Raised beds breed success

Sunset, August, 1994 by Steven R. Lorton

Cool- and warm-season vegetables thrive at the Food Garden in Vancouver, British Columbia

PUSHING THE LIMITS of Northwest vegetable and fruit gardening is the driving force behind the Food Garden at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in Vancouver. Home gardeners can harvest some good ideas during a visit.

Tucked into 3/4 acre, the Food Garden is a patchwork of a dozen raised beds, each 1 foot high, 6 feet wide, and between 30 and 60 feet long. Each year in late February or early March, the staff amends the beds by spading in 21 cubic yards of mushroom compost. A supplement of organic fertilizer is occasionally necessary.

The cornucopia of crops begins in March when over-wintered broccoli wakes up and starts to form heads; soon, leeks, kale, and parsnips are ready for harvest. From then on, the planting schedule is brisk: peas, onions, leaf crops, and potatoes go in early, followed by tomatoes, peppers, corn, and eggplant. By early August, the garden is in full fruit and harvest is underway.

COAXING THE MOST OUT OF WARM-SEASON CROPS

The garden achieves surprising success with warm-season crops, such as cantaloupes, that are notoriously difficult to grow near the coast. In May, the melon beds are covered with black plastic sheeting to warm up the ground. In early June, slits are cut into the plastic and seedlings of 'Earligold' cantaloupe are set in. With their roots in warm soil and their leaves receiving heat radiated by the black plastic, the plants quickly set fruit. Big, sweet melons are harvested into early autumn.

Peppers, too, flourish in the raised beds. Besides bell peppers ('Early Cal Wonder', 'Golden Bell', and 'Staddon's Select'), the garden harvests sweet peppers ('Anaheim College 64' and 'Eastern Rocket') and even hot chili peppers ('Early Jalapeno', 'TAM Jalapeno', and 'Serrano Red Chile'). Seed for many of these varieties comes from Territorial Seed Company in Cottage Grove, Oregon. "These seeds are developed for our cool, moist climate," says Food Garden curator Murray Kereluk.

The staff uses mostly organic gardening techniques. Soap sprays are used to control aphids, and dormant spray is applied to fruit trees to eliminate scale and overwintering pests.

One of the few problems with the raised beds is their 6-foot width. Ideally, a bed should be no wider than 4 feet so that a gardener can reach to the middle from either side.

Around the perimeter of the garden, you'll see dozens of espalier methods and a wide assortment of plants in containers. Apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and plums are trained into elaborate fences or whimsical shapes, or planted in half-barrels, demonstrating how little space it takes to grow fruit crops and how ornamental they can be.

The garden is open from 10 to 6 daily, till 7 in July and August. Entry to the Food Garden is included in admission to the 70-acre UBC Botanical Garden; fees start at $4 Canadian, with discounts for students, seniors, and ages 6 through 12.

From Provincial Highway 99 on the south side of Vancouver, exit at Marine Drive W. and follow it to the UBC campus. The UBC Botanical Garden is north of the intersection of S.W. Marine Drive and 16th Avenue. Park in the free lot and follow the path through the tunnel to the Food Garden. For information, call (604) 822-9666.