Outdoor Raised Bed / Hot Frame Garden

[ElGuapo]

I would like to solicit opinions here. The weather has finally turned nice enough to start working outside. What I'm building is a 4 x 8 foot hot frame, lean-to on the south wall of my house, enclosing a raised bed garden. I'm planning to at least initially transplant directly into a raised bed. If it doesn't work out well, I'll dig it out for room for pots. The substrate is sand and gravel, very drained, and there is 6 to 8 inches of sandy loam on top. The area is lawn and likely has been for a lot of years, but likely unfertilized for most of those years. It is also where I have to mow twice as often as the rest of the yard. The topsoil has enough organic material in it so that when damp, it will clump, but falls apart when dry. It shines when you slice a shovel into it, has a very dark color and worms seem to love it. I would like to amend and add to the existing soil to have about 12 inches of topsoil. The ph is about 7.3 right now, does anyone have any suggestions for improving what is there?

 

[gtron]

I am guessing from your description, that area is either over a sewer line that has a crack or leak in it or over a water line with the same problem.
Our old yard used to have a great thick patch of grass growing in an odd spot, the rest of the yard could look like crap, but that area was always nice & lush.
Finally, one day the crack burst all the way and I had to dig up the line & replace it. No more nice growth there.

 

[ElGuapo]

City sewer and water run out the other end of the house. The area is in full sun and with the thick layer of topsoil and a nearby slope that keeps it well watered, it always clogs up my mower. It also catches a fair amount of runoff water from my roof. That will also be dumping into a rain barrel when I get a chance to set it up.

Good guess though, lol.

 

[gtron]

Hmm, it may have been a garden at one time or something for the growth to be so heavy and noticeable in that area over the rest of the lawn.
The house we own now has been here for over 60 years, the yard has gone through so many changes I couldn't even begin to guess what I will find. I planted an avocado tree last year and there is a half inch line of galvanized pipe going right across where I dug. It is at the oddest angle and I can't imagine why it is there and where it goes or why? I don't feel like digging up the yard to find out.
When I see something like that, I like to figure out what the deal is so I don't get a surprise at some unexpected time.

 

[ElGuapo]

Actually the whole section of yard seems to do well, just the area along the south side of the house seems to a bit better, I'm assuming because of run off water and reflected light. But now you have me thinking. The grass in the front yard does good too, but the outlawn along the side yard (it's a corner lot) and the largest part of the back yard have issues. The outlawn is the easiest to explain as it is along a very busy section of road and is continually salted during winter. All that slush is thrown up there. The back yard is where the previous owner ran his auto repair business before the garage blew up and burned. I'm guessing there were frequently cars parked in that area, possibly leaking who knows what. I found a spark plug boot out in the yard just today, I'm always finding that stuff.

I too find interesting things when I dig. When building a deck last summer, I found a stretch of what appears to have been a concrete walk along the back of the house. It was buried under about 4 inches of dirt, ran right under the drip edge of the roof and sloped toward the house. Can't imagine why the basement was always damp there, lol.

 

[gtron]

. The back yard is where the previous owner ran his auto repair business before the garage blew up and burned.

That is interesting, I wonder if a bunch of ash from the burn ended up right there? It could have amended the soil significantly.

 

[Mr Piggy]

Before you grow anything in that soil you should have it tested. It could have years of old lead paint in it or chemicals from the previous owners business/ka-boom. You'd also know what nutrients were present or adsent. It's important to know if you're growing in poison, If so I'd just go for pots in the hot frame.

 

[gtron]

Before you grow anything in that soil you should have it tested. It could have years of old lead paint in it or chemicals from the previous owners business/ka-boom. You'd also know what nutrients were present or adsent. It's important to know if you're growing in poison, If so I'd just go for pots in the hot frame.

Good point Piggy!,
Those engine cleaning chemicals were some nasty solvents.