I'm going to have a 20'x20' garden plot this year and plan to grow a bunch of good veggies. I read a lot about people using raised beds in their gardens. Curious who does it and why, as well as who doesn't and why. What kind of boards do you use if you do? If it matters I am in central Virginia.
Do you use raised beds in your veggie garden?
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I grew up with a large garden at my parents house and have a sizeable garden myself now....and I will tell you that I have moved pretty much everything to raised beds from starting with a flat garden.
The beds don't have the moisture control issues of flooding, you can control the soil mix (ie more sand for carrots etc), you dont have to weed aisle ways, you can dense plant your product to help shade out weeds etc.
The beds don't have the moisture control issues of flooding, you can control the soil mix (ie more sand for carrots etc), you dont have to weed aisle ways, you can dense plant your product to help shade out weeds etc.
Basically if you have bad soil that holds water and doesnt drain well you can correct it by working with the soil ammendments in the raised beds....ours are also raised up about 20" to make less bending over when working in them and to help keep the rabbits out so after a heavey rain it isnt uncommon to see water seeping out the sides of the boxes...
LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
The wife has a 20' x 30' fenced area with raised beds around the perimeter and a raised bed in the centre. Most of the beds are raised a foot, framed out with 6" x 6" cedar timbers. We have poor draining clay soil so the beds were built up with imported soil.
We are going more toward raised beds. Current experiment is with concrete walls for long term, rot free containment. The advantages are weed control, better moisture retention, quicker warming of the soil, weed control, easier on the back, etc. Did I remember to say weed control?
CTburning
New Member
727sunset said:This is experimental at this point and working very well.
Sure is easier on the back.
A couple of years ago I picked up a copy of a book "Square Foot Gardening" and it is a great book on the subject. He uses 3 2x6's to form 4x8 raised bed garden. You cut one in half and screw them together. One thing to mention is that you have to use compost and buy the rest of the ingredients for the mix. You don't use any soil. I am now in my second year and am going to greatly expand the garden. Last year was just a 4'x4' garden and I got quite a few veggies and salads out of it. I can tell you that it is a fraction of the work that a tradional garden demands. The pic above is similia to one of my projects. Instead of the fancy and expensive posts built up to form the bed I use salvaged 2x6's. Very few weeds and I'm now producing plenty of compost to fuel future projects.
bogydave
Minister of Fire
PapaDave
Minister of Fire
colebrookman
Minister of Fire
We've used raised beds for years for all the above noted reasons. We don't use any wood just a little hoeing each spring to restore their shape and add compost. Works well. Be safe.
Ed
Ed
SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
wahoowad said:
We are bucking the trend I guess. I like the fact that I can back my tractor/3 pt tiller into the garden and do the surface prep in 45 minutes spring and fall. I built garden terraces so they don't flood and wood mulch in the rows both maintains the moisture level and eliminates weeds. I figure I would have to mulch between raised beds anyway. Soil is never compacted as rows are the only place the tractor travels. For a smaller garden, I can see raised beds make a lot of sense without the economies of scale you get from the bigger equipment.
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Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
I have pseudo raised beds (like maybe a foot). I don't have a barrier holding them up, I just sort of roughly shape them in the spring. They're mostly compost, and having a good mulched leaf layer on them all summer keeps them from getting washed out, maintains moisture well (rarely water them), and knocks weeding way down to a minimum.
The cedar that I used although it looks fancy was not expensive. It came from uprooted local cedar trees. You simply peel them and take the logs to a band saw mill. I believe it cost me $30 to have them cut with 2 flat sides. Not a huge outlay although there is some time involved. Definitely the bed does not need to be raised to this extent but bending has been eliminated.
Lots of nice set-ups, keep them coming.
Lots of nice set-ups, keep them coming.
muncybob
Minister of Fire
wahoowad said:
If you have the room and a place to obtain large stone/boulders...they make great looking retaining walls and allow plenty of drainage. My original boards of 12+ years ago are rotting and I plan to take my tractor out for rock aquisition rides.
bogydave
Minister of Fire
PapaDave said:
Solar water heaters. My well water comes out of the ground around 40°f, so I fill the black drums & let the sun warm
up the water.
I gravity feed it thru-out the garden with hoses & valves so it is easier to water everything & 1 line into the GH.
Some days the water is 70 °f. That way I don' shock the plants when watering.
I have it plumbed in so I open a buried water line (3/4" hose) from the house & back feed thru the GH hose to fill the drums every few days.
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PapaDave
Minister of Fire
bogydave
Minister of Fire
bogydave
Minister of Fire
szmaine said:
No, home made, needed on that would handle the winter wind & not blow over,
So I came u with this design & used 2X4 for toughness.
I had a fancy "Charles Green house" one, but it blew apart in a wind storm. I used the pieces to make an insulated solar heated compost bin.
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SolarAndWood
Minister of Fire
bogydave said:
That's sweet Dave. I'll resist the urge to ask you a million ?s about it until I get my house done.
bogydave
Minister of Fire
Some more GH pics on a garden forum***
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35007
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23389
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35007
http://idigmygarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23389
esuitt
New Member
Yes, we do basically due to our yard set up. We live on the side of a ridge (and the steepest hill in town). When we moved in the PO had already installed a 2 ft retaining wall out of landscaping timbers; now 30'x3' (we added a foot) and behind that on one section had a half octagon flower bed made the same way, basically 6'x8'. We added another one just like it next to it, in between is a big maple tree and next to it we have our chicken coop.
1st two years we mulched in leaves and mushroom soil, buy the 3rd year I was having problems getting the soil to hold any water/ moisture and all our plants became disease ridden. So, for the last two years all that has gone in our garden is kitchen compost, leaves and chicken poop.
I can grow some mean tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and egg plants.
We have tried turnips and carrots, but the ground is simply to hard and rocky once you get about 8" deep.
1st two years we mulched in leaves and mushroom soil, buy the 3rd year I was having problems getting the soil to hold any water/ moisture and all our plants became disease ridden. So, for the last two years all that has gone in our garden is kitchen compost, leaves and chicken poop.
I can grow some mean tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and egg plants.
We have tried turnips and carrots, but the ground is simply to hard and rocky once you get about 8" deep.
esuitt
New Member
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