Why plant in raised beds?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by TomatoDon

b54red, the way I handled the water problem was to take 2 or 3 inch PVC pipe and cut it into 24 -30 inch lengths. I put one end in the planting hole. Put it just deep enough to anchor the pipe firmly. You don't want it too deep where you are watering under the main root zone. Just deep enough to anchor it (4-6 inches usually for me), and this will also cause the water to seep in more slowly.

I cut one section out of my CRW cage and tilt the other end of the pipe through it. the CRW also helps to anchor the PVC pipe and you can even tie the pipe to the wire if you need to for more stability. Tilting them away from the bed and out toward the walkway makes them easy to see and use when the plants are big and full of foliage. I just walk down the row with a hose and fill up each pipe. Takes maybe 10 seconds each. All the water goes to the root zone with no waste and no water run off from the top of the beds, and no water on top for the weeds.

If you need to fertilize with water soluable fertilize you can mix up your fertilizer and pour it in the pipes with a bucket or whatever you want to use, then go back and fill the pipes with water to dilute it more and get it on to the roots. If it's dry fertilizer you can just pour a little in the pipe and water it.

You use a fraction of the water and I can't find anything that works better.

DS

If roots and the width of your beds is getting to be a problem, now is the time to take up the old system and put in a new one. I did that last winter. A 24 - 36 inch wide bed is usually ideal for maintaining with having to do all the stretching. One trick I learned when I went to 60" beds with corn or "row" crops, was not to plant the rows down the length of the bed, but instead put small rows from side to side, on the width. This way you can walk down the side of the beds and reach from one side to the other with a hoe, rake, etc. If this is still a bit of a stretch, you can easily reach to the center of the row from one side, and then tend the other side by walking down the walkway beside it on the opposite side. Going side to side like this, you never have to reach far with a hoe or stretch much with your arm to pick your harvest.

Don I would love to rebuild my beds but due to health issues it is more than I can undertake. I try not to plant anything in the dead center of the bed that requires much care thus cutting the reaching to a minimum. I also have the problem of almost never having a bed that is not growing something. As soon as one thing comes out something else will go into that space. A method that has things scattered in a rather haphazard way by late in a season.
I really like the idea of the pipe but will have to come up with some other variation because I use a trellis of conduit to support my tomatoes. Do you think capping the end going into the ground and drilling some holes at the level you want the water to come out would work. That way you could bury the pipe deep enough it wouldn't need any support. I had a few of my wife's old clay flower pots set under some of my tomatoes and peppers and would fill them and let the water seep out of the hole in the bottom. I also use a wettable water holding crystal that helps maintain a more constant moisture level when incorporated into the soil before planting. The cheapest source I have found is: http://www.water-keep.com/
These water crystals will absorb much of the excess liquid fertilizer for later use; giving the plants a steady source of moisture and nutrients. Besides the help it provides in drought conditions it is just as helpful if not more so in times of heavy rain by soaking up some of the excess water making the soil workable much sooner.
I have found the easiest and most effective fertilizer/soil amendments to use in raised beds are cottonseed meal and alfalfa pellets. They can be easily worked in and provide a slow release balanced fertilizer as well as a miracle grow for worms. Funny thing is I was using the cottonseed meal to lower my ph which had gotten too high and my tomatoes were not able to get all the nutrients they needed from the soil. I have been using it a lot the last couple of years and my earthworm population has exploded. I usually add several hundred pounds of each during a year since I can get either for less than $14 for a 50 lb bag. I added way more than I have read is recommended in a few beds just to see what would happen and the results were spectacular. My tomatoes and peppers made more fruit and larger fruit than in the past when I used just compost or manure. I generally use around 10 lbs per 10 ft of 4 ft wide bed and work it in good along with any compost I may have. In containers you can't use nearly as much or the soil will sour and pack badly, as I found out this year.

[TomatoDon]

Very interesting operation you have going! And full time crop rotation!

I tried capping off the pipes and drilling some seep holes but it really didn't help. The water in a pipe that size seeps through pretty fast.

I did see something one time about a guy using perforated flexible black pipe, 4 or 6 inch I think, and he ran it down the entire row underground and capped off one end some kind of way and watered the whole row from the other end. That would take a lot of digging however.

I've not faced anything yet in the raised beds that compelled me to add the moisture crystals, although I have done it in large containers.

