Decide on a garden style

Once you've chosen a well drained spot with full sun, that is level or could be made level, and close to a water source you are ready to decide what kind of garden you'll make. There are several styles to choose from:

You could make a container garden.  Wicker is ideal because it drains well.

A garden in the ground is the fastest, cheapest and you could probably start it today.  The disadvantage is weeds grow on the ridges and they will need to be raked down and built back up. This is good for beans, squash, carrots, onions, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and any vegetable that doesn't need support.  

In ground with a T-frame.  Notice how he cleared the whole area then pulled from the sides to pile up this ridges. T-frames are good for pole beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers. 

Or you could do a combination of both like in Bobbie Willingham's garden.  She planted according to height, short to tall.  The tall tomatoes and pole beans are on the northeast side so the warm afternoon sun can shine on everything. 

Well almost everything, the okra by the fence on the far right didn't grow as fast as the beans, oops.

If you have poor soil like this yard, vegetables will grow in it but it's a pain to dig in!  A garden box would be more enjoyable. Can you see how the dirt forms a box to whole the water near the plants? 

A garden box with a small T-Frame on the back and a row on the front is also a good option. This is a side view of our garden  The T-Frames in the back support tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe and pole beans.  The front of the box is squash, bush beans, onions, squash, lettuce, and carrots. The advantage to a garden box is less weeds and a more defined space.  The disadvantage is the cost of materials and the time to build it.  The box can be filled with free material like leaf mulch or sawdust from a cabinet shop.  A few bags of purchased concrete sand is a nice addition.    

This is a double box without a T-frame.  He has five rows of corn growing in this box. 

This is Jim and Araksya Kennard's home.  This garden box has tomatoes, cucumbers and honey dew melon hanging.  He used a double T-Frame that is 6' wide at the top.  Jim is the one that brought Mittleider Gardening to Alabama.  These T-frames were donated and relocated to a girl's camp.  Click here to see pictures of the project.

Another option for a garden box is to not use purchased wood.  Teresa and Cris Partain's garden box is made from tree trunks.  They planted in leaf mulch and sand.

They even used logs for the wood at the top.

These tall trees fell during an ice storm just as they were about to buy the wood their garden box.  Remember, the point is to keep the grass and weeds out and the water in.  A variety of materials can be used.  Use thee resources you have? 

To help you choose between planting in the ground or making a box or simply planting in containers, consider what your family will eat and what you could grow. If everything you want to plant is short, then there is no need for T-Frames.  Here is a list of vegetables that don't need T-frames.  
Bush beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Swiss chard, corn, eggplant, kale, lettuce, okra, green onions, bulb onions, parsley, all types of peppers, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, all types of squash, spinach, turnips, and watermelon.  

Small melons, pole beans, tomatoes, peas, and cucumbers work best on T-Frames.  

If you've found a good spot for your garden and have decided what type you want -- then it's time to start digging or click here to return!