Garden 2x6 Raised bed rotted and fell over after 30 years

[Don2222]

Hello
So I replaced it with 100 lbs 6x6s
Don’t like the price!
6 - 6x6x8s & galvanized brackets and hex head wood screws = $270
Also not all the holes in those brackets were the right size so I drilled 21 out with the drill press!!

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[Dan Freeman]

2 x 6's lasted 30 years, and you replaced them with 6x6's and then complain about the price? No offense meant, but why the overkill? Why not just replace the 2 x 6's with new 2 x 6's for another 30 years, save some money and not pay the extra for 6 x 6's? Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will be gardening in these 6 x 6 beds.

 

[Don2222]

2 x 6's lasted 30 years, and you replaced them with 6x6's and then complain about the price? No offense meant, but why the overkill? Why not just replace the 2 x 6's with new 2 x 6's for another 30 years, save some money and not pay the extra for 6 x 6's? Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will be gardening in these 6 x 6 beds.

I am just complaining about the price of wood in general. The wider 6x6s are nice to sit on while gardening. 2x6s would be cheaper. However the 2x6s are hard to sit on because they hurt my butt! LOL

 

[Dan Freeman]

Now that I can agree with!

 

[Poindexter]

Maintaining raised beds is a bugger for sure. My step dad used railroad ties, but I learned some new words to not use in front of mom when he was cutting them to length.

 

[peakbagger]

I know more than a few folks that will not let pressure treated or railroad ties near a raised garden bed for food crops. Untreated hemlock is usually the wood of choice.

 

[begreen]

I won't use pressure treated for a vegetable garden and cedar is $$$. Instead I have been using cement. Our custom raised beds are made of L-shaped blocks that cost about the same as cedar, but after 10 yrs, no rot. Last year I added another bed, made from cement blocks. It has worked out well. This year it has corn in it with onions in the 64 perimeter block holes.

 

[zrock]

the amount of leaching you will get out of that is minimal at best and every year will be less and less.. They put more chemicals in your store purchased food than will ever come out of those pressure treated lumber. Unfortunately you will be lucky to get 5 years out of those before they are rotten sitting direct on the ground like that. I use Pressure treat 4x4 on my walkway and driveway and they rot from the bottom up. You don't really know they are rotten until you step on them.. This year im going to replace them all with that recycled rubber edging or concrete and be done with it..

Garden looks good though..

 

[begreen]

I think I would probably use Trex for raised bed sides if I wanted wood-styled sides.

 

[Stelcom66]

Are you going to put a fence around it? My cucumber plants were doing really well. I have a fence a few feet high and once again something got in and ate all the leaves. Don't know if they're done for - will just continue to water them and see what happens. I need to increase the height and even put something on top, there's at least one racoon around.

Your new garden came out great. My son is re-doing his deck and it's costing him much more than anticipated. I know lumber prices in general went up significantly, Don't know if it's come down a bit like (thankfully) gas has.

 

[Don2222]

Are you going to put a fence around it? My cucumber plants were doing really well. I have a fence a few feet high and once again something got in and ate all the leaves. Don't know if they're done for - will just continue to water them and see what happens. I need to increase the height and even put something on top, there's at least one racoon around.

Your new garden came out great. My son is re-doing his deck and it's costing him much more than anticipated. I know lumber prices in general went up significantly, Don't know if it's come down a bit like (thankfully) gas has.

Hi
The whole backyard is fenced in to include the above ground pool.
I got 30 years out of the 2x6 PT boards so the 6x6s should last longer?
We got the plants and seeds in last Tuesday night and it rained 3 times since then so they may have had a good start?

 

[Stelcom66]

Hi
The whole backyard is fenced in to include the above ground pool.
I got 30 years out of the 2x6 PT boards so the 6x6s should last longer?
We got the plants and seeds in last Tuesday night and it rained 3 times since then so they may have had a good start?

