Raised bed garden question

[Jack Straw]

I want to build some raised beds out of wood to grow vegatables. I have clay soil and I find that the vegies grow better in raised beds...they seem to drain better and are warmer. I have read several articles on line that you can use treated lumber and it's safe.
I have my doubts. I am looking for opinions. Thanks

 

[rphurley]

My friends made some last spring and they are avid gardeners. They were insistant on not using pressure treated lumber near their veggies. Maybe they're just over cautious but I wouldn't take any chances just to save me hours of backbreaking labor several years down the road!

 

[semipro]

Czarcar has it right about the arsenic versus copper. Nobody thinks the copper in the new stuff will hurt anyone. Of course, no one thought the arsenic in the older stoff would be an issue either until it showed up in soil under wooden play structures. Its more expensive but you should consider using composite lumber like that made by Trex and others or masonry products. If you do end up using the new ACQ (aqueous copper quantenary) treated stuff be sure and use corrosion resistant fasteners. The stuff is very corrosive and standard bare steel fasteners can literally disappear in months.

 

[kenny chaos]

I hate raised beds.
Our raised beds are assorted pots on benches, tables, stumps, the backporch, etc..
You can put them at a decent working height when you want to and be able to relocate them, with less surface area for weeds.

 

[Czech]

My avatar is a 555lb carved pumpkin grown in a raised bed, and yes, he is smoking a cig. The points above should be well considered, you can use what you want and what works, just realize that leaching from the bed will wind up in your veges. That said, plutonium is organic in nature too. Point is imho, you can't control every variable, you can control those things that have control over leaching wise. Use un-preserved wood, it lasts for years regardless, and when it decomposes it does well for the compost in your garden, and it has the time worn look that looks nice in any patch, after all a good eye catching garden develops after time, many years imho. Get some cow sh*t too, not this years, make sure it's aged!

 

[Czech]

Pook, have fun...just let me know your name here if you go.

bigpumpkins.com

 

[mayhem]

May be too expensive, but what about using cedar planks or similar "rot resistant" natural wood for your border. Just a thought, but you shouldn't get any mineral leeching from those.

I like to just make the bed footprint bigger than it needs to be and either use big rocks for an edge for that stone wall effect, or I just taper the edges so you have a raised bed in the middle and a tapered side. You can plant marigolds and other anti-insect flowers there to add a little color if you like.

 

[d.n.f.]

Old house had raised beds made of cinder blocks. Wife loved them. No more stooping to weed the veggies. She claimed the sun warmed the blocks and allowed earlier planting.
New house has no garden and she wants the same.
No way am I putting in treated wood as per the post above about possible long term safety.

Watched some show where they put in a raised bed of cinder blocks and skim coated the outside and top with a finish (missed what it was but trowelled it on) and painted it. Looked really good. They also waterproofed the inside but I don't see why you need to do that.

I thought about lumber but was worried about rot. Cedar is a possibility but it is very expensive. But so are hundreds of blocks.

 

[SlyFerret]

The two projects I really want to tackle this year are starting a garden and building a wood shed.

We have clay soil here as well. I'd like to do raised beds, but I'm not sure I want to spend a bunch of money on the materials. I'd rather spend the money on the wood shed.

I may just see about renting a tiller and mixing in a dumptruck load of garden soil from the local organics recycling place.

Not sure what I'm going to do to keep our dogs out of the dirt. I suppose I can fence it in if I have to.

-SF

 

[Eric Johnson]

I make my raised beds out of pieces of oak pallet stock nailed into stakes. They last for years. The nice thing about the stakes is that you can pull the whole bed frame up a few inches each season as you add organic matter to your soil, effectively raising the height of the beds. It's kind of a floating-bed arrangement. I put sawdust between the beds to retain moisture and create a nice place to walk barefoot. Here's a pic.

One note of caution: Oak contains tannic acid, so the soil adjacent to the boards tends to get a little acidic the first season. You can mitigate that with wood ash or hort lime, or just accept the fact that the plants growing up next to the wood aren't going to do as well as those further inside.

