Ready… Set… GROW Tampa Bay

It’s time to start thinking about that garden you always swear you’re going to plant. But you look outside AND it’s hot AND you’ve got to till AND weed AND amend soil and heck, Yard Crashers is on right now and the thought slowly seeps away.

We Understand…:)

We cater to Tampa Bay folks who just want a garden… without all the work.  The truth is, you don’t have to till and weed and amend, IF you are using a raised bed system like we bring you.  It’s not a big bulky expensive wood structure either. We use the Big Bag Bed system.

What the Heck is a Big Bag Bed You Ask…

Basically its a large stiff fabric grow bag. Grow bags have been taking the horticulture world by storm for many reasons that I discuss in another post. THIS grow bag is huge!  It’s 40 inches in diameter which allows for a nice selection of your favorite produce.  It’s black, which allows you basically to just plunk it down right on top of existing grass, a deck or patio, wherever you’ve got some sunshine and easy access to water.

The sides are about 12 inches high which gives you plenty of soil depth for our favorite organic mix, which we bring with us as well.  If you want a bigger garden, we can easily set up more than one.

What to Grow?

We recommend you grow the produce that you use the most and most likely, throw away the most because it has spoiled.  How often have your tossed out rotten scallions, mushy lettuce, slimy spinach, cilantro or parsley?   Scallions are easy growers and last a LONG time in your garden. So, if you need a little garnish go pull up a couple and chop em up.. the rest will be waiting when you need them.  Fresh Parsley and Cilantro are expensive.. why not just have some ready to snip just what you need, and let the plant keep growing?  Lettuce, spinach and kale are the easiest vegetables in the world to grow.  You can literally have a constant supply of healthy pretty lettuce that you can use as needed and we’ll show you just how to do that!  Green beans are also easy growers and we can set up a trellis for pole type beans or plant bush type beans.  Get these going in the next couple of weeks and you can serve them at Thanksgiving (and have some before that too!). FRESH off the bush green beans are sooo good. You’ll never want to buy them commercially again.

Are you surprised I haven’t mentioned Tomatoes? Well, that’s because tomatoes are a given in any home garden! We suggest the cherry, grape type because they are so prolific, but we can put in a good meaty type as well. Heirloom tomatoes are an option as well.  What type peppers do you want?  Are you tired of paying huge bucks for red and yellow peppers?  Lets get some started for you.

Maintenance of Your Garden

One of the great things about using a raised bed garden system with fresh new soil is that you just aren’t going to have a big weed issue.  The soil mix  we use is weed free when planted.  Because your bed is above your grade, weeds will not creep into it.   They can be flung by lawnmowers and blowers, but starting out, you should not have an issue.  Keep a lookout always for weeds starting and pull them up .  If you like, we can shower cap your garden once seeds have started. This will keep external flung weed seeds from getting a start at all.  The fertilizer we use is time released and you will receive a supply at the time of planting that should see your first season through completely.

Pests should also be at a minimum in the raised bed system.  That being said, you always want to keep a sharp lookout for bugs. Any plant can be a target even though we use companion plants to keep bugs down.  We do have lots of organic pest control possibilities we can discuss during the installation process or if you have issues later.

So are you ready to grow?

Give us a call, send us a text, or fill out our contact form below and lets talk a little produce!  We look forward to growing with you!

Oh hey…If you love garden topics, cool outdoor projects, re-purposing,water gardens or all of the above.. we’d love to engage with you on our Facebook page Outdoor Spaces.  Stop on by and give us a like!

We also love to share garden ideas on our Pinterest Board “Garden Urban” Follow Barbara’s board Garden Urban on Pinterest.