Raised beds

[J.W.308]

Anybody use raised bed for gardening. Thinking about building 1and wanted to know what kind of lumber you used.

 

[chris1976]

I've always used treated lumber. I have heard people say not to because of the chemicals used to treat. I have never had any issues, may get 10 kinds of cancer down the road but these days I think even oxygen causes cancer. If you use regular lumber don't expect it to last more than a couple years. I have some going on 10 yrs old and still solid.


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[BackwoodsBoy]

I built 2 last year, both 4x8' I just used untreated 2x6

 

[DaveB]

There are several threads about this exact topic someplace here on TNDeer.


I saw some Tennessee Gardening show on public tv and they called these raised beds. They used round poles. To extend life, the beds had a waterproof liner safed from the wood by a 1/2 IIRC dirt-like-plaster covering. I do not recall how they dealt with excessive water. The ends were square cut, the planters were maybe 2 feet tall, 10 or 12 feet long four feet wide. The liner was nailed to the second-to-last pole and trimmed to be hidden from view Dirt was kept just at that level.

The pole touching the ground was sitting on a bed of gravel had holes drilled in it every n feet and they pounded rebar about 2 feet down. The poles above were each nailed to their neighbor. These are supposedly all over Nashville.

The claims for longevity were hard to believe: I think 16 years!! And no the wood was not treated but I think many were painted.

 

[Old cull buck hunter]

I just used scrap untreated wood this year with mushroom compost and native soil mix. Been nice with all the rain.

 

['borohunter]

I've always used treated 2x8's with no issues. I think the soil makes more of a difference - mix in a good compost (I used pine bark and mushroom compost) and garden has always done well.

 

['borohunter]

Top dress every spring before planting.

 

[Popcorn]

We took cedar logs to the local mill and had them saw them into 2 inch thick boards, that was 6 years ago. Last year we added boxes sawn from cypress. We love them both. Built some 30 inches tall to accommadate my bad joints! Imagine gardening standing.

 

[Mike Belt]

I usually opt for a ground garden because I usually over plant. I'd rather throw food out than not have enough. However, my brother-in-law does the raised gardens and I'm always surprised at just how much food he does get out of them.

 

[Popcorn]

We found far greater production in raised beds and in 1/8 or less the space. Not to mention much easier to tend.

 

[karl struck]

I like raised beds. There easy for me to deal with. Soil stays loose and easier to weed. If it rains a lot the plants don't drown. If you want a huge garden it may not be the best way to go.

 

[LA man]

I have one raised bed made from some 6x6's that were give to me. We like it but it would cost a fortune to make them for my entire garden

 

[GMB54]

I have 3 4ftx4ft raised beds. I can get around 5 pepper plants in them. I really prefer fabric pots though. You can also buy fabric raised beds. Have not tried one of those but the pots work great.

You can make your own fairly cheap with high quality fabric weed barrier and welded wire. Make sure to use the breathable weed barrier fabric. DONT use regular soil. Use a mix made for raised beds. I use a mix made with a lot of aged pine bark fines in it....40% pines fines/40% compost/20% rice hulls. That mix is a bit pricey for large beds but not bad for smaller stuff or mixed with a little good topsoil. Composting centers usually have a similar raised bed mix for around $40 per cubic yard.