Teardown Self contained Garden

[Larry Browning]

Even though I live in the country on about 2 acres I have no good place to keep a veggie garden due to all the trees, sloping landm and hungry rabbits. I have managed to grow a few things in pots on the back patio, but other than that, no joy. Even with that I had trouble with critters eating my veggies.
I was at Sam's Club yesterday and saw this (http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item_nbr=706776&iid=3-28-09_HomePage%7CFeatured%7CItem04). They call it a Botanical Gardening System. I thought it was a little pricy for what it was, a simple wooden planter. This seems like a very good idea to me. I figured I could make something very simular using real cedar, not what looked like pine of poplar stained red. I could build it better and cheaper. It could be made so that I could put it together in the spring and torn down for storage in the fall. What do guys you think of this?

[Craig T. Smith]

Larry, That looks like it would work. Then when you tore it down you could use the soil in your landscpe beds. Craig

[Joe Pelonio]

I have similar problems, too much shade from huge firs and a 2 story house, short growing season and $##@^!)((@ squirrels.

That's a very clever idea, as long as it's me to really keep the creatures out. I'd leave it up all year, and just make a tarp cover for it over the winter.

[Jim Becker]

Larry, buy the book called "Square Foot Gardening". It will help you learn and understand how you can get a lot of veggie value out of not a lot of space, either with a contraption like your show or through simple raised beds. We did the raised bed thing after we moved into this property. We have two beds just under 16' long and 2' wide and rotate species location each year. The beds, themselves, are constructed from compost and give great results with the food stuff. Unfortunately, they also grow weeds very well, too! LOL

Professor Dr. SWMBO swears by that book when it comes to compact gardening.

[Larry Browning]

I would really like to build this garden planter. However, time is very short if I am going to have it ready for this season. I would think that having a good sketchup design to build it from would be essential. I have been trying to learn how to draw in sketchup, but so far it seems to take me longer to draw in sketchup than it does to build it. For instance, I have been working on drawing a simple bathroom cabinet for a month now. All I have accomplished is getting the carcass and a little trim done. I have redrawn it 4 times due to various problems. So anyway, is there anyone out there with sketchup experience that would be willing to at least get this thing drawn to the point that I could build it? I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks,

[Ray Schafer]

Larry,

I have to tell you that I have used your signature post script many times at work. I am a computer consultant and so I deal with a lot of people who get your binary joke.

Ray