Seeking advice on building brick raised garden bed on slope
MSP_JSP
10 years ago
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designoline6
10 years agomarcinde
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Novice seeking advice on Corner Garden
Comments (19)Ok, First of all, don't worry. if you don't mind a little more hard work this can be salvaged. 2nd: remove the brick and re-grade until level. I would then re do the bed line curving from the sidewalk in a semi-circle in reverse of the current circle and then wrap the bed line around the tree by at least 4 ft. Taper the bed along the areas that it comes in contact with the driveway and sidewalk 3 inches is good. This will help hold mulch. Then I would re install the garden wall in a semi-circle similar to what you had. this time dig a trench and fill with slag sand and tamp it and level it. This will help keep the wall stable. I would't go more tha 2 high. Keepthe garden wall at least 2 ft from the cement surfaces. Then you can backfill the wall tapering the soil twords the front of the bed line. Do not use plastic under mulch it will just blow of the plastic. It does not stop weeds and prevents water from gettting to deeper roots. Lay the mulch over the top of the soil. A double shredded or aged hard wood mulch will work best. 3" coverage will keep most weeds at bay for the summer. Those that do pop up will usually pull out easily. I usually do not use the plastic edging as it never stays in the ground. Just mulch up to the edge where you cut out the bed line. You will have to re cut the edge every year but it will be easier than digging in the edging every year. As for planting. it depends on sunlight and soil conditions. I would need more info. to help you there....See MoreAdvice for Building Big Raised Bed for Blueberries
Comments (7)Thanks again. I don't have 16 feet to play with. At most, maybe I have two 3x4 spots. It's a southern facing hillside, so I'd terrace into the flattest part of the slope. I could also arrange each plant individually around the hillside, but I'm also hoping to get an apple or plum tree on that hillside. LOL I'm surprised to see these large box sizes. Here in northern california, nurseries and gardener's typically recommend growing 3 varieties together in a single half wine barrel. So I was sort of hoping I could cram them into a single compact bed, make removable access panels on all 4 sides, and call it a day. Maybe I need to rethink keeping them in pots that I can roll around all year around depending on the weather, but that's a serious hassle. Anyway, thanks for your ideas. -k...See MoreRaised gardening bed
Comments (17)Alexis, As you said, only time will tell how much more moisture your tall beds might need in a dry year. I don't think you'll have as many dry years there as I have down here. When we are expecting drought, I add a ton of wood chips to my beds, mixing it right into the soil....and I don't mean just pine bark fines, I mean big chunks of wood. I just go into the woodland in winter and look for rotting logs or branches and break them up and put them in the wheelbarrow and carry them back to my garden. I dig deeply under raised beds and bury them. When it is very dry, those chunks of wood will hold moisture a long time and the plant roots grow right into the wood seeking out that moisture. As far as how much rain to hope for, my suggestion is to always hope for more, more, more! A garden here in OK (unless it sits on shallow soil over a high water table) almost always needs more rain here. I don't care how much rain I'm getting, I am greedy and keep hoping for more. There have been two years that we had too much rain at once and it caused problems for a month or two, but I still was glad we got the rain because it helped recharge our aquifer, which is important because our water co-op water comes from wells so we need for the wells to not run dry. Even in a year when it looks like we'll end up with 40 or 50" of rain, I'm hoping for more and wondering what 60" would be like. (I'm not likely to ever see 60" of rain here, but that's my garden dream.) You're going to have so much fun with all the new containers and your new beds. The season has started, hasn't it? Well, except for that pesky ice, snow, sleet and cold air headed our way. Every day I carry my tomato plants outside to bask in the sun and I run my hands across the tops of them (it stimulates growth) and inhale the delicious aroma of tomato plants. It isn't really my favorite aroma, but in February it is good enough because at least I can get that gardening 'smell' even if the plants aren't actually in the garden yet. The cool season is always challenging here and we find ourselves scrambling to protect plants from the wild weather variations, but when warm season gardening time is here, that's when the season truly begins for me because it is a lot more fun to stay outside all day when it isn't cold and windy. I work more sporadically when it still is the cold season, trying to cram the outside chores into the nicest part of each day. Dawn...See MoreHow do I build the sides of a raised bed?