Containers might be a good choice for you. Everything is higher so you won't have to bend and stretch as much. The main problem with containers I faced was the high temps when the sun gets on the container, and the need to water very often in the summer. The larger the container is, the more this problem of water and temperature is reduced.

I think if I was not going to use the watering pipes I described that I would just run a drip line down the row and get a fertilizer injector.

Oh, the other thing I did was ordered some wide ground cloth (weed barrier) and put it over the beds and cut an X where the tomatoes go and fold the flapd of the X back, dig the hole with a post hole digger, and planted (with pipe). The cloth was wide enough to lap over the edges of the bed, so there was no exposed soil for weeds. I then put some hay on top to insultate the black cloth from the sun hitting it directly, and also to make it look nice.

Sounds like you have a system that produces well. Sometimes the best thing is to throw away the book, close your ear to those giving advice, and just experiment around till you find something that works best for you. Just like what we see here about tomato varieties. What might work wonderfully for one person in a certain area is a disaster for someone else in a different climate and soil type. Same with sprawling vs caging, irrigation methods, and so on.

Happy Holidays and good gardening for 2010!

DS

[b54red]

I used to have a drip irrigation system at one time but quit using it because it was more trouble than it was worth. I now infrequently apply a liquid fertilizer by using a hose end sprayer that is graduated to release between 1 teaspoon to 8 oz. per gallon. For liquid fertilizer I take a packet of soluble fertilizer dump it in a gallon jar, add some water and shake it up really good and let it sit for a while then pour it into the dispenser and set the guage for 2tsp or 1tblsp per gal. and then water well. If something needs a nitrogen boost I will add some household ammonia before watering. It seems to work really good without ever burning and can be used for a foliar spray as well.
As for mulching I have used everything from heavy kraft paper to hay and have found plain old grass clippings to work about as good as anything and they breakdown fairly rapidly to help amend the soil.
Gonna have to head out soon and cover my beans. They have little bitty beans but they are having a hard time making with these cold snaps we're having lately. Merry Christmas

[huntsman]

WOWeee!

Lots of effort put into these replies and chats, and I have learned plenty!

Unlike Earl, my ground has all been hand dug to a depth of 4', and all roots have been removed and compost added, but because of this we have displaced several cubic meters of soil, so the raised beds idea is enticing...

Would I have to treat the wood and if so, with what?

B4 - Are the polyacrylamide crystals simply sown into the hole at time of planting? How much is sown? Tablespoon?

[yotetrapper]

Have a couple questions about raised beds. One, where do you all get your soil to fill them? I made a small raised strawberry bed last year, ended up spending over $300 on soil to fill it. Now, I would need one of those beds times 12 or more just for my tomatoes. Obviously, I can't spend $3,600 for dirt!

Second, water was a huge issue in my beds. While I was watering my row garden twice a week, I was watering the raised bed twice a day, and it would be powder dry in between the twice daily waterings.....

Obviously it appears I was doing something very wrong, but my one raised bed I have left me with a sour taste in my mouth....

[TomatoDon]

It does take a lot of soil, no question about it. Nurseries will sell humus and organic "soil" in bulk by the pick-up truck or trailer load. Otherwise it is amazing how many sacks of soil mix, peat, etc. it takes to fill one. You may want to check around and see if there are any nurseries in your area that have bulk loads, and if they deliver.

One cheaper way is to use a lot of hay, which is cheaper. It makes the beds light and airy, but the problem is, it settles and you have to add more to the bed the next year. Right now is a good time to get sacks of raked leaves that people set out on the street for the city to pick up. Or call the city and see if they will let you come get it by the truck load. The city of Memphis does this and had so many requests that they finally got some shredders and shredded up small branches and limbs, and leave, grass and anything thing else organic and small enough to shred. They sold it by the 18 wheeler load. A 16 foot utility trailer load was less than $100.

The bottom line, there is no easy or cheap way to do it. Not that I have found. I have an advantage living near a cotton gin. Each year the gin produces a literal mountain of "gin trash." I use a lot of it and it's free. A guy here has a backhoe and will deliver a dump truck load for $50. The gin gives it away, he just charges to load and haul. If I'm feeling especially energetic I can load and haul it myself. Not every one has that, but usually there is something in the area similar that offers it in bulk.

