Major Redesign Begins October 2014 

Did You Know? - The fastest way to get that deep layer of fertile soil is to make raised beds. Raised beds yield up to four times more than the same amount of space planted in rows. That's due not only to their loose, fertile soil but also to efficient spacing—by using less space for paths, you have more room to grow plants.

Did You Know? - To get the maximum yields from each bed, pay attention to how you arrange your plants. Avoid planting in square patterns or rows. Instead, stagger the plants by planting in triangles. By doing so, you can fit 10 to 14 percent more plants in each bed.

Did You Know? - One reason raised beds are so effective for increasing efficiency and yields is that crops produce better because the soil in the beds is deep, loose, and fertile.

Plants benefit from the improved soil drainage and aeration, and plant roots penetrate readily. Weeds are easy to pull up, too. Since gardeners stay in the pathways, the soil is never walked upon or compacted.

Soil amendments and improvement efforts are concentrated in the beds and not wasted on the pathways, which are simply covered with mulch or planted with grass or a low-growing cover crop. Also, the raised bed's rounded contour provides more actual growing area than does the same amount of flat ground.

Did You Know? - Raised beds also save time and money because you need only dig, fertilize, and water the beds, not the paths. You don't need to weed as much when crops grow close together, because weeds can't compete as well.

Gardeners with limited mobility find raised beds the perfect solution—a wide sill on a framed raised bed makes a good spot to sit while working. A high frame puts plants in reach of a gardener using a wheelchair. For best access, make beds 28 to 30 inches high, and also keep the beds narrow—no more than 4 feet wide—so it's easy to reach to the center of the bed.

Did You Know? - Rich soil coupled with intensive gardening practices are what make raised bed gardening so successful. Intensive horticulture has been practiced for centuries in many parts of the world. In America, one of the best-known methods is French intensive gardening. Intensive gardening methods all have their own disciplines, but all use raised growing beds, close spacing between plants, careful attention to building and contenttaining soil fertility, and succession planting to make the best use of available growing space.

Did You Know? - Rebar (short for reinforcing bar), also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel and colloquially in Australia as reo, is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures, to strengthen and hold the concrete in tension. The surface of the rebar may be patterned to form a better bond with the concrete.

Concrete is a material that is very strong in compression, but relatively weak in tension. To compensate for this imbalance in concrete's behavior, rebar is cast into it to carry the tensile loads.

Masonry structures and the mortar holding them together have similar properties to concrete and also have a limited ability to carry tensile loads. Some standard masonry units like blocks and bricks are made with voids to accommodate rebar, which is then secured in place with grout. This combination is known as reinforced masonry.

Did You Know? - Good soil is 50 percent solids and 50 percent porous space, which provides room for water, air, and plant roots. The solids are inorganic matter (fine rock particles) and organic matter (decaying plant matter).

The inorganic portion of the soil can be divided into three categories based on the size of the particles it contains. Clay has the smallest soil particles; silt has medium-size particles; and sand has the coarsest particles. The amount of clay, silt, and sand in a soil determine its texture. Loam, the ideal garden soil, is a mixture of 20 percent clay, 40 percent silt, and 40 percent sand.

Did You Know? - One reason that raised beds are so productive is that they are planted intensively, putting as much as 80 percent of a garden's surface area into crop production. Pathways and spaces between crop rows make up the recontentder.

Plants are placed close together over the entire bed, usually in a triangular or staggered pattern, so that their leaves overlap slightly at maturity. This allows for more plants per square foot and produces a continuous leafy canopy that shades the bed, moderates soil temperature, conserves moisture, and discourages weeds.

Close spacing also means planting must be carefully planned according to each crop's growing habits, including root spread, mature size, and water and nutrient needs.

Did You Know? - Slump Block is a concrete masonry block that is removed from the mold before it has had a chance to completely set. This causes the concrete block to retain a slightly slumped appearance.

Did You Know? - Bullnose is a term used in building construction for rounded convex trim, particularly in masonry and ceramic tile.