Comments (0)There is no "right answer", it all depends on your personal preferences, your needs, and how much you want to spend. Keep in mind that in essence, a bed is any defined space holding a planting mix that differs significantly from the structure of the surrounding soil. Here are some options: Nothing at all: You don't *have* to have a side on your raised bed. Some folks just mound the soil up and use a hoe or rake to keep the edges relatively steep. This works best in places where flood action isn't likely to erode the beds with water running around them and there are not weeds or invasive grasses growing near the edge of the beds. Plus, it is really cheap, and can be lived with even in less than ideal circumstances until sides can be built later. Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich covers this approach. Sunken Beds:In keeping with the above, the raised part of building a bed is optional. Some desert locations use sunken beds to maximize water use. If you live in a hot, dry climate don't let the focus on reduced ground preparation distract from the advantages of a sunken bed. Though it is a lot of work to dig each sunken bed, screen out the caliche, and then add compost, etc. to the remaining soil, it is work that is only needed once per bed. The advantage of having a sunken bed that keeps water more easily combined with paths of undisturbed native soil can be well worth it in some climates. Untreated wood: Some people use thin strip of plywood with more solid corner stakes and simply replace their beds ever several years as the wood falls apart. Others have found that use of 2x lumber (either 2x8 or 2x12 or stacked 2x6s) lasts a very long time and is sturdy enough to bear weight even along the edges and resists mechanical injury from weed trimmers or wheelbarrows. Some staple heavy plastic to the inside of their wood sides to help keep moisture away from the boards and prolong their life. Use of a naturally decay resistant wood like cedar or redwood is both attractive and exceptionally durable, but considerably more expensive. Check the damaged wood section at lumber yards for big discounts. Landscape Timbers: They last almost forever even when in constant contact with moist ground. However, there is/was considerable debate about the CCA treated landscape timbers possibly leaching into the soil and being taken up by certain vegetables. A commonly recommended precaution is to placing a heavy-duty layer of plastic between the landscape timbers and the bed contents, which actually helps keep the wood dryer (thus lasting even longer) and prevented the preservatives from leaching directly into the soil. New wood preservatives are not supposed to be as dangerous, but using the plastic barrier method could not hurt... Plastic milk crates: Some have used plastic milk crates lined w/perforated cardboard & filled with soil as planters. They're great for growing carrots (24 to the crate). You can use them as edging for raised beds by arranging them in open rectangles that you then fill with soil. They form a sturdy, frugal & easily expanded raised bed system and container garden all in one. You can also use the wooden fruit crates that produce markets toss out. They only last a season or two (unlike the milk crates which may outlive us) but they work just as well. We do not recommend railroad ties: If there is enough creosote left in the tie to keep it preserved, there is enough to leach considerable quantities into the soil around it. The reason used RR ties can be bought cheaply is that throwing them away requires paying a hefty hazardous material fee. They are also a vector for transporting Formosan termites. If a railroad tie seems light compared to others that look fresher, most likely its middle portion has already been removed by some sort of wood destroying insect, and should not by purchased. The good ones do last forever and have a rustic look, but the plastic barrier method is not always sufficient to effectively stop creosote leaching. Masonry products: Durable, generally portable, and flexible, with a higher initial cost offset by permanency and other benefits. Existing or bought stone, cinderblocks, stacked or mortared bricks, or concrete paving materials all make a suitable bed edge. Cinderblocks can be moved or rearranged if a bed needs to be extended or relocated. For a classy permanent raised bed made from cinders or salvaged brick, it can be coated with a concrete based substance called hypertufa (See the Hypertufa forum here at GW for more information). Plastic bed edging: cheap shallow beds are a breeze to make using the generic black plastic bed edging materials. Especially useful if needing to make a raised bed around something, in tight locations, or to transition from a more formal planting into a vegetable patch tucked onto one end of a decorative garden. Rubber lumber made from old tires Fiber cement house siding boards (like Hardi-plank) or exterior fascia trim boards Plastic Mesh Corrugated tin Composite plastic/wood decking material (like Trex): it should work great-- but once you price it, you may decide to seek a cheaper option. Whatever you've got! Use your imagination and what is available-- then let us know if it works!...See MoreMSP_JSP
10 years agobrit5467
10 years agoMSP_JSP
10 years agobrit5467
10 years agomarcinde
10 years agoPKponder TX Z7B
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10 years ago
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