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raise grow beds??

R

redeyes

what is a good depth for a raise grow bed???? well i had some 4x8 sheets laying around... i need to count them but i think i have around 9 4x8 3/4 inch thick... with that i could have a 24ft long x 4ft wide x 2ft high grow bed...... which would be 192 sq ft.. which is good to start with ... what do you guys think about that... i also would need 3 4x4x8 post and they are around 7bucks each... and i would cut them into 2 ft pieces to connect it all together... that is all i would have to buy for this... some feed back would be great on this...
 
redeyes,

I have to get into this this year - the county fair wants me to do a raised gardening section. The one thing I notice about your plans is, it seems, you plan on using non-treated wood for the sides. If so, it may not last for more than 3-4 years before the wood rots, unless you plan on treating it.

As for the depth, I'm hoping and from my research, eight-ten inches is hopefully deep enough, if the roots can also grow laterally.

Mike
 
I don't know that I would use plywood at all; even with treating, it rots pretty rapidly. I would use stacked boards to create the border. For example, in a 10" deep bed, I would use two 2x6s stacked on top of each other.
 
redeyes,

I grow almost exclusively in raised beds and mine are about 10 - 16 inches deep and seem to be working great. I opted not to use wood mainly because I hate doing things twice and wood does end up rotting. I used concrete blocks, I used 8" hollow core blocks, and actually found that they were cheaper than wood.
 
Pepperfreak said:
redeyes,

I grow almost exclusively in raised beds and mine are about 10 - 16 inches deep and seem to be working great. I opted not to use wood mainly because I hate doing things twice and wood does end up rotting. I used concrete blocks, I used 8" hollow core blocks, and actually found that they were cheaper than wood.
Click to expand...


i was thinking the same thing but i already have wood here that would work ..... after rethinking the whole thing maybe i will try this cement block out... here is what i found that might work.... http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 i also have a few of these laying around here also.... i was thinking of stacking 2 high... which would be 16inch high... what do think about this ??? i will take a pic of what is there now...
 
I highly recommend using the cinder blocks...Mine are "Stagger Stacked" and I think Pf used mortar to make his more permanent....

Pf...can you post a link to the thread that shows your beds?

here is a link to mine...mine is 50' long, off the ground one block (8") and three blocks deep (24")...the soil settles down to about 16" deep...

http://www.thehotpepper.com/showthread.php?t=4476&highlight=cement+farm
 
Here are some pictures. It was easier to find the pictures than the posts...I believe that mine are 16 feet long and 4 feet wide using 3 cinder blocks high. After using a layer of gravel as a base for drainage, the dirt settles down to about 10 - 15 inches (approximately). I didn't end up using mortar in case I decided to move them or we Sell the house. Instead I 'dry stacked' them, which is just a matter of filling the block's cores with gravel, dirt or sand and doing this for each layer. These beds where built in the spring of 2008 and have not moved since, other than being hit by the lawn mower, but a rubber mallet fixes that.


April2008017.jpg

April2008054.jpg

DSCF2514.jpg


Here is an example of the finished Bed
DSCF2768.jpg
 
Last year , my first year with a pepper garden I made concrete raised beds. I didn't want to use wood because at some time it the wood will rot. They worked so good I made two more. They are 2' deep.

NewBed2.jpg


I think the cinder blocks would be great. I didn't use them because I thought I'd need to use mortar to keep them together and that's not one of my skills. Pepperfreak has shown that's not the case.

I like the idea of the deep soil that never gets packed down from walking on it. And on mine I can stand up to work on things and reach everything from both sides.

Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
I really haven't found any disadvantages. Now for the advantages...easier on the back, less bending over. Easier weed control since I control the soil and the contents. Easier drainage, I have never had a water/drainage problem. Basically, it is a whole habitat for your plants that you have exclusive control over. Oh, and lets not forget the bunnies, I have never found any plants being nibbled on.
 
The only disadvantage would be the cost and labor , but that's a one time investment . After that it's no more costly than a flat bed.

Pepperfreak named all the advantages well. No bunnies here but I have 150 lb plus dawgs. They can't wizz on my plants or dig in my beds.

Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
Another advantage I forgot to talk about is that you can plant more plants in a given space. There is book called the "Square Foot Garden ". In that book the author talks about being able to place plants closer because the soil is so deep and not compacted. The plants also end up helping to cover your soil from the sun in the hot summer days. So you use less water.

Peace,
P. Dreadie
 
P is right, you can plant much more in a smaller area. Also, as with my setup, the cost was about half, maybe more, than building out of wood. Plus, these beds of mine will last a lot longer than wood.
 
Damn guys!!! Keep giving me ideas for the yard and the wife won't let me keep coming here to play:lol: I have been wanting to build a greenhouse.......now I'm thinking about a raised bed on one end of it with the greenhouse on that end maybe collapsible (using the raised bed as part of the ghouse frame.
 
With the raised beds, you can easily turn them into a hoop house. Just anchor some pcv pipe on either side and then anchor plastic to that. Poof, instant hoop house.
 
If you got some thick plastic and lined the wood with that you could probably just use what you have.
 
orangehero said:
What is the purpose of making the raised beds so high (other than comfort?) and placing a barrier to the soil underneath?
Click to expand...

It has to do with providing more soil for the roots to grow in, that way you can jam more plants in per square foot. I would hazard a guess and say the soil is seperated from the ground soil to provide good drainage through gravel or some kind of coarse medium.
 
Nova is right, you want your raised beds to be high enough that you have plenty of soil for the roots to grow in. You also want a layer or gravel between the ground soil and the garden soil more for good drainage because often times, ground soil just doesn't drain very well under harsh storm conditions.

A raised bed is it's own growing habitat with your own specially mixed soil in it, that is what makes them so nice. They just give the grower the ultimate control over the growing conditions.
 
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