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Garden Design and Placement

We specialize in helping design and build organic gardens that are functional and beautiful. Each garden is made from rot resistant cedar boards. Raw cedar can last up to 8 years and with a dark Shou Sugi Ban or Whitewash finish we can double the life of the Raised Bed.
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Garden Placement​
 
When choosing a location for your new garden keep these three things in mind.​

  1. Sun exposure - please avoid any north facing garden as it will not get enough sunlight. Watch for long shadows from trees, buildings, or fences.

  2. Access to water - look for a clear connection preferably to a hose bib so you can control water. Less advisable is a connection to landscape sprinklers, but this is ok if all you have.

  3. Proximity - keep the garden close to where you hang out so it's not a hassle to check on your plants.

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Crops and Sun Exposure​

 

Certain plants require specific amounts of sunlight otherwise they can experience problems.

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  • Fruit bearing plants like peppers, tomatoes, and squash require 8+ hours of sunlight otherwise they can have problems.

  • Root crops such as carrots, beets, and turnips can get less sunlight at 6-8 hrs.

  • Leafy greens and herbs can get by with 4-6 hrs

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Please note that minimum sun requirements does not mean that the plants can not get more sun. Lettuce for instance can get full sun as long as it has access to water and nutrients. 

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Seasons ​

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In South Florida Subtropical Zone 10 we have two growing seasons. 

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  • Main Season - September to May in which we can pretty much grow anything with a few exceptions. 

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  • Summer - May to September we can continue to grow, but many of our main crops change and we can only grow plants that can withstand extreme heat and large amounts of rain.

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Keep in mind that fall the beginning of our Main Season the sun drifts to the south as the Earth tilts causing long shadows til spring off anything north facing. This is vital info when placing garden.

Raw Cedar: Cedar is a naturally rot resistant wood, cedar oils will detour fungus and most insects. Cedar is mostly a red wood, but colors can vary. Left raw cedar will patina or age to a grey color. In this raw state the wood with soil contact can last up to eight years.

Shou Sugi Ban: A Japanese wood preservation technique where the wood is scorched with a torch drawing out a layer of carbon over the cedar. Once wood is torched it is then cleaned and sealed with proprietary oil and pine tar based sealer. The dark finish will fade over time and because sealer is oil based it is easy to reapply to keep garden looking fresh if desired. Most clients like the way the wood ages and enjoy the grains popping with age. With this technique we can extend the life of the wood.

Whitewash: With the whitewash finish you will still get the benefits of Shou Sugi Ban on the inside, but the outside will be lightly burnt to draw out the grains and then stained and sealed with a whitewash sealer. With this technique we can extend the life of the wood.

The food system begins in our backyards!
Everybody needs to do their part and 
#GROWSOMETHING

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