Garden layout and composition

Jim,

I have a plot of land beside my house that would measure 40x10 when the
walking areas surrounding it are taken into consideration. It runs
east to west length wise, and north to south width wise. My plan is to
run T-trellis' in this area. Would you suggest running a trellis on
the Northern side going east to west, or 10ft trellis' going north to
south similar to the California garden in the pictures section?

Also this soil is composed mostly of red clay with almost no topsoil
with poor drainage. Would grow-beds still be advisable or would grow-
boxes be in order?

Thanks,
Robert

Robert & Group:

I would probably build the T-Frames on the North side, running East & West.

How much rainfall do you get in a year, on average? If you have high rainfall you will want to have your soil-beds a bit higher than they can be in low rainfall areas. You'll also need to use gypsum in low rainfall areas and dolomite or agricultureal lime in higher rainfall areas (20" per year is the dividing line).

If you have standing water in your garden, then you might also need to improve your drainage by installing drain pipes or ditches, etc.

Other than that your soil should be fine. If you want to grow in containers that is a wonderful alternative, and once the initial cost and work are done it is a great pleasure to grow in Grow-Boxes.

Jim Kennard
__._,_.___