Comments on: You need a salad table

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:36:19 +0000

That’s a great idea about the landscaping cloth. We’ll have to try that when we make more tables.
Glad you enjoyed the video. I’m still working on the write up about all the pieces and putting it together properly. Must make more hours in the day!

By: Mark Magee

Mark Magee — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:18:19 +0000

We used 2×6′s for our salad table to make it deeper. We also stapled landscaping cloth to the bottom before attaching the mesh bottom. This slows down the water loss, and keeps the table from losing soil. We also extended our timed drip irrigation system to the table. Thank you for your video about building a cold frame for your table.

By: SteveR

SteveR — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:36:44 +0000

Thanks Tiffany. My partner is originally from Maryland and she says it’s hot and humid there in the summer, so this design might be best suited for those kind of climates. If I make one of these, I think I would make it with a solid bottom drilled with some holes in it or else have it plastic lined with some holes for drainage and have the sides be higher to hold more earth and therefore retain moisture longer. Also it wouldn’t hurt to mulch the soil even in raised gardens like this.

The solar powered drip irrigation system sounds interesting. Since we collect rainwater in a barrel, I was thinking of designing a gravity fed drip irrigation system which hopefully would not empty the barrel between rainfalls. Looking forward to more on this but I realise it might not be until your spring now!

Love the new look – keep up the great blog.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:45:14 +0000

Hi Steve. Yes we did use the mesh bottoms and it does dry out rather quickly in the summer. On the hottest of days our lettuce would get pretty wilted if we’d only watered the night before. We’re working on a way to use a solar powered drip irrigation system for the table and the rest of our container garden to curb this issue. I assume you could set up some inexpensive plastic containers with drip holes in the beds also to keep them moist when it’s really warm…but of course you loose some planting space since you’d probably need at least 2 in each bed.

By: SteveR

SteveR — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:42:28 +0000

This looks like a good idea! Did you go with the mesh bottom as the U of Maryland described the design? Do you have any issues with it drying out too quickly? – though it may be late in the growing season for you to know how it would perform in your summer.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:42:26 +0000

Absolutely no risk of bunnies getting up to this level. Deer maybe but we don’t have those problems at the moment. I can actually see the table from my kitchen window so I always know just how the salad is coming along. We’re so glad we built this table!

Thanks for the comments on the new look. I’m still playing with things (as you may have noticed) but hope everyone enjoys it. Hopefully easier to find your way around too. Blogging…it always keeps you on your otes

By: Janet

Janet — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:25:19 +0000

very nice~!! will keep bunnies out for sure! saves on the back too!
like your new look.