Please help stop dirt/water run-off without a raised flower bed
29 days ago
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HELP ~ need to 'renovate' (or replace) existing raised flower bed
Comments (7)Thanks for both your replies!! To answer why a raised bed... Mainly because the depth of good topsoil in that area was very shallow with grey clay underneath. So in deference to digging or tilling it all up and amending (got a bad back so digging is no fun), it was easier to just build (and I used that word lightly...) the raised bed and fill it with good soil. It also seems to be a good idea because I never have to weed that area and always assumed it was because it was higher than the grass. And why not take it down..... Aside from liking the way it looks, the main reason is that the outer edge of it runs along the "property line' between my yard and my neighbor's. He pulls his car onto his side to wash it and he's an ass, so I wouldn't put it past him to run over or step on my flowers if there wasn't some sort of wall there. Plus, it keeps people from accidently stepping into the garden when walking up my walkway which I fear they might do if it were ground level. bonnie...See MoreRoses and roof water run-off
Comments (10)I wish I could claim the pine cone idea, but I can't. It came from a friend in Bon Secour Alabama who ownes a wonderful historic house there. Lots of wood (a whole 'nother story) and lots of porch bases to protect from splash. He found the idea and his porches are surrounded by berms of pinecones. He even has found sources for pine cones of different sizes and grades his pine cone splashes to cut down all splatter. (It keeps his paint jobs in great condition for a lot longer that any other method.) Greta, I used to use pine needles for mulch on my roses in Houston and later in New Orleans. I knew when the needles would be dropped and I knew to go to the neighborhoods that were piney and collect the bagged up pine needles on late Sunday afternoon after the home owners had raked them up and bagged them for the city to take to the landfill. I'd ask permission and it was never denied. In New Orleans with heavy rainfall and heat the needles would be half gone by the following needle drop; they did act to acidify the clay. The cones were much longer lasting five or six years...so any good they'd do would be long term. With the rainfall down there, the needles were the key to pH manipulation. Ann...See MoreRaised bed veggie vs. right into the dirt ... preference?
Comments (15)CCA treated wood has been off the market since 2004, so that is no longer an issue. And there has been no significant scientific documentation to support the notion that CCA-infused lumber leaches excessive amounts of arsenic into the soil anyway - modest levels of arsenic tend to be present in most soils. Raised beds do not have to be created from lumber - inexpensive concrete blocks work just as well and can be assembled into raised beds and disassembled at will. Or use recycled concrete chunks, often available for free. And using these or any recycled wood products like Trex eliminates any rotting issues as well as any insects that may be attracted to wood. Slugs are slugs and in the PNW they will be present regardless of planting situation - in ground, in raised beds, even in container plantings. Baiting will control the worst of the slug damage in any case. Any mounded or raised planting area will require at bit more frequent watering than inground or nonmounded/bermed areas - that is just the physics of drainage and water movement. There is nothing specific about constructed raised beds that would make them any more higher maintenance than mounded or inground row plantings other than the use of materials and even untreated cedar or redwood will last 5-10 years before needing to be replaced, longer if they are lined with plastic to limit contact with damp soil. And problems with cultivation is a non-issue. Once they are filled with soil, additional cultivation in the way of tilling is seldom necessary and generally not recommended anyway. Additions of compost or other OM can be made easily in the offseason or before planting. There is no need to disassemble a raised planter to renew or refresh the soil. We all have our preference on what we like best, but there is nothing innately inherent regarding constructed raised planters that makes them less desireable than inground plantings other than personal choice....See MoreHow do I raise an existing flower bed?
Comments (21)What several have already said about digging up the plants in fall, removing the weed fabric, and adding soil/amendments as needed ... after correcting the drainage issue if necessary. Did water pool there before? If so, might there be compacted soil or a clay hardpan? You'll have to break through this to improve drainage. Also, since you're adding soil on the other side of the walk, make sure you're not going to be directing water towards your house. Fall is actually the best time to plant. The air is cooler, the sun's rays weaker, putting less demand on the plants, but the soil is still warm, so encourages root growth. With very few exceptions, plants (whether annuals, perennials, shrubs, vines, trees ... whatever) should always be planted at the same depth at which they had been growing. Their roots have developed at the proper depth to provide the water, oxygen and nutrients the plant needs. Changing the soil level will, at best, stress the plant, at worst, kill it. (Tomatoes are one notable exception. Since they have an abundance of adventitious buds in their stems that will produce roots, you can bury a goodly portion of the stem when planting, to encourage a larger root system.)...See MoreRelated Professionals
Muttontown Landscape Contractors · North Potomac Landscape Contractors · Aberdeen Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Athens Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Inwood Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Waukesha Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Thousand Oaks Swimming Pool Builders · Goodyear Landscape Contractors · Framingham Landscape Contractors · Frederick Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Universal City Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Savannah Furniture & Accessories · Clive General Contractors · Martinsville General Contractors · Orangevale General Contractors- 29 days ago
- 29 days agolast modified: 29 days ago
- 28 days agolast modified: 28 days ago
- 28 days agolast modified: 28 days agorutabaga4 thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
- 28 days ago
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rutabaga4Original Author