What did you fill them with? How big are they? I have trouble with germination of squash, zukes and cukes for some reason. I have 4 beds that are 4 x 12 feet. They are still too messy for me to post pix of, but maybe soon.

So far, my cukes are up...I planted a lot of seeds per hill just in case and actually had to thin them out yesterday, LOL. Last year I had beautiful cucumbers in my container garden...I had purchased some plants and then thought, let me seed a couple of plants and see what happens. Nearly all the cucumbers I harvested were from those 2 seeded plants. So this year I just decided to seed.

One year I hope to have a garden large enough for some squash. We have such a short growing season that I don't want to chance planting some squash that takes up so much room in the beds and then get nothing out of it. My mom never had success with squash or pumpkins. I'm worried about the zucchini not coming up, but I bought such a 'early season' variety that if they don't come up in the next week, I can probably still replant.

Oh, and my dad filled them...I think he said it was 80% 'garden mix' (not sure what that IS, it was from the local garden place) and 20% compost. And I've planted cucumbers, swiss chard, several kinds of lettuce, beets, carrots (the entire middle box is carrots, LOL), onions (bulb and multipliers), zucchini and radishes. So far everything has come up and is doing great, except the zucchini. I had to thin out the beets and swiss chard already (I have a bad habit of overplanting just in case, LOL).

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your garden! I love pictures of gardens.

First picture is onions on the right, zucchini on the left (first leaf poked through today! you can't see it in the picture though). Second picture is a close up of carrots. Third is my 16 square box - you can see nearly everything is up. You can tell the seed from the watercress escaped in the heavy rain we had soon after I seeded, LOL. The radishes need thinning - I was careful about how many I planted and EVERY seed germinated. Then there's a picture of my container garden (2 tomato plants, 2 hot pepper plants, some herbs) and a picture of the start of my indoor herb garden (the rosemary hasn't germinated, I'll likely have to replant, it's been 3+ weeks) and my daughter's bean plant they grew in class.

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as for zucchini, I heard they take up lots of room...but produce a lot
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I grew acorn and butternut squash on fencing (2" x 4", but need heavy type posts and I used heavier gauge wire).. I trained the vines so they would go vertical. worked great
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same for green beans and cucumbers on fencing
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I had more room though, did ~7 foot fence growing ( maybe 8')
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garden area about 30' x 25' maybe

My backyard faces east. I put the raised beds against the north fence, facing south to get more light. Confused yet? lol.

I've thought about training squash and pumpkin vines to go vertical, but the plant itself still takes up a lot of room. I'm going to train my cucumbers...if I can find something for them to climb (all our garden places are sold out or don't have what I'm looking for). I might get some more raised beds next year...I'll be going back to work soon (currently f/t student, almost done) so will be able to afford the ready-made fancy kind, LOL. I love the beds my dad made though. I just want to get some other shapes and then landscape my backyard, which is currently just sod that the builder put in. Oh, I did plant some scarlet runner beans in my front flowerbed because I have a porch with a railing that it can climb up. Maybe when all the bushes the builder's landscaper put in die (2 died this winter, despite good care) I'll try a squash plant surrounded by flowers or something, LOL. There's no homeowners association here or anything, so why not squash in the front where I have room?

but I have strong hands and tools. search 2 x 4 fencing wire and look at images

maybe 4" x 4" ? go to a farm store supply place Maybe Menards or home depot too

no hurry, the fun is planning I got my steel posts from junkyard. not so easy to pound in ( I have mini sledge tho and they lasted 10 years.... still have them but no garden ... lol

well, late post as you go if you choose : )

I may have to try that. I could actually just staple it to the fence since the beds are right up against the fence. Or use screws I guess. I'll ask my dad, LOL.

Nothing gets me more excited than a pic of a raised bed. Especially if it's empty and I can get in there with some seeds!

I have 11 or 12 4 x 8' raised beds that are falling apart on the sides. I have to get up there with brackets and screws and put them back together. So much to do at this time of year!

My garden is so disorganized so far that you would laugh if I posted pictures, but I will post a few anyway. Our priority this year was getting the house painted, new gutters and leaders, old, dying shrubbery torn out and hauled away, plus roof repairs after a very tough winter. I have lots of seedlings ready to go in, though!


Cher

Before he died, my grandfather had a garden was THE most disorganized garden I've ever seen. He had a friend who did the planting for him, and she was of the opinion that gardens grew better all mixed up, lmao. It was like everything was randomly planted on her whim, no rows or squares or anything. 4 garlic plants here, 2 over there, one along the edge, surrounded by multiplier onions that were all bunched up, but no onions on the other side, where there was the odd cucumber plant, maybe some poppies here and there...dill plants dotted the garden all over. LOLOL it was crazy. I still loved looking at it though.

Anyway, I can't wait to see your pictures!

About your grandfather's garden.

Instead of calling my garden "disorganized," maybe I should call it "free form." What your grandfather and his planter did is a form of natural pest control. I'm sure you know that, but they recommend it so the pests who attack certain types of plants don't get all the bounty. They might still get it, but they have to work a little harder.

I love imagining what a garden would look like with some poppies here, dill plants all over. The dill would be pretty, since it is so fern-like and airy.

I planted this bed back on 4/14 of this year. Here's what it looks like now:

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I planted lacinato kale, red speckle romaine, and mache'.
What actually grew was Russian kale that seeded from last year, romaine but not red speckle (!?), and no mache.

Here is what that same raised bed looked like a few years ago. As you can see, I got lacinato kale to grow back then.

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I'll have to try growing that - forgot all about kale. I'm not sure about the different types though - what's easiest to grow?

That's funny about the romaine. Do the speckles come later maybe? Or could be a seed mix up from the packaging company I guess. I heard mache was super hardy...I was going to try planting some once I harvest my lettuce and see if I can get it to survive into the fall but now I'm nervous if it's hard to get started. Have you grown it before? And can't believe how big everything is... Thanks for the pictures.