which was still producing this weekend!

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Harley we are still two weeks away from the last frost date and frost is expected next week, so take care of your vegetable babies!!

I am planning to! It's just the 6 tomatoes, but might plant the peppers this weekend. Would 5 gallon buckets placed over the tomatoes and peppers work for frost protection? If not I have a huge tarp to cover the fenced in garden with, and old sheets that could cover the tomatoes....

Another question, I bought peppers plants yesterday, do you plant them with stems 80% in the ground like tomatoes, or not?

Lots of changes since the 16th....

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I guess you've figured out to plant your peppers at the soil level. The tomatoes you plant lower because all the "hairs" on the stems become roots.
Another frost is coming possibly this weekend. I haven't planted tomatoes yet. My own are just two leaf seedlings still. I haven't bought any yet.
I love what you have done to keep the beasties out of your garden!

GGG

Harley, your potager looks great. I like the stepping stones. It's still to cold in Massachusetts to set anything out. I was going to start last weekend but the forcasts are not favorable, in my opinion. I had planted peas around St. Pats day but no sign. I will have to replant.

Yup, they just changed up the forecast for my area, so low is 28 now! Luckily I have some giant tarps. I have considered the idea of running a sprinkler all night, anyone have an opinion on that? Which would work better?

When we had frost here in So Cal. back in December, I draped plastic over a ring of wire fencing to protect a tomato, and it died. Then I read in the California forum that you need something that breathes, like a cotton bed sheet. It was too late for me. Hope it's not too late for you.