how to protect raised beds from animals and more
organic_flutterby
15 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (41)
engineeredgarden
15 years agogreenbean08_gw
15 years agoRelated Discussions
row covers for raised bed & containers - frost protection
Comments (14)Buy old sheer fabric curtains from garage sales & thrift stores for a fraction of the cost of the commercial row cover. They're light enough to lay directly on top of plants on cool nights. To prop up you could use empty glass or plastic bottles or jugs on stakes or try upturned plastic crates on stakes. I've also used reused upside down clear plastic containers from bakery items, product packaging, & storage containers like Sterlite or Rubbermaid weighed down with a rock or a thick stick. Prop up a corner with a stake to allow for ventilation during the day. Can also stack brick or blocks of wood on the sides to support the containers for higher plants. It looks a bit crazy with the various containers & more unified with the sheer fabric curtains. In the fall we regularly cover plants with the curtains in early evening & remove in mid-morning. If more than damp I bring them inside to dry, but if not I'll just put them inside my car to put out again the next night. Our gardens are along the driveway so the car is a handy spot out of the way. They don't really get too dirty & with 2 people holding each end you can snap them a bit to fling off dirt or water....See MoreHow to protect wood border of raised bed?
Comments (7)Thanks for more good feedback. Completed: 1 layer brick set and leveled on washed garden sand. Next: rebar stakes on either side of brick, horizontal wood fence posts laid between rebar stakes, and 6 inch plastic lawn edging between inner stakes and fence posts. I think this will work well. The fence posts are not that much work for me, and the look definitely attracts me (and my partner!) to the garden, much as the discrete 4 foot square with 1 foot grid markings of "square foot gardening" motivates discrete care and prompt replanting. Although I usually have most of my attention on function and little on aesthetics, the clean, discrete look is showing great impetus for continued development. My very small town has no large supplier of bulk landscape materials, only lawn centers with bags, e.g. Wal-mart, etc. My cement plant is a great, cheap source of sand (50 cents for 5 gal pail loosely calculated); also brick (44 cents a brick) and rebar (~24 cents a foot, with free use of their rebar cutter/bender - I bent a couple rebar into U shape frames, 3.5-4 feet across for netting trellises). On the other hand, small town means I am surrounded by farms and have easily found free year-aged horse manure, and cheap truckloads of compost....See MoreNeed more soil in my raised garden bed. what kind how much?
Comments (8)firegrip Pine mulch and manure are humus. Humus is simply the residual organic matter, the OM that has not been digested by the Soil Food Web, yet. "Topsoil" is simply the top 4 to 6 inches of soil from someplace and it might be worth the price or it might not be. What do you expect that "topsoil" to be? Never accept what the seller of "topsoil" says what they are selling is but define what you want and look for that....See MoreHow do you raise the soil in a raised bed?
Comments (5)I know what you mean! It seems like the soil gets used up. I just dig up the plants and replant them after refilling the box to the new level. Obviously, you can't do that if the plants are too fragile to take that kind of treatment as in a nursery bed. I have one bed that I use just for nursery purposes and the level keeps going down and I will have to wait until most of the plants are moved to more permanent quarters to refill that box. My beds are 4 feet across and 6,8 or 12 feet long and filled with compost from my livestock. I don't till or agitate the soil in them but add layers to them sort of like lasagna beds. spiderwoman...See Morecarsonsig
15 years agoribbit32004
15 years agoengineeredgarden
15 years agogreenbean08_gw
15 years agorazagarden
15 years agobelleville_rose_gr
15 years agoclaytamer
15 years agolilion
15 years agoming001
15 years agolilion
15 years agolilion
15 years agosb_gardener
15 years agopeel
15 years agogarden_croaker
15 years agozuni
15 years agopeel
15 years agopeel
15 years agokristimama
15 years agopeel
15 years agolilion
15 years agomister_gin
15 years agochristyboulter
15 years agoluke3026
15 years agopeel
15 years agoengineeredgarden
15 years agocozy
15 years agopthomas453
15 years agoclaregardens
13 years agonycynthias
13 years agonycynthias
13 years agomarzy_the_gardener
13 years agogreenbean08_gw
13 years agoladycraft
13 years agosusan2010
13 years agorlkennerly
13 years agogardenlady7
12 years agoShelley Smith
12 years agoWhysall Web
7 years ago
Related Stories
HOME TECHTo Feed and Protect: Care for Your Pet From Afar With New Devices
You might miss the nuzzles, but your dog or cat won't miss food, water or monitoring with these high-tech feeders and cameras
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES8 Materials for Raised Garden Beds
Get the dirt on classic and new options for raised vegetable and plant beds, to get the most from your year-round garden
Full StoryHOUSEKEEPINGProtect Your House From Winter Water Damage
Avoid costly repairs by learning to spot potential problem areas before water damage is done
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPING10 Ideas for Decorating Your Summer Porch
Watch the world go by from a porch decked out with comfy furniture and inspiring accessories
Full StoryMOST POPULAR16 Ways to Get More From Your Small Backyard
Make a tight or awkward yard a real destination with these design tricks from the pros
Full StoryBEDROOMSGet More From Your Bed (Storage, for Starters)
Find space for all your stuff — and maybe even a seat, a writing desk or another sleep spot — by cozying up to a multipurpose bed
Full StoryFENCES AND GATESA Deer Fence Can Be Decorative as Well as Protective
You need a monster-size fence to shelter your garden from deer, but it doesn’t have to look like a monstrosity
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGRaised Beds Lift Any Garden
From good old-fashioned wood garden boxes to modern metal troughs, raised beds can make any landscape space look great
Full StoryFARM YOUR YARDAdvice on Canyon Farming From L.A.'s Vegetable Whisperer
See how a screened garden house and raised beds help an edible garden in a Los Angeles canyon thrive
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESProtect a Precious Resource With a Rain Garden
Promote pure water and a beautiful landscape with a garden design that makes the most of the rain
Full StorySponsored
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)