Making Raised Beds
bdodd444
19 years ago
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mark_brown
19 years agoimtoobusy
19 years agoRelated Discussions
make lumber raised bed more attractive
Comments (5)I guess cost is an issue if you are considering pallet lumber but I don't think there is a rule that veg beds have to be wood. Stone perhaps? If you have an opportunity to collect fieldstone or get some off craigslist, consider that. Other option that I've used for raised beds is marble or granite off-cuts from a countertop place. They put rather big pieces out in the lane near my place. Other cheap option, broken-up concrete. Karin L...See MoreMaterial ideas to make raised beds needed.
Comments (2)I'm in the middle of building a small dry-stack retaining wall right now. I originally thought that I wouldn't be able to afford real stone, but when I actually went and priced things out at a stoneyard, I found that building the wall out of cinderblock would actually only be a tiny bit cheaper than the least expensive dry-stack stone available at the yards. Of course, you know your own budget and your local markets best. I just thought that if you haven't *actually* priced out stone in your area, you might want to give it a look. It might be more doable than you think, especially if you're willing to settle for something less pricey than granite. Another thought: would you find it acceptable to do a wall in stages? In other words, perhaps you could build three sides in wood, but use stone for the side that you see while sitting in the gazebo. Then, you could do the other sides in the future, as time and budget allows. I wouldn't suggest that for a perennial bed, but since most veggies are annuals, it seems to me that you have a lot more leeway in spacing the work/$$ out over several years....See MoreMaking raised garden bed material not to rot?
Comments (16)Cedar is a naturally insect and fungus repelling wood, but as you mentioned, it can be expensive .... There are varieties of 30-year ground contact lumber available, but as someone mentioned, WET ground is NOT covered in the gaurantee. If it were MY raised garden bed ...... I'ld re-build the beds with 3 - 4 layers of plastic barrier underneath and on the sides up against and stapled to 30-year ground contact lumber (protected from the wet/moist soil by the plastic) and on the outside for better appearance and to repel the worst of the insect population, a facing of cedar. Also, mulch with cedar chips in areas of the garden that can handle the changes to PH. That having been said .... using concrete edgers or blocks as Donna mentioned looks nice too. Another method would be to take reasonably conditioned lumber and cheap (broken bags that are sold at discount) concrete and pouring your own walls and edgers. If they aren't meant to be a load bearing wall, you can easily get away with not using rebar or some other kind of interior structure....See Moremaking raised beds
Comments (1)Hi Kim, Why don't you check out the square foot gardening forum. I found this method a few years ago....and although I don't go the the full extent of putting in permanent markers every sq foot.......I just measure out with bamboo poles the proper size of the squares then remove the poles when I finish planting. You can pack a lot into a small space. Good Luck! Sierra...See Morebreezyb
19 years agomark_brown
19 years agoimtoobusy
19 years agomark_brown
19 years agomark_brown
19 years agojayreynolds
19 years agoimtoobusy
19 years ago
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