Imagination can help a garden sprout from about anywhere

By Rennie Phillips

I honestly think all of us would like to have a garden of some kind.

We have a good friend in Nebraska who is getting up in years and probably not in the best of shape physically.

But Shirley still would have a garden of some kind if the deer and the grasshoppers didn't eat it off.

Once you have had a garden, that desire stays inside us until God tells us our time here is over.

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Some are in containers, some are in raised beds, and some are corners of our yard.

Some are tucked in the midst of a flower garden; others are just massive. Some are taken over by weeds and grass over the summer, while some don't have a single weed. Some are full of flowers, and others just have veggies.

Those of us who live in the country can dig up all the soil we want. This leads us to a real problem or hindrance. If we error, we error on the side of too big. Start small and let the garden grow next year. My two high tunnels are both 24 feet by 48 feet, which is in itself a fair-sized garden. Think small.

Our son and granddaughter made some raised beds a couple years ago. Vic bought 8-foot-long 2x6's or 2x8's. He then cut one in two so the bed ended up being 4 feet by 8 feet. It is amazing how much one can grow in just this size of a bed. Vic and his daughter planted one bed full of lettuce, and it was amazing.

They could have fed an army with all the lettuce they grew. In another bed, they grew zucchini, and in another, some cucumbers.

Our neighbor down the road from us planted their garden in the cattle feed tubs. They are about 2 1/2 feet across and about the same depth. If you are old enough, they are about the size of the old wash tubs that were used to wash clothes.

Shirley, whom I mentioned earlier, used to grow her tomatoes in old car tires. She would plant the tomato and then lay an old car tire around the plant. Then she would cover the ground inside the tire with about four or 5 inches of straw.

This makes a perfect tomato planter. I have always thought these were awesome planters.

If you do planters like the cattle feed tubs, I'd bury part of it underground. You might even dig it down a foot or so; I think the tub will stay cooler.

I'd make sure that there were holes in the bottom as well. It will cost more, but buy some soil for the tub and you shouldn't have any trouble with weeds. If you are growing tomatoes, I'd buy determinates, which will get only 4 feet tall or so. You will need some support for the tomato plant like a tomato stake.

These small raised bed gardens like our son uses would be perfect for cucumbers or pole beans. Buy a piece of cattle panel and let your beans and cucumbers climb up the cattle panel. Our neighbor down the street bends his cattle panels in a hoop like a big upside-down U so that the tomatoes and beans hang down on the inside of the panels.

If I had raised beds, I'd probably use some T posts and put the cattle panel down the middle of my raised bed. I'd plant cucumbers or beans on the panel. Then I'd plant something like turnips or lettuce or radishes along the sides. One could raise a bunch like this. One could also plant tomatoes or egg plant along the sides of the cattle panel.

I've seen gardeners use old wheel barrows, which is a neat idea. Be sure to remember to drill some holes in the bottom to let out excess moisture.

We found an old porcelain sink that's about 16 inches by 2 feet. It has a hole in the bottom so it's ready to fill with soil and go to planting.

Marge and I were driving several years ago and saw a truck tire along the road. It was just the tread, so we drove back and picked it up. It made an awesome flower bed. It was about 8 inches wide and about a 3-foot circle. Perfect.

How about one of the old bathtubs that get thrown away?

I have always thought that an old children's swimming pool would make a super garden spot. Most of them are about 5 feet across and 10 inches deep. Cut some holes in the bottom to let out excess moisture.

Put 4 or 5 inches of dirt in it and go to raising veggies or even strawberries. One could also cut the whole bottom out of the pool. Whittaker's over in Chaffee has some 3x3-foot wooden planters in front of the store. One year, they planted corn in the planter, and it did super. I've always wondered whether they ate any of the sweet corn.

My brother in Nebraska has some tubs from inside old washing machines. He has filled them with soil and grows herbs, which is a neat idea. If the herb is inclined to spread, the metal tub helps keep it in check.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, use the area that you have no matter whether it's a little area or a big one. Put your imagination in gear and grow some veggies.

Happy gardening.