I went out to check the pallet garden yesterday and boy was I surprised at how well all the lettuce and bok choy are doing for this time of year. Normally the end of August/ Beginning of September is pretty warm here in the Pacific Northwest, but not this year.
I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that we are in for some cold and snowy winter. Which is fine by me. I’ll still be able to grow cold weather crops like carrots, beets and other root crops outside and lettuce in the greenhouse, but I’m not sure what I’ll plant in the unprotected pallet gardens yet.
Maybe strawberries. If you look HERE at what this pallet looked like back in April, you’ll see how much the strawberries have grown this year. It’s really pretty crazy how they spread out so quickly.
These are my calypso beans. I plan on drying these as soon as they dry up.
Swiss chard. Ugg. I think when I re-plant my pallet garden I’ll move these down by the chicken run and plant them really close to the fence. The chickens LOVE Swiss chard {and kale} and it will give them something fun to do when they think I’m not looking.
Here is how the pallet garden looks right now. Do you think it’s too late to plant another crop of lettuce? Should I go for it, or save the lettuce seeds and just plant lettuce in the greenhouse instead? What do you think?
~Mavis
Want to learn more about wood pallet gardening and how I put mine together? Click on the pallets above and it will take you to my first pallet garden post of the year. You’ll also learn what to look for when choosing a pallet.
Sakura says
Mavis, Do the roots of your plants extend past the pallets? I have a 30×40 ft. concrete basketball court that I would love to use pallets on. Thanks
Johanne says
Mavis, How do you keep the soil from washing away out the sides of the pallets when you water them? Is it not a problem? I’m so hoping you’ll answer this silly question. 😉
Candice M. says
good question, I’d like to know too
Carol says
I dug out so they fit snugly so I can walk between the rows. On mine, only the top of the pallet is exposed so I’ve had no soil run off. This is the best gardening tip as I could never follow thru on gardening until the perfect pallet solution!
Lisa says
You don’t like Swiss chard? I make a yummy Swiss chard enchilada recipe that has most chard hates asking for more! Corn tortillas (fried a little in oil to soften – don’t try flour, they get soggy and nasty!)) filled with a spoonful of enchilada sauce, cooked chard, sour cream. Then in a baking dish on more sauce, topped with cheddar. Bake.
It doesn’t weigh much (to add to the year’s total), so why grow it if you don’t like it?
I don’t have pallets, but I just had to repair one of my strawberry beds (long Goldendoodle related story) and the roots were much deeper than a pallet side measurement. When I pulled out some beans the roots were deep too. I would guess a pallet on concrete wouldn’t give nearly enough root space for most veggies. Maybe lettuce, but I’ve had some with long root systems.
Paula says
Lettuce will continue to grow in cool, wet weather (if you can keep the slugs out of it). Your limiting factor is going to be hours of daylight. You can’t count on any growth after about November 1st.
Vicki says
I say go for it. You’ve got at least six weeks until first frost – right?, and that should be enough to get some good-sized heads/leaves. If frost threatens, you can cover the pallet with a sheet to protect the leaves, or just pull it all at that point for baby lettuce. I’d try to eke out all the growing you can get! I’d also like to know how you keep the soil from washing out the open sides – my sister-in-law planted some pallets last year and she had to put in landscape fabric to keep the soil in, which sort of defeated the purpose of trying to make a garden that was basically free. She did grow some great-looking tomato plants in them, though. The roots must have grown down through the fabric, because they never seemed to become root-bound or wilted from underwatering.
Kim O. says
I’m almost embarrassed to ask this question, but out here in New England, I’ve never seen strawberries make a comeback. We harvest in June and that’s it. I don’t really have the room to grow them and have always wanted to. Wow two harvests. That’s pretty cool. I’ve never seen that here. Your blog is always a bright spot in my day! Love your wisdom, info, recipes, and most of all your British humor! you work hard and it seems like you have great kids,plus a HH! Keep up the good work!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Kim O. 🙂 I grow Tri-Star strawberries, they are the best!
Corneille Cecil says
I have just had a friend refer me to your website. I just love it! I have recently been asked to teach a large group of women at church how to start a garden (as I garden) and am always looking for fresh/young ideas…you and your informative site are just the ticket to help inspire younger, “I can’t do this!” ladies….absolutely marvelous, fresh…can’t say enough praise for your efforts! Thank you!!
Maria says
i would save the seeds for next year if you keep getting so much lettuce from Mr. produce guy.
Diane says
Does that kind of bean stay short? or do you trim the tops? Because my beans always grow taller and might not work in a pallet. I DO love your ideas. So far I have strawberries, Lettuce, and Carrots in pallets. (my neighbors think I’m a bit crazy) Don’t know how the Carrots will turn out, this is my first time. I do not have anything under the pallet so I am hoping they will have enough room to grow long…I’m going to try the rain gutter idea also, since I couldn’t find half of what I was looking for at the garden store this year.