We need to raise my garden 8 inches or so. Ralroad ties are out, they're treated with nasty stuff. We can't afford to do the whole thing with green treated wood. I thoughtabout hay/straw bales but the neighbors would have a cow....
Any other options or ideas?
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Sage Hermit
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rainbowgardener
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b_kind2animals
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That's what I'm trying out new for this year. I'm really happy w/ the results.rainbowgardener wrote:Otherwise you can use concrete blocks, also cheap.
I used 4" x 8" x 16" blocks that were 88¢ @ at a local big box. I topped it off w/ 1 x 6 "white wood" coated all sides w/ linseed oil. The wood topping is for aesthetics as well as for a nicer surface to kneel on. Also by fastening the wood with a Tapcon screw into each block helped to lock the individual blocks together as one unit.
The 8" height was nice when I mixed a gob of autumn leaves to the beds last fall. The wood doesn't really come in contact w/ the soil, so I'm hoping to get quite a few years out of it.
I've built a concrete-block bed *and* a couple of wood beds from FreeCycle materials. Give it a go! You may need to purchase the angle brackets, but the lumber will be affordable (= free).
Don't wait for 8-foot lengths to show up. Accept shorter pieces, and then use hardware to hold them together. This way, 2-foot, 4-foot, and 6-foot lengths will work. There are straight metal pieces with holes in them for screws; these pieces act like connectors on either or both sides of the lumber. We made 4-foot lengths out of 2-foot lengths for our "potato tower."
Creativity...
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
The weekend from he** with poor Vergil and his infected/inflamed left "wrist" plus the knee. He was down to two functional legs, little boy.
DH took V to the vet today; we don't yet know the specific agent attacking V's wrist, but the meds seem *finally* to have grabbed on, and when I got back from the office in S.F., Vrg looked happy for the first time in several days.
Don't wait for 8-foot lengths to show up. Accept shorter pieces, and then use hardware to hold them together. This way, 2-foot, 4-foot, and 6-foot lengths will work. There are straight metal pieces with holes in them for screws; these pieces act like connectors on either or both sides of the lumber. We made 4-foot lengths out of 2-foot lengths for our "potato tower."
Creativity...
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
The weekend from he** with poor Vergil and his infected/inflamed left "wrist" plus the knee. He was down to two functional legs, little boy.
DH took V to the vet today; we don't yet know the specific agent attacking V's wrist, but the meds seem *finally* to have grabbed on, and when I got back from the office in S.F., Vrg looked happy for the first time in several days.-
LindsayArthurRTR
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- Location: South Carolina, Upstate
We have solution!! My parents have old landscaping timbers they ar going to give us. With those I'm going to make 2 4x10 foot beds and leave the rest of the bed the way is. This fall I'm going to build the other two where the plants are that are already in the ground!!!
I'm so excited about getting raised beds!!!!!
I'm so excited about getting raised beds!!!!!
I have this idea for next year...a mix of container gardening and raised beds.
I plan to take a 3 to 5 gal bucket, and instead of drilling drainage holes like normal, cut a good 8" diameter hole in the bottom.
Put over a spot of dirt, fill with container soil, and plant tomatoes or peppers.
I figure this will be great drainage and the roots can go deep into the real ground below.
or maybe its a terrible idea...but I'll report back next year
I plan to take a 3 to 5 gal bucket, and instead of drilling drainage holes like normal, cut a good 8" diameter hole in the bottom.
Put over a spot of dirt, fill with container soil, and plant tomatoes or peppers.
I figure this will be great drainage and the roots can go deep into the real ground below.
or maybe its a terrible idea...but I'll report back next year
Well I think I'm gonna find out this year cuz that's a GREAT idea! I'm going to cut the bottoms off some 3 gallon containers stick them where my raised beds are going to be and then fill them with dirt and plant the rest of my plants!
Then I'll have the rest of the summer to get my materials to make the beds! Even better, when I make the beds there will already be a base of excellent soil!!
Fantastic! I love this forum!
Then I'll have the rest of the summer to get my materials to make the beds! Even better, when I make the beds there will already be a base of excellent soil!!
Fantastic! I love this forum!
LindsayArthurRTR wrote:Bamboo is plentiful down here and, it takes forever to rot. You could notch and stack. I'm sire you would have to line it with something though. It would make for a very interesting looking raised bed.
if using bamboo, do you have to dry out the canes and stuff before use or can you just cut them and notch and stack them?