building raised beds

[Cyn]

I am hoping to get some raised beds made this month, and as I am not handy, will probably hire the neighbor to do them.

I plan to use wood, any suggestions for dimensions?

Any preference for landscape timbers, cedar planks, railroad ties?

Thanks,
Cyn

[Luvgardening2]

I too plan on more raised beds. I really like the ones here http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=texas+cages

I originally did mine like the SFG. 4 x 4 then 8 x 4 and lastly 12 x 4. I think I will try 12 x 2. Just enough room to fit the Texas Cages.

I used for the most part redwood. Some I used that Trex (?) decking material. I was buying so much wood that the manager asked me what I was using it for. He ended up selling the pieces that were not "perfect", which is fine by me for $5.00. So you may want to ask about that. It was Lowe's. Not sure about Home Depot. They will cut it for you for free. I am far from handy but I was able to drill and screw them together. I hired help to prepare the ground and to bring in the soil.

I personally did not like railroad ties. The ones they have here had stuff oozing from them. I think cedar is a good choice too. GL

Nancy

[feldon30]

Don't make them any wider than you can comfortably reach. Which for me is 4'. Any future tomato-only beds I build will be 2' wide only, since any more seems a waste, and getting 2 tomato plants side-by-side has not worked well for me.

I did some with pressure treated wood, then read about the concerns about arsenic and so switched to regular wood which is already starting to deteriorate (the termites aren't helping either!). But since I have recently read that pressure treated wood no longer contains arsenic, any future beds I build will once again return to pressure treated wood.

I use angle brackets and galvanized screws for longevity.

If you are in this for the long haul, you might consider those plastic-based permanent landscaping type timbers. Supposed to last a long time.

[PaulF]

My garden in the last place I lived was all raised beds. I used railroad ties because there was a readily available, cheap source of eight foot ties. Even though they are creosote soaked, I noticed no adverse effects and they lasted the 20 years they were in use. My beds were 4 feet wide by 24 feet long with a 3 or 4 foot space between the beds. That way I was not walking in the garden space.

Now I have a larger garden space and the main crops are in a larger area. I still made a raised bed strawberry patch, an herb garden and a raised bed for onions and peas and carrots. For this I used 2x10 treated lumber. The beds are four feet by eight feet. The corners are held in place by 2x2 stakes. One uses those plastic corners. I prefer the wooden stakes. Treated lumber has not used arsenic or other toxins for several years, so I am not worried about using treated lumber.

I did have to bring in a couple pick-up loads of soil and composted manure to fill them. I think I prefer raised beds to a regular garden space but since my garden area is larger I figure why spend the money. Every year I tend to till up more yard space for garden; less mowing more growing.

[tomatoguy]

I guess I just got lucky. When we bought our house, these wedge-shaped blocks were already on the property. It was quite an ordeal to haul all 70 of them from the back property line but well worth the effort. After counting, measuring and laying the blocks, I tilled up the 4 inches or so of topsoil at the bottom. I then placed a soaker hose about 2 inches into the natural topsoil. The hose was snaked up through the blocks so I would have easy access for watering. The small black object projecting from the far left side of the blocks is the end of the hose. Next, I used heavy duty plastic sheeting around the inside of all the blocks to prevent them from pulling the moisture from the soil. Then, I ordered 18 Cubic Yards of a mixture of 60% topsoil, 20% compost and 20% coarse sand from a local landscaping company. This configuration required about 10CY so I used some more of the mixture for containers and stockpiled the rest. I have been gardening in this location for two years now and it beats any other garden I have had in the past 40 years or so by a large margin. I have access from the outside of the blocks as well as from stepping stones running through the middle. I am a fairly large guy so I can reach any part of the garden without too much problem. I assume that you are planning something a little simpler and less permanent but maybe this will give you some ideas.

mater

[matereater]

I am also considering some raised beds in my backyard which has a southern exposure. My question / concern is, should I put the beds in a north south direction or in an east west direction. Seems like there's pros and cons for both, anybody out there with an opinion ??