 

[johnn]

I make my raised beds out of pieces of oak pallet stock nailed into stakes. They last for years. The nice thing about the stakes is that you can pull the whole bed frame up a few inches each season as you add organic matter to your soil, effectively raising the height of the beds. It's kind of a floating-bed arrangement. I put sawdust between the beds to retain moisture and create a nice place to walk barefoot. Here's a pic.

One note of caution: Oak contains tannic acid, so the soil adjacent to the boards tends to get a little acidic the first season. You can mitigate that with wood ash or hort lime, or just accept the fact that the plants growing up next to the wood aren't going to do as well as those further inside.

Like that adjustable thing you got going...also the cinder block build. Like to ask...unrelated of course... I was looking at what was for sale and wanted to reply, however unexpectedly, there was not a "REPLY" box. Do you go to"SUBSCRIBE TO THIS THREAD ' in order to reply, or what? Also how do you get multiple quotes on the screen when replying, have only been able to get one to pop up. Not too "PC" friendly but someday, maybe??? Sooreyy!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I have raised beds without sides at all. The were built as lasagna beds- which worked awesome. A heavy layer of shredded leaf or other mulch on to keeps them from washing out- along with helping them retain moisture and keeping the weeds down. I wouldn't do it any other way now.

 

[d.n.f.]

Wife wants the bed like 1' plus off the ground. Not sure sideless would do it.

Would like to know what the hell a lasagna bed is.

 

[savageactor7]

They look great but seem labor intensive to me.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Lasagna bed- just throw down cardboard right on the grass, then pile up compostables in layers and plant in it (can use small soil pockets). The stuff composts in place, feeding plants. Mine are now all compost/soil, over a foot deep, and are still in place. I restructure a bit in the spring, plant, remulch. Had worm castings 6" deep last year over the whole bed and out of control production.

It's a great lazy man's method. I don't have the energy to rip up that much grass, and don't care for tillers (I'm a fan of letting worms do all the tilling).

 

[Eric Johnson]

Worms are amazing. I have a redworm bin in my basement and regular European earthworms turn the base of my compost pile into probably a ton of castings every year. That's a pretty good soil amendment right there. I sift it and use some of the castings for mulch, and turn the rest into the soil. As mulch, it keeps down the weeds, retains moisture and gives the plants a nice shot of nutrients every time it rains or you water.

As I get older and start pursuing more leisuretime activities, the lazy approach is clearly the way to go. This summer I plan to tear out my three old compost bins and just go with the pile. That will give me room for two more cords of wood storage, too.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Go to the local sawmill, or elsewhere, and get some 2x6's made up out of locust or cedar of some sort. It'll take 6 eight foot boards for one 4x8 bed that is 12 inches high.

Cut 2 of the boards in half for the ends, and take the other 4 for the sides.

Build your box, and use some heavy stock at the corners to tie it all together.

Sweeeeet!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I pile shredded leaves, small branches, my house rabbit box leavings (use wood pellets as litter), and whatever else right on the garden. I keep a compost bin hot just to digest the stuff you're not supposed to compost- meat, cheese, fat, weed seeds, whole groundhogs or squirrels on occasion. (once composted the leftovers of a whole deer after I butchered it).

Best compost bin I've found is a length of green wire garden fence- turn it in a circle and connect the ends with just the wires bent over once. When you want to turn it- undo the ends, and unwrap the pile, which remains as a puck. You can skim off the uncomposted sides and top if you like, and get to the good stuff. As I get lazier, I am less likely to turn a pile at all. The worst case scenario- it all turns to compost anyway (as is the fate of us all- MWUHAhaha).

If it once lived, I will compost it- stumps and rotten logs are buried under flower beds to do their thing slowly.

 

[Czech]

I like your style Adios! Me too....

 

[Jack Straw]

Thanks for all of the great ideas...not sure which way I am going just yet. I'm pretty much not buying any oil now, next is not buying vegatables.