I've not had the problem with my beds drying out. I have had trouble with containers drying out and wonder if you might have small beds that will require a lot of watering due to the rapid evaporation that occurs with small beds. My beds are now 5 X 12 and about 10 inches deep. One way to conserve moisture is to mulch with layers of newspaper. I'm using ground cloth/weed barrier, which breathes, but by adding a layer of hay on top it insulates it pretty well and doesn't have excessive drying.

The only other thing I can think of is that I do add some natural "dirt" to the beds, straight from dear Mother Earth. That's what plants have grown in for millions of years and it has trace minerals and other things that are just naturally good for plants. I'm guessing you could have 50% of the bed in natural drit (no rocks or excessive sand) and it would do fine. The other 50% of organic "filler" increass the fertility and airiness, and should work better than those who use a natural earth garden spot and amend it heavily.

I'm sure there are other ways, this is what I do. Don't give up, it takes extra time and expense usually, but it pays off in extra benefits and yields. Hope this info helps.

Happy Holidays!

DS

[ddsack]

Have a couple questions about raised beds. One, where do you all get your soil to fill them? I made a small raised strawberry bed last year, ended up spending over $300 on soil to fill it. Now, I would need one of those beds times 12 or more just for my tomatoes. Obviously, I can't spend $3,600 for dirt!

Second, water was a huge issue in my beds. While I was watering my row garden twice a week, I was watering the raised bed twice a day, and it would be powder dry in between the twice daily waterings.....

Check the yellow pages in your phone book under Excavating Services, some of them will state that they haul black dirt. A dump truck load used be around $100, but I'm in a rural area, probably will cost you more near a big city.Also you can also check with your local landscaping services and see what kind of prices they have for a truckload, or ask them to refer you to their source if they have a subcontractor. Sometimes there may be a mileage cost if they have a long way to go, so be sure you get a good estimate.

Raised beds do warm up and dry out faster than level gardens. Many people use a thick organic mulch after the ground is warm to help trap moisture. If you still dry out too fast, as a last resort try black plastic topped with straw or hay.

[Duh_Vinci]

Hi there!

I too use mostly raised beds in my garden for the reasons mentioned here, but mostly due to the soil condition that I have - pure red clay and rock.

While pricing the soil (in bags) - yes, indeed, the cost was overwhelming, but ad ddsack mentioned, local landscaping and excavating cervices would be the ticket. And if you buy enough, delivery may be either free or next to nothing.

Theses "bulk" delivered soils will give you HUGE savings over your "baged" soil estimates, and you can make your own mix as you see it works better for you.

Regards,
D

[huntsman]

Originally Posted by huntsman

WOWeee!



Would I have to treat the wood and if so, with what?

B4 - Are the polyacrylamide crystals simply sown into the hole at time of planting? How much is sown? Tablespoon?

Creosote for the wood?

[Zana]

I wouldn't use creosote treated wood anywhere near where I was planning on growing food veggies/fruit. There is allot of info out there about the chemicals possibly leeching into the soil.

When I built my portable ones, I made them out of cedar. All the pieces are in storage now.

[huntsman]

Keen on a loan??

Zana, most of our timber here is pine, unless you decide to mortgage the castle,* so I'll have to treat it with something, I'm sure...

Have a great day!

*local expression meaning you will pay big bucks!

[TomatoDon]

Zana, you disassemble your beds after the season and reassemble them again before planting?

[Zana]

Yeah, I did. All of the soil was removed from the beds, mixed with about a cubic yard of compost and put in rubbish/garbage/trash cans (the large rubbermaid ones) on wheels and left to cook over the winter.

Disassembly was especially required at the end of 2008 when my Father decided that he wanted to put the house on the market come Spring of 2009. All the "portable" beds were set up on top of the concrete patio. There was a layer of fine screening, then about approximately 3"/7.5cm of gravel, then 2 layers of landscape fabric, then my homemade soil mix that was approximately 18"/45cm high. The beds were of varying sizes, depending on where they'd fit in the backyard and still give me space to move around them, plus access the pool. LOL

Everything was bolted together with galvanised nuts, washers and bolts.

[TomatoDon]

Zana, I am now casting my vote for you as Tenacious Raised Bed Gardener of the Year, 2009. I believe you take your raised beds seriously! Great story!

DS

[huntsman]

Just realised my expression earlier would mean nothing to you folks so I've edited it so you understand what I mean...(sorry)