I saw the fence and was thinking you may be all set. I'd think 6x6s would last longer. The (needed) rain was good last week, but good to see today & tomorrow look like good weather for the holiday.

 

[zrock]

don't forget 30 years ago the product we would purchase was quality... Now everything is designed to be a throw away.. In about 8 years i have replaced my walkway edging 2x rotting from the bottom up

 

[Stelcom66]

don't forget 30 years ago the product we would purchase was quality... Now everything is designed to be a throw away.. In about 8 years i have replaced my walkway edging 2x rotting from the bottom up

Yes - like my refrigerator and high-tech front loading CPU controlled clothes washer. Both were about 6 years old when I had to replace them. My first refrigerator and washing machine from the 80s lasted many years longer. Replaced the clothes washer with a basic top loader.

 

[zrock]

Yes - like my refrigerator and high-tech front loading CPU controlled clothes washer. Both were about 6 years old when I had to replace them. My first refrigerator and washing machine from the 80s lasted many years longer. Replaced the clothes washer with a basic top loader.

yes i did the same thing with my washer went with a old basic top load instead of the computerized front load that failed in a few years..

 

[Don2222]

Hello
Sure glad we did this raised bed fix last year and paid $27.18 each for the 6 PT 6 x 6 x 8 Timber because this year they are a whopping $31.88 each and for the 6 we got would cost $28.20 more!!

 

[begreen]

So I succumbed to reason and testing results and built one foundation-grade PT bed as a test for a new asparagus bed. I used 2x8s. The wood has no direct contact with the soil. I brought the landscape fabric up as a liner on the inside. The other new beds are triple-coated metal sold by Vego-Garden. Dan Freeman and I are trying them out this year. I'm instaling the drip irrigation now.

 

[Dan Freeman]

So I succumbed to reason and testing results and built one foundation-grade PT bed as a test for a new asparagus bed. I used 2x8s. The wood has no direct contact with the soil. I brought the landscape fabric up as a liner on the inside. The other new beds are triple-coated metal sold by Vego-Garden. Dan Freeman and I are trying them out this year. I'm instaling the drip irrigation now.

View attachment 312953

Can you say a bit about your drip irrigation? Are you using regular drip hoses or a brand drip irrigation system?

 

[ericm979]

We're going away from raised beds here. Our summers are dry and while it does not get super hot here its warm enough that plants get dry. The plants in the raised beds get more heat and use more water than the ones in the ground. Raised beds might help get the soil warm a little quicker in spring but that's usually not a problem here.

 

[begreen]

Can you say a bit about your drip irrigation? Are you using regular drip hoses or a brand drip irrigation system?

I use DripWorks products. I'll post details in the garden thread

 

[begreen]

We're going away from raised beds here. Our summers are dry and while it does not get super hot here its warm enough that plants get dry. The plants in the raised beds get more heat and use more water than the ones in the ground. Raised beds might help get the soil warm a little quicker in spring but that's usually not a problem here.

Early warming is a plus for us. Mulching can address the issue of drying and perhaps the addition of some clay soil.

 

[mar13]

I won't use pressure treated for a vegetable garden and cedar is $$$. Instead I have been using cement. Our custom raised beds are made of L-shaped blocks that cost about the same as cedar, but after 10 yrs, no rot. Last year I added another bed, made from cement blocks. It has worked out well. This year it has corn in it with onions in the 64 perimeter block holes.

View attachment 296696 View attachment 296694View attachment 296695

Are those 12"x12" pavers/stepping stones that you are using as your cement sides of your raised beds? How do you keep them so well vertical and aligned?

 

[stoveliker]

Are those 12"x12" pavers/stepping stones that you are using as your cement sides of your raised beds? How do you keep them so well vertical and aligned?

L-shaped...

 

[begreen]

Are those 12"x12" pavers/stepping stones that you are using as your cement sides of your raised beds? How do you keep them so well vertical and aligned?

They are form-molded concrete in an L shape so that the weight of the soil keeps them in place and vertical.