[felpec]

We used pressure treated 4x6's two and three high for ours (change in terrain). We really liked Timberlok wood screws to fasten them together. They are the BEST thing we've ever used. They come in lengths up to 10" (pretty expensive, but they really work). Even I can build a raised bed using a cordless drill and Timberloks (and I'm NOT a power tool user).

Our garden is oriented east/west.

[robin303]

Well finally a subject I can relate to. This is what I do. The best dimensions I found for most people is 4’ wide so you can reach both sides. It can be as long as you wish but I like my stuff level. I do use treated lumber but I buy the Hardy Board siding and screw it to the insides. As for locations that is easy you want and need the sun. I ask clients about their summer and winter equinox and they usually have no idea what I’m talking about. Another thing is dogs. If that is the case I put 4x4’s on the corners and put 6x6 hog wire which comes in 20 lengths 3’ and 5’. I like this stuff because you can reach in and get your tomatoes and bell peppers out and it gives the green beans something to climb on.
I will draw up some blueprints for you if you wish. It’s what I do and a hobby.

[dice]

[north-south or east-west]

Southwest-northeast?

That way, early and late in the season, when the
sun is to the south from sunrise to sunset in your
latitude, all plants get the even sunlight that they
would get in an east-west row at that time of year
(with a small window of time at sunset that favors
the southernmost plants a little bit; good place to
put your latest-ripening cultivar). In midsummer,
when the path of the sun is closer to overhead, it still
shines on all of them at the same time as it rises and
sets, the way it would in a north-south row.

Other factors like soil, water, weather, etc will probably
make more difference, though, so I would do whatever
seems most convenient given the actual layout of the
property. As long as they aren't being shaded by trees
or buildings, orientation of the row is not critical.

[robin303]

All right dice. 8)

[QAGuy]

I made my beds 3' wide (deep) because they're reachable from one side only.
Get down on your knees and see what works for you.

I used the plastic wood after having wood wood start to break down
after only a year. I'm sure it would have lasted longer, but I didn't
want to do it again in a few years. Probably should have used cedar or
some longer lasting wood.
But I didn't. I'm happy with the plastic wood so far. This is the second
year with it and I can't see any breakdown.

[ferger1]

I am new to gardening and these are the 2 raised beds I just built. They are 4' x 12'

[epiphanista]

I'll jump in, too - I am now in a house where there is nasty clay soil and plenty of cement block lying around. If I use the cement block to build raised beds, do I need to coat the blocks on the soil side? Will they leach anything out or absorb too much water? I think mater says he lined his with plastic. Is this necessary? (and that is a beautiful bed, mater!!! )

~Thalia

[Worth1]

Can someone tell me the advantages of raised beds.

I see folks with perfectly good soil put in raised beds.

Maybe I'm just used to gardening on a larger scale.

Worth

[feldon30]

If someone really does have good soil anywhere they dig (which in Houston is about as likely as picking the lottery numbers), then of course they can just mound up that soil and plant in it.

But since the rest of us have to truck in good soil or buy endless amendments, it is a cost savings to keep that good soil contained in a box and leave the walkways in their original packed clay form.

Because of the ridiculous torrential rainstorms we get here, with sometimes 1/2 inch an hour for 12 hours straight, if I just hilled up good soil, it would be washed away or scattered all over the yard several times a year.

I guess I like the organization of raised beds as well. It breaks down the garden into manageable projects. It's easier to think of getting a 3' x 16' bed sorted out than thinking of having to get the entire garden up and running all at once. The framework of the raised beds also allows me to use rust-free, cost-effective tomato cages of my own design. I know CRW is perfectly fine for 99% of people, but I don't like dealing with rusty wire when attending to my plants.

If I lived on old, productive farmlands as you do, I would just till up the loose, fertile soil, recharge it with some compost and other organic matter, and lay down straw for walkways.