Raised bed over concrete, what for a bottom?
BuggalinaJuJuBee
13 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (13)
sinfonian
13 years agobsntech
13 years agoRelated Discussions
HELP! Clay Soil in concrete block raised bed on concrete slab
Comments (5)I got your email, Louise - Sorry, I've been away at a bonsai show & visiting friends/family. This is a tough one. As I understand it, you have a concrete block planter constructed atop a concrete slab, with no way for the water to make its way into the sand below the slab. Drilling holes in the block walls won't improve drainage. The only 2 ways to effectively improve drainage would be to make sure there is a 'bridge' between the soil in the planter and the sand below the concrete so the water can percolate through the soil, or to make sure the soil you use is porous enough that it holds little or no perched water. This would mean that your soil particles would have to be large & stable, insofar as their structure is concerned. Even the soil you see me holding above would be inappropriate for your application because that soil depends on the wicking action of the earth (in RBs) to ensure it doesn't remain saturated after rain/watering. It looks great, but if you have high standards it would be a disaster in a container or in your app. I'm thinking that about an 80% fraction of a mix of all purpose sand and all purpose gravel and 10% each of pine bark fines and Michigan (reed/sedge) peat or good compost would probably be the direction I would head. In subsequent years, I think all you'll need to do is mulch with pine bark to keep the soil healthy. If expense isn't a major consideration, you could use Turface MVP as the base ingredient for your soil. Topsoil and fine sand just isn't going to drain w/o help. The alternative would be to remove the old soil and cut a hole in the slab so water can drain from the soil in the planter, but it would have to be a hole of considerable size - preferably at the lowest point on the planter's bottom. If you have pictures, it's possible that something else might be devised that will allow the water to move out of the soil via some sort of passive wicking mechanism that we/you could devise, but I'd have to see the application in order to envision the possibilities. There might be a way to employ a false bottom by placing FRP panel on top of cement blocks that are resting on the bottom & building it like a self-watering container in reverse - where you employ a wicking column of soil to REMOVE water instead of supplying it, but I don't know how far you want to chase the issue? ;-) AL...See MoreHelp! Zuke plants taking over my raised bed! What can I do?
Comments (2)i find zuccini plants will climb. i would put like a fencing around it and it should start climbing upward. thats what it did in my case....See MoreConstructing raised bed with bottom to avoid root invasion
Comments (22)I had in-ground garden beds (made from trex) that were invaded by tree roots. I dug out the beds and sifted the soil to get rid of the roots. I then put down cinder blocks, 9 in a 4'x4' garden bed, with their top surface level with the top of the in-ground beds. I then put down two layers of 1/2" cement backerboard which is supported by the top of the cinder blocks and perimeter of the in-ground garden bed. I drilled drain holes about every 12" in the cement backerboard. Now I have a 16" air gap between the new bottom of the garden bed and the old bottom of the in-ground garden bed. I build a raised garden bed perimeter and set it on top of the cement backerboard. I'm hoping the tree roots won't reach up through that airgap into the new garden bed. We'll see... Don't use the Hardie cement backerboard that has grooves to help you break it to size. I tried that first and it broke at some of those grooves. Dug out beds and used thicker double layer of cement backerboard....See MoreRaised beds with concrete sides? Leaf or ash layers?
Comments (16)I go with the idea of scrounging whatever you can from wherever you can. I frequently find bookcases on the side of the road during "curb shopping" expeditions - they're usually particle board with cheap lamination, and most often the back has fallen off, which is why they're being disposed of. Take those home, throw them down on the ground, fill them up with the soil mix of your choice. They look fairly neat. In a couple of years, of course, moisture will make the particle board fall apart; at this point, you can take the bed apart, peeling off the veneers and trashing those. Then you get a new bookcase, put the half-composted board at the bottom of it, refill with soil or lasagna layers or whatever, and start over. Or you can put the particle board some place near your compost bins where it can moulder away and be added as browns when it crumbles. Eventually it will be compost. (Particle board shouldn't be burned, but composting is a slow and safe way of dealing with it.) Don't go buying new ones for this purpose; but reducing the bookcase to a small wad of veneer and a bunch of organic material is much better than putting the whole thing in a landfill, IMO. Cabinet frames and old drawers do nicely, too, and provide varied heights for interesting design (and raising plants to comfortable levels). Plain wood bookcases last longer if you can get them, but don't use painted ones - the paint flakes off and gets in the soil, and you have no way of knowing whether there's lead in there or not. Plastic "milk crates" can be used to support cardboard boxes full of soil, or even brown paper bags. After harvest, dump all the used soil, complete with the crumbling remains of the paper, into a pile, refresh it with some compost, and put it into a new box. You can rearrange the boxes easily. Plastic swimming pools with holes in the bottom are also good, as long as you don't mind the "blue with little fishies" look. If you do mind fishies, stack used bricks, stone or broken concrete around the pool to hide it. You should never, ever have to pay for any of this stuff - plenty of people throw stuff away every day that can be repurposed and saved from the landfill, at least for a while....See Morelgteacher
13 years agoKeyboarg
10 years agoadiasc
9 years agolgteacher
9 years agoadiasc
9 years agoadiasc
9 years agolgteacher
9 years agoadiasc
9 years agolgteacher
9 years agoadiasc
9 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING 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 Story
SPRING GARDENINGInspiring Raised Beds for Fall and Spring Planting
Make Your Next Vegetable Garden Even Better with Beautiful Boxes and Paths
Full Story
GARDENING AND LANDSCAPINGBuild a Raised Bed to Elevate Your Garden
A bounty of homegrown vegetables is easier than you think with a DIY raised garden bed to house just the right mix of soils
Full Story
FARM YOUR YARDHow to Build a Raised Bed for Your Veggies and Plants
Whether you’re farming your parking strip or beautifying your backyard, a planting box you make yourself can come in mighty handy
Full Story
MIDCENTURY HOMESHouzz Tour: Getting to the Bottom of a Midcentury Los Angeles Home
Once it had only a second floor, but now this home has its fill of usable, beautifully designed spaces
Full Story
WINDOW TREATMENTSRoller Shades Raise the Curtain on Style
The humble window treatment is stealing the scene with fresh patterns, color and pizzazz
Full Story
BARN HOMES12 Bar-Raising Barns
Homeowners make hay out of renovated, reclaimed and newly raised outbuildings
Full Story
MATERIALSPrecast Concrete Pavers Make a Versatile Surface in the Garden
You can use concrete pavers in a variety of shapes and colors for your patio, walkway, driveway and more
Full Story
INSPIRING GARDENSFrom Concrete Lot to Gracious Organic Garden in Seattle
Plants, pests and even weeds have a place in this landscape, which offers an edible bounty and a feast for the eyes
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESGarden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter
Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom
Full Story
lgteacher