How to produce a Tiered Vegetable Garden

A tiered garden can produce more vegetables in a given area than a raised bed. The vertical beams of the plants reduces opponent of their roots and allows smaller plants to rise above the shade of bigger ones. If it’s implanted in three gardens a year — spring, summer and fall — a tiny tiered garden could offer a significant portion of the fresh vegetables that a family will eat in a year.

Select a website that is at least 8 feet by 12 feet and weighs at least six hours of sunlight every day. Level a 4-foot by 8-foot rectangle in the middle of the website.

Cut two 2-by-8 pieces 6 feet, four 2-by-8s pieces 4 feet, two 2-by-8 pieces 3 feet long and two 2-by-8 pieces 2 feet long. Cut 12 2-by-2 pieces 12 inches long.

Put an 8-foot 2-by-8 on its narrow side and attach a vertical piece of 2-by-2 into the end with 2 1/2-inch screws so that the side and bottom are flush with the 2-by-8 and the very top sticks around 4 inches. Attach another 2-by-2 to the opposite end. Repeat this process with a different 8-foot 2-by-8.

Attach two 4-foot lengths of 2-by-8s into the ends of their more 2-by-8s and the 2-by-2s with screws to form a rectangle. Verify the corners with a carpenter’s square prior to placing in the last screws. They should be 90 degrees.

Turn the rectangle over and mark where the 2-by-2s touch the floor. Dig holes around 5 inches deep for each one of the legs. Replace the rectangular bed, then placing the 2-by-2 legs at the holes. Level the bed, adding soil to low places if needed. Fill the holes with soil. Fill the rectangular bed with potting soil or rich garden soil.

Select both 6-foot-long 2-by-8 pieces and two 3-foot-long 2-by-8 pieces. Fasten these together into a rectangular using the same way as for your 4-foot from 8-foot rectangle. Turn it over, center it at the bigger rectangle and press on the legs to the soil. Fill this rectangle with potting soil.

Fasten the remaining 2-by-8 pieces together to form a 2-by-4 foot rectangle. Center the rectangle on top of this 3-foot by 6-foot rectangle and press the legs to the soil. Fill this rectangle with soil.

Plant upright plants at the top rectangle, like Swiss chard or Chinese cabbage in the spring, artichokes or okra in the summer, and collard greens or even Brussels sprouts in the fall.

Plant briefer or mid-sized plants at the middle rectangle, like lettuce, spinach, onions and carrots at the spring; bush onions and beans in the summer; and cabbage, broccoli and beets in the fall.

Plant large plants or vines in the lowest rectangle like head and kale lettuce in the spring; tomatoes, cucumbers and melons in the summer; and much more kale, head lettuce, Swiss chard or even Brussels sprouts in the fall.

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