Raised Garden Bed Construction Help
Garden Chickee
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
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Comments (14)
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Constructing Raised Beds - What to line inside with?
Comments (21)It's a fact that sometimes, raised beds are undone. I can't see that a layer of gravel will be all that much of a help for drainage (though I don't fully accept that it will harm it either.) But it would surely make it a lot harder to clean this project up when and if ever the time comes. I would go sans gravel. Also, I know you already have a plan for making the container out of wood, but it's the case that many wood boxes end up looking pretty shabby down the road. I recently came across a video where someone made raised beds out of interlocking precast concrete panels that they fabricated themselves. ((Link to precast raised bed panels.)They were much nicer looking than the typical wood affair and are also flexible in that they can be linked to create larger size beds. They'd be much more durable, too. If ever undone, they could be reused somewhere else instead of being pitched in the trash. No need to worry about rot or coating the insides....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 MoreNeed Help building a Cinder Block Raised Garden Bed
Comments (16)Hello. You didn't say whether this is a new home for you. I spent the first year checking out the sunshine in our backyard. My backyard was a south facing yard. The back fence shaded the back yard almost 4 feet into the yard. Which meant I started my first cinder block line just over 4 feet away from the block fence. OR the winter garden would never get any sun. During the summer time, the block fence might radiate too much heat back off the fence. My cinder block garden was 3 cinder blocks tall. 24 inches interior width. I started with 1 brick high. I found the roots didn't have enough room. So I went up to 2 bricks. Again, not tall enough for tomato plants if you bury your seedlings deep like many recommend. So, I went up to 3 bricks high. Perfect for me. I agree with previous posters. If you make the garden too wide, you won't be able to reach all sides of the garden. Important when you are trying to find the peas within the vines, tomatoes under their leaves, or to pull radishes that are ready for your salad. I put the blocks right on the hard AZ soil. I then added mulch, mulch, soil, manure, mulch, manure.... It took almost 3 years to get the perfectly blended soil for all sorts of vege's. Shoveling, raking, and spreading more manure did the trick. I mulched all my kitchen scraps I could. That certainly helped with the health of the soil. Oh by the way, the soil won't bulge out or push the bricks away. At least in my case. Any extra water leaked between some of the cracks and down to the bottom of the bricks. Making sure you have enough water to absorb into the soil so your plants have a chance to drink before it runs out at the bottom. Good luck!!...See MoreNew to raised bed gardening. Please help!
Comments (2)It depends on the kind of veggies you are looking to grow. Most veggies and herbs will grow happily in what you describe. I have about 60 square feet of beds that are at that depth and have been wonderfully producing for years. The main exception would be if you want large root veggies like carrots or beets. You can grow smaller varieties, but not the long/large ones you may be used to. Good luck!...See MoreGarden Chickee
9 years agoGarden Chickee
9 years agoposierosie_zone7a
9 years agoGarden Chickee
9 years agoGarden Chickee
9 years agoGarden Chickee
9 years agoposierosie_zone7a
9 years agoGarden Chickee
8 years ago
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mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)