Vegetable garden design????

G'day, just moved to central Florida and am itching to get a raised veggie garden going. Any hints or tips (pests and disease avoidance) would be very appreciated :)

Vegetable garden design????
I just built a raised vegetable garden in Michigan and I absolutely LOVE it. My raised garden is quite large . . . 24' x 16'. I purchased treated 4 x 4's at Home Depot, stacked two high (8 inches) and secured them with stainless steel brackets and large screws. Then I used simple lattice as a fence . . . which I reinforced at the top and bottom . . . and attached inside the 4 x 4's. With my size garden . . . it took 8 yards of soil to fill it. I was wheelbarreling dirt for 2 days straight over Memorial Day weekend !!! Not fun. Where we live . . . the lattice is sufficient for keeping critters out. We've had zero damage so far (knocking on wood). But I did purchase a wire fence to go inside the lattice just in case. But so far I haven't had to. Also . . . before I put the soil in . . . I put a layer of compost for a base. Most cities in Michigan produce and give free compost away . . . which is nice. You should check with your local city to see if they offer free compost. We couldn't be happier with the garden. The veggies are going crazy !!! Have fun with it whatever you end up doing. It's a fantastic hobby.
Reply:Hi, I have a garden here in Vermont and as for the pest are concerned you can follow recommended procedures from garden centers . Design ? i let what veggies i plant dictate . tomatoes need certain space as do carrots and all other veggies. The bigger your garden the better you can space your produce , thus easier to maintain. you can walk Thur the rows and not trample the plants. Good luck on your new garden!
Reply:I don't live in Florida, but I can tell you that you should watch out for fire ants when you go to plant that garden and in the future maintenance of your garden. They take many people by surprise, and then they are on them biting like lightening, and they are very painful.


Chicken wire is necessary to keep large pests out of any garden. Mist sprayers are the absolute best---they are motion detectors and everytime a pest comes close they are set off. The vegetables grow absolutely huge. Not cheap though, mist sprayers. Chicken wire is the alternative cheaper method.


Also, since I don't know where you are from--I would warn you that killer bees and black widow spiders live in Florida.