GETTING READY FOR PLANTING

  HI --I HAVE A 6 FT FENCE AND I WOULD LIKE TO PLANT -BEANS --PEAS -CORN-CUKES -ECT -

THIS FENCE IS LONG ON ONE SIDE OF MY YARD AND SHORTER ONE THE OTHER SIDE -
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  CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW TO GET THIS READY FOR PLANTING NEXT SPRING --BESIDE GETTING THE WEEDS OUT --

AND HOW FROM THE FENCE SHOULD I COME AWAY---

AND HOW HIGH SHOULD I MAKE A BOX  TO MAKE IT HIGHER FROM THE GROUND 

I CAN GET HORSE MANURE--WILL THIS HELP OR WILL IT BE TO RICH--

SHOULD I GET SOME HAY OR STRAW TO USE WITH PAPER

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT--- THANK YOU ----MARY     

is this a solid fence or a wire/chain link fence? if its solid which side of the fence will you planting on? (n/s/e/w)

If you have access to composted horse manure I would put a few inches down after you weed anywhere you want to plant corn, peas, and cukes. follow that with a thick bed of hay,straw or yard waste.  this ought to give you a nice grwoing medium to start with by spring. my personal experience is that the beans dont' want quite as rich a soil. try to purchase bean seeds that have been inoculated.

anything that is climbing will do best if you plant within a few inches of the fence so that it can get ahold of it quickly. unless it is on the north side of a solid fence where it wouldn't get sun quickly.

unless your soil is really poor, rocky or waterlogged you don't absolutely need to make the bed raised. your climate, financial and work commitment dictates how high you can make it. if you live where it is going to get really dry for a while during the growing season, a deep bed makes it harder to keep watered whcih can be a serious issue for shallow rooted plants such as peas beans and cukes. a raised be will be more subject to temp fluctuations which can work for you or against you. (heat up faster in the spring, but cool down faster in the winter) so it depends on your climate.

If you feel the need to weed and to fertilize, you might consider sheet mulching.

It will do both at once, with less effort and less harm to the soil ecosystem that is currently supporting the weeds and could be drafted into supporting your garden.

One possible method:
http://onestraw.wordpress.com/sub-acre-ag/sheet-mulch/

yeah put the horse manure on it this fall as thick as you can..but remember beans do not do well in a high nigrogen environment so leave an area unmnaured for the beans.

it is best to put the manure on this fall anyway..for spring planting..if put on hot it will also kill the weeds below..so you won't even have to weed the area..just pile the manure..if you are using boxes..then pile it int he boxes.

the other plants you mentioned will grow well in the composted manure..but continue to pile your scraps on there ..just like a compost pile..building it up as you are able all winter long..and if you have an area ready..not HOT..go ahead and put in some pea and lettuce seeds just before it snows..and in the spring they will grow without any help and you'll have an early spring crop.

Good point, Brenda!

For planting beans, would a sheet mulch with low N content be appropriate?  Say, straw and woodchips with a dusting of ashes?  It would gather some N from the air in the process of rotting, but I bet it wouldn't rot all that much until the beans' lifespan was over.

   
  well thank you-- for all of the information-- -i will put that to good use---and hope i get a lot done befor it snows- -and i will leave a spot for my beans and peas at a diffrent fence

MZPUPPIES wrote: i will leave a spot for my beans and peas at a diffrent fence

There might be some value to having patches of nitrogen-rich soil right next to patches of nitrogen-poor soil.

Plants whose roots can reach across the boundary will have the option to draw from different environments: fungus-dominated or bacterium-dominated ecosystems, a variety of pH providing different minerals in abundance, etc.

i actually did that myself..had the nitrogen rich (manured) soil just a few feet away from that that i didn't put manure on..the green beans grew wonderfully and the plants that wanted the nitrogen grew great in their soil too..probably will switch them out nexd year as most of the nitrogen will have been used up and will treat the other soil to the manure next.