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I have been growing plants in my back yard year round. I have very little space to work with so I must maximize what I have. I built a small grow box with wheels on it to move it to sunny spots. I have four tomato plant containers that were very successful this year because I could move them around into sunny spots on our rental property. Also I grew some beans this year that also did well. I had started some strawberries this year and expect a large bounty next year. This is a garden in addition to the yard that I am sharing in the beaumont neighborhood. I stay very busy.
What I like about my raised bed design it that it protects from some pests. Slugs and little caterpillars were a might force this year and i was able to slow down the slugs with the old fashioned beer can technique, cut it in half and bury it in the ground with beer. it caught a ton of those pesky slugs.
This year I was not very focused on yield because the summer overall was bad and I bet on some plants that did not do well. Next year I plan to grow more kale, squash, beans, and other vegetables that can grow into the winter. Portland's climate is mostly wet year round but a few summer months. My crops will be better planned out next year and I will try not to waste energy on carrots or any plants that require lots of sun. I also plan to use the indoors to grow some starts.
Ty Regis Cuffy Schwoeffermann
