|
| This was our first year doing raised beds and was wondering what we should do for the winter with them and if I could palnt bulbs in them to then transplant in the spring? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| How big are these raised beds? If they are 4 feet wide you may not need to be concerned about "winterizing". Planting spring flowering bulbs with the idea that you can transplant them in the spring, if that is to be done before they are done for the year, is not a good idea since you can disrupt the plants regeneration when you dig them up. |
|
- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 24, 09 at 8:37
| Planting a winter cover crop in your raised beds is an excellent practice to improve soil fertility during the fallow period/offseason. And it will keep the beds weed free. Just till the cover crop in in early spring about 2-3 weeks before planting. If you choose to use the beds for spring bulbs, plant the bulbs in containers, then sink the containers into the raised bed soil. When bulb season begins you can safely transfer the containers to areas of your garden where you would like a splash of color without risking damage to the bulbs or disrupting their growing cycle. And it is easy to remove them when the bloom season is over and the unsightly foliage gets in the way of other plantings. |
|
- Posted by dan_staley USDA 5/S 2b (My Page) on Mon, Aug 24, 09 at 14:46
| This was our first year doing raised beds and was wondering what we should do for the winter with them and if I could palnt bulbs in them to then transplant in the spring? Impossible to say with the info given . Nonetheless, cover cropping is one way and we use erosion blankets to ensure our soil doesn't blow away. Not sure why you would want to transplant bulbs in the at zone, just plant them where you want them to go and let them multiply. If you want color while waiting for crops, sow red clover as a cover crop else set aside small areas for flowers. Dan |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Organic Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.