I really want a garden and have bought seeds and two tray starters for starting the seeds. I want to make a raised bed garden because we have clay here in Alabama and I am going to bring in soil and manure to make a good soil. I am also planning on getting one to two rain barrells to attatch to the gutters to water my garden. The only place to put the garden is on the north side of my house. We have a treed yard to the rear of the yard and garden area which would be on the west side of the garden. We moved in the end of November so I have not had an opportunity to see what amount of light my garden area gets. In the winter it received shade from the house during a lot of the day and dappled light in the afternoon. I do not know how it will be when the trees are full of greenery and the sun is higher in the sky. I need advice as to whether it is worth the investment to build the beds and bring in the soil before I plant. Do you think that I can grow anything in these conditions?

 You can probably grow some things, but it will depend a lot on how much sun you get, of course. How far to the north from the house can you put the raised beds? Also, how tall are the trees? If they're very tall, the sun could come in around the trunks. 

Have you thought about container gardening, where you can move the containers if necessary to get the most sun? Peppers especially make pretty container plants so you could even set them on your front doorstep or along a walkway.   

Holly,

I would definitely get a good idea of where your full-sun, semi-shade and full-shade areas are before you decide on a location for your raised beds. The general rule is that, for a veggie garden, you are better off finding a full-sun area. If you have to settle with a semi-shade spot, then try to find one that at least gets the morning sun and then shade in the evening. If you live in the southern part of Alabama and have hot summers (I live in southern Louisiana so we definitely have this problem), then semi-shade in the afternoon might be a good thing and may even extend your growing season some for certain items like tomatoes which can sometimes have pest problems in the hot, humid summer of the south.

As far as the trees go, I think that the type of tree would be a good indicator of how dense the leaves would be (i.e. the more dense, the less sunlight let through). For instance, we barely have any trees but the ones we do have are Pecan. Well, they aren't too dense. So, I would think that it would be a safe bet to place a garden under it's shade if I had too. That said, perhaps if you know what types of trees you have and don't know how dense they will be once they have leaves, then you could do a little research.

Also keep in mind that you will want it as close to your water source as possible. It will be much easier that way.

I have raised beds myself (my preferred method of gardening). I know that they can sometimes be an investment, especially if you are filling them with dirt and if you build them with more long-lasting materials such as treated lumber. Therefore, I highly recommend that you choose your spot carefully before setting up.

Just my 2 cents.....

God bless and happy gardening!

Julie

What Pat has suggested about the using the containers is a great idea.  I moved in November as well to our current residence and it was a little difficult to figure out where I needed to build the raised beds.  I went with using containers for herbs, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions and a few other items the first year, and went ahead and built the boxes, and getting the soil built up to use it the next spring after being able to determine where the best spot would be. 

 Be sure to be careful using fresh manure, it's very strong and will burn your plants. Also be careful of what kind of manure you use.  It should be worked into your soil in the fall.

I am chomping at the bit to get out there and get my hands dirty!

Happy gardening!

You need as much full sun as possible for a successful garden. Soil and other issues can be worked wih, but there's not much you can do without a good bit of sunlight during the day. I see a big difference just in the plant height between those in the center of the garden and those that are closer to the edge that get tree shadowing in the late afternoon.

We got our book yesterday on "Square Foot Gardening".

Now I'm ready to get my seeds started!

 

re-tired