First Raised Bed

11 years ago

I hope this is the right forum. There are so many choices. I am building my first Raised Bed with Cinder Blocks. I love and eat almost daily, Leafy Greens like Kale and Spinach. So I am worried about Bugs like Snails and Slugs. I have even found the odd still alive slug in a bag of greens from the store. I am wondering what is the best method to keep them out and what other bugs should I worry about? I have heard all kind of things. Like a border of aluminum foil or sandpaper around the bed. I will be experimenting with other greens to like lambs quarter, Purslane, Corn Salad and Miners lettuce. I will also be growing Tomatoes and Peppers. Any input is greatly appreciated.

Featured Answer

maxjohnson

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

I recently made myself a concrete block raised beds in addition to my wooden ones. As long as the blocks are "concrete blocks" which is
likely what you meant, then it is okay. Actual cinder blocks which
they don't usually sell in store have fly ash in them which are very
toxic (regardless of what the EPA say, building material is one thing, for growing food is a different matter). There are some people that don't even trust concrete blocks, but I'm not as worried. People tend to warn that concrete blocks have lime material in it so it can cause alkalinity, I'm not concerned about this since I use organic soil and compost to create a good soil biology which will stabilize the soil pH overtime, but you can add a little peat moss to your mix to counteract the alkalinity if that's an issue, but I would test the soil pH first before worrying about it.

I have some problem with slugs and snails as well especially since it's so wet in Florida this season. You can try using diatomaceous earth, but that get washed in the rain, or crumbled egg shells. Maybe spray your plants with garlic/pepper juice water. You also want to not transplant your seedlings into the soil until they seem sturdy enough, especially if you have pill bugs and millipedes around, they are helpful for decomposing, but they will chew on seedling stems.

My recommendation, which not what everyone here will agree with, is don't waste money on fertilizers unless you have money to spare, but use rich compost in the soil, the strong biology will help prevent the diseases. Mulching goes in hand with this, since it will keep the soil more moist, reduce watering and increase microbes activities. You should consider growing companion plants as well. There are conflicting opinions on this and scientific study says companion planting are useless. However, I have lots of pests where I am, I started doing it recently, by having more garlic, onion, lemon grass, and mosquito plants in my garden, it seems to help reduce pests presence.

Some plants you mentioned like kale and corn salad will have a
harder time in the summer especially if it's hot where you are. So make
sure you grow based on the season. I don't recommend growing too many
varieties in your first year either, you should concentrate on a few and
see which you have success with and build your confidence.

Based on claytonia, lamb quarters and purslane, it looks like you
want to grow weed-like, easy to grow and hands off greens. If you're in a warm
climate, here are some recommendation, all of these can grow during the
summer in Florida:
malabar spinach: grows fast and doesn't require much nutrient
Egyptian
spinach: I started growing it for the first time this season, it's a
very sturdy plant and can tolerate the full Florida's summer sun. Leaves are tender and is a very nutritious plant.
katuk: I call it a tree since it can grow quite tall, very resilient, it's easy to propagate through cuttings. This article highlight it being toxic if over consumed so I would not eat too much or juice it. The article say it doesn't tolerate it being dry, but I never water them except for the rain and they survive very well during dry weeks.
longevity or okinawa spinach: real easy to grow and propagate, more than
you can eat in a short time just by propagating the branches.

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Comments (6)

thomast77
Original Author
11 years ago
I actually do live in NW Florida near Pensacola. This is very informative. Thank You for sharing.
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maxjohnson
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I forgot to mention sweet potatoes, they also grow real well down here and can tolerate the heat, and the leaves are edible.
lgteacher
11 years ago
Aluminum foil won't deter slugs and snails. Copper is effective but expensive to run around the edges of the beds. Try iron phosphate, which is sold as Sluggo and other brands. Sluggo plus has other insecticides which you may not want around vegetables, so stick to plain Sluggo. It is not harmful to pets or birds but it will break down when wet, so apply it after watering.
purslanegarden
11 years ago

If you can have chickens or frogs around your place, that will help keep the slug population down. Otherwise, just follow and read up on all the threads about fighting snails and slugs.
gumby_ct
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Slug prevention is a multi-pronged approach for me. As mentioned iron phosphate is one prong but I use it sparingly as it is an attractant.

I also keep a pair of scissors in the garden to cut slugs in half - very effective but you have to see each slug to use it.

I also use 4 oz of ammonia mixed in 20 oz of water in a spray bottle. If it doesn't cause a slug to fall off a vertical surface when sprayed - add more ammonia. What I like about this method is when spraying you will find slugs you didn't notice until the ammonia causes them to start squirming.

The down side is you have to go in the garden after sundown. Tho there
are times I have found slugs during the daytime. At times repeated
visits will find more slugs - so several visits a nite can be helpful.

The ammonia causes slugs to melt into a slimy blob.

While salt will also melt slugs into a blob it is toxic for plant and soil - AVOID using salt in the garden.

Also leave a barren perimeter around the garden or bed. Do NOT grow grass or weeds right up to the side of any garden or beds. Grass/weeds shelter slugs and bugs. So leave as much barren as you can but I like at least 4ft. Using coarse sand in that barren perimeter will deter slugs from the surrounding area.

Also helpful is not watering over head or leaving leaves wet after sundown.

I avoid using beer traps as it is an attractant also. I think beer will attract slugs from your neighbors yard, why would you want to do that? Tho using iron phosphate will get those slugs you never saw.

HTH