raised-bed Advice needed from raised bed pepper growers

[indy_chuck]

As a beginner at pepper growing, I thought I'd try the raised bed route first.  I'm seeking advice from pepper growers that use this method.  I'm looking for 2 or 3 main bullet points that you feel is a must do and 2 or 3 main bullet points to NOT do or avoid.
 
I'm just trying to keep it simple for the responses without going into great detail.
 
I've made my 3'x6'x11" cedar raised bed, I now have a blank canvas to start with.  I'd like to know what I should use as a base to set the box on and what type of soil I should use to fill it.
 
Here is a short video of my cedar box and the area I intend to keep it in.  You will see a roll of screen mesh in the video, I intend to install this on the bottom of the box.
 
Thank you!
 
https://vimeo.com/210337852
 
 

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

No bullet points as I don't use raised beds. My only input is this lifted from another forum, poster in NJ, soil was from a reputable dealer:
 

Sooo this year's gardening plans have taken an interesting turn. We ordered some topsoil for our raised beds, put it in, and I sent it off to get tested. Lo and behold, we've got about 200 ppm lead in the soil. The typical background numbers (normal) are from 0-100 ppm, and the 'actionable' number is 400 ppm.

Have soil tested before you agree to buy & pay.
 
Edit: The bed looks like it's under an eave, how much rain do you get? When you get a 1/2" of rain the amount of runoff is proportional to the area above the bed. http://www.friendsoflittlehuntingcreek.org/description/roof.htm

 

[juanitos]

* don't need to put something different in the bottom or top. just the same thing throughout
* KISS
 
* you can put some chicken wire on the bottom if you problems with gophers/moles
* covering the top with black fabric will reduce maintenance
* i would use a fast draining mix and add some earthworm castings. then do AACT for watering / nutrients.
(i would personally mix some 5-1-1 i know not everyone has the desire / time to spend making there own mix though)

 

[SmokenFire]

Raised bed gardener here!  I have four 4' x 10' and three 6' x 6' cedar beds in the backyard.  For each of the 4x10 beds I cut the sod off the ground and put them onto the dirt.  For the 6x6 beds I used newspaper under the first, screen under the second and then went back to cutting the sod out for the last one we put in.  If you don't cut out the sod you'll have grass growing up through your bed within a year (I found out the hard way).  The newspaper lined bed managed to kill back the grass enough that it didn't start growing back through for a couple years, but the screen allowed grass to grow through the first year.  I also use black landscape fabric stretched over them in the spring to warm the beds and then cut small holes to plant the transplants in.  Really helps w weeding.
 
Our raised beds require more water than stuff planted in the ground.  I use soaker hoses but have wanted to get a drip irrigation kit for a while now.  Consider sunlight when placing the bed - one of ours is too close to the back fence and a portion of it is shaded through most of the day.  We've found shade tolerant crops but peppers do not go into that bed!  

 

[midwestchilehead]

• Orient it N-S to get the most even sun on it.
• While you can pull out the sod underneath, you can also just put the bed in place and cover your hardware cloth or screen with thick cardboard which should kill off any existing grass and keep it at bay.
• Fill with mel's mix - 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 mixed compost, with a little lime added to counteract the acidity of the peat moss.
• Don't walk on it and you will never have to till.

 

[stickman]

I'm far enough north that I use Infrared transparent plastic mulch instead of landscaping fabric on top of the soil for those few extra degrees of warmth.
 
Soaker hose or drip irrigation on a hose timer will handle all your watering needs.
 
+1 on full sun and not walking on the soil to prevent compaction.
 
Keep adequate spacing between your plants. It makes it much easier to harvest without breaking branches and allows for better air circulation between your plants.

 

[newbiepepperguy]

I'd reinforce the length of the bed at least once. You're gonna have right around 18 cubic feet of soil in there, which will probably weigh around a ton (as in, the literal unit of measurement indicating 2000 pounds - not the colloquial way of saying "a lot") . I can't tell if you have 1 or 2 inch thick boards, but especially if they're only 1 inch thick, I'd reinforce the length half way down at a minimum.

 

[indy_chuck]

I'd reinforce the length of the bed at least once. You're gonna have right around 18 cubic feet of soil in there, which will probably weigh around a ton (as in, the literal unit of measurement indicating 2000 pounds - not the colloquial way of saying "a lot") . I can't tell if you have 1 or 2 inch thick boards, but especially if they're only 1 inch thick, I'd reinforce the length half way down at a minimum.

 
These are indeed 2x6s (1.5" actual) and I agree, a middle joist would certainly add to the strength.

 

[indy_chuck]

 

• Orient it N-S to get the most even sun on it.
• While you can pull out the sod underneath, you can also just put the bed in place and cover your hardware cloth or screen with thick cardboard which should kill off any existing grass and keep it at bay.
• Fill with mel's mix - 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 mixed compost, with a little lime added to counteract the acidity of the peat moss.
• Don't walk on it and you will never have to till.

 

 
Thank you for the link on the mel's mix!
 
Can I use a thick cardboard on the outside perimeter area of the box too and landscape this area with a landscaping stone like brick chips?

 

[midwestchilehead]

Sure. Cardboard should kill out the grass in pretty short order.
 

 
Thank you for the link on the mel's mix!
 
Can I use a thick cardboard on the outside perimeter area of the box too and landscape this area with a landscaping stone like brick chips?