I tend to think that many people believe they can "recycle" better than large corporations. IOW, just bury newspapers and cardboard boxes, turn it into compost and skip the middle man, since you are using it as decomposing material. You are saving energy, recycling, saving the landfills, and promoting an Organic garden with natural materials. I don't believe it for a second, now. As a teen I worked at a warehouse and we stacked broken down cardboard boxes outside the doors. After a rain, especially multiple rains this gooey slime would drip down the sides of the freight dock. It was nasty and sticky that never seemed to go away after the cardboard was picked up. Then years later using cardboard in my garden, thinking the way most do, I found cardboard two years later in the ground and even detected the gooey slime. That caused me to do some research and I found out that I was very far from Organic. I would have been more organic using Miracle-Gro. Here is what I found: Cardboard in cardboard boxes: Semi-Chem (semi-chemical fluting medium) is applied to stretch" the fibers, making it stronger and stiffer. Where the corrugated short fiber paper are usually used for peaks and valleys of each flute, then glued using starch adhesives. While these adhesives sound innocent enough since they are called, "starch adhesives" (usually shipped to the cardboard manufacturer as a powder) they are seldom made up of Tapioca dextrin, the adhesive used for postage stamps. They most likely will be incorporated with 5 to 15% resins, such as urea formaldehyde, and especially used for cartons where water resistance is helpful. Most dextrin combinations are heated upward of 600 degrees to create a stronger bonding agent. If the paper lacks the amount of wax necessary for good fluting, wax bars are introduced in the process. Newspaper ink: Since 2004, 95% of American newspaper ink is now soy based, as opposed to petroleum based. To make soy ink, soybean oil is slightly refined and then blended with pigment, resins, and waxes. Even though soybean oil is an edible vegetable oil, soy ink is not edible or 100% biodegradable because the pigments and other additives that are mixed with the oil are the same as those used in petroleum-based inks. However it does degrade four times as completely as standard petroleum inks. The fact that this newer ink has rave reviews how it can be "recycled" easier, doesn't mean it is safe for consumption. It only means the soy ink can be removed more easily than regular ink from recycled newspaper during the de-inking process. Maybe less of a concern, but still a concern is that 92% of soybean acreage in the US is planted with genetically-modified soybeans, which some believe can pose environmental and human health risks. I just don't think working so hard on my garden to get it right, I want to introduce consumer products into the soil if it's not necessary. The only motivation that I can see is that it makes you feel like you are recycling on the most basic level and saving a tiny bit of money. My cardboard and newspaper needs to go to a recycling plant or landfill and let dirt in my garden do the rest.

Hello again... I just noticed that there were a few other posts that I didn't take the time to respond to last time as I was hurrying..sorry. :-( Bostonian...I LOVE your two garden beds too! Ours are very similar in size. You used two blocks wide and I used three and yours are a lot longer than mine. I love the way your beds fit the space and your alpine strawberries look so healthy! I tried strawberries...not alpine...and they didn't seem to like the heat and I was always watering them and they were in my way trying to get into the bed. I see it is working great for you. I don't know what the difference is. I also liked the idea of sedums/semperviens/thyme and those are the exact same things I planted in my holes. I have hens and chicks along both sides in selected holes and two sedum vera jamesons in two holes at both ends with thymes in each corner block. I filled some blocks with pea gravel, so I can step on them and get into the bed without worrying about stepping on something. I didn't get a chance yet to take close ups of the holes that are planted but I am still planning on it. Thanks for sharing how you got them so stable and for sharing your photos. They were inspirational! Old herb, thanks also for sharing all your construction tips. I loved the idea of using a board as a screed to level the area. I hadn't thought of that. DixieLib...thanks too for the rebar suggestion. I did use rebar thanks to all the suggestions and it makes a big difference. And thanks for sharing all your experiments with the holes. You saved me from having to try them all myself. [g] Kristin, No,I didn't make them. I bought them at Christmas Tree Shops and I have some peas planted at the base that are slowly coming up. I will take another photo soon and give an update on how it looks. :-)

There are now more and more companies selling these black plastic raised bed kits. What I have been seeing, these are expensive to spend to get a small garden.I have 6 beds all wood,made of 2by lumber. If you are really interested in those plastic beds, deal with reputable seed companies who back there products they sell. GOOD-LUCK :)

I do. I simply placed my frames on the soil I used for my row garden. In fact the only real amendment I routinely use is leaves. Tho last year I did mix in a half bag of purchased composted manure for my heavy feeders and started using compost tea. Made by simply putting puchased composted manure in knee-high nylons (after I get done wearing them, of course ;-) and soaking in rain water. Seemed to stretch my manure, plus the plants seemed to like it. If (like me) you don't wear knee-highs, simply go to the dollar store, 3 pair for a buck. Oh, also last year, I put a knee-high in a bucket I used in each bed for watering. So far this year I haven't had to water much because of the rain (but then the garden isn't growing either but I don't think I will be using the buckets in the beds. I am thinking about trying the tea 'brewing' method (using MY compost) recommended by DCHall in the soil forum this year. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0300105612497.html Back to the topic....I do, I just find watering a challenge in SFG beds because of the close spacing. Good Luck, Gumby_CT Here is a link that might be useful: Deep watering for heavy feeders