Raised Beds

cdg · June 12, 2019

Howdy . I live in north central Texas . Mainly , I like growing heirloom tomatoes , with a few squash plants and pepper plants . This year all tomatoes and peppers drowned due to heavy clay soil and poor drainage of my lot . O.K. Now for my questions . I am in the process of gathering material and planning for raised beds next year . Question one , would 3 foot wide be enough for tomatoes planted in a zig zag pattern . Question two , I have purchased 2x10 yellow pine to build the beds . These are 9 1/4 inches wide . Do you think that is tall enough for tomatoes ( I can add a cap if necessary ) . They will be open bottom beds on existing soil . Question three , wondering how long untreated yellow pine will last in contact with soil . Fill is so expensive is why I am going for minimum size that might work successfully .
Thanks in advance for anyone experienced with raised beds that feel like sharing your opinions .
CDGTXS

June 12, 2019	#1
cdg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: North/Central Texas Posts: 67	Raised Beds Howdy . I live in north central Texas . Mainly , I like growing heirloom tomatoes , with a few squash plants and pepper plants . This year all tomatoes and peppers drowned due to heavy clay soil and poor drainage of my lot . O.K. Now for my questions . I am in the process of gathering material and planning for raised beds next year . Question one , would 3 foot wide be enough for tomatoes planted in a zig zag pattern . Question two , I have purchased 2x10 yellow pine to build the beds . These are 9 1/4 inches wide . Do you think that is tall enough for tomatoes ( I can add a cap if necessary ) . They will be open bottom beds on existing soil . Question three , wondering how long untreated yellow pine will last in contact with soil . Fill is so expensive is why I am going for minimum size that might work successfully . Thanks in advance for anyone experienced with raised beds that feel like sharing your opinions . CDGTXS