A question about building raised beds

17 years ago

Hello, all!

My name is Emmie, and my DH and I are hoping to transform our 6' wide by 20' long vegetable garden into a raised bed. We grow a few herbs, but we mostly grow vegetables. My DH is a vegetable hater, and I love them, so this is one way we can avoid power struggles in the produce aisle ;-) I usually grow tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and zucchini, and if I have room I put in something else like brocolli or green beans, or something "different" like hot peppers or leeks. I have some back issues, so raised beds would simplify weeding and such. One long side and one short side of the bed is bordered by a concrete slab. It is on the south by southwest portion of the property, so it gets full sun all day long.

I did a search on Gardenweb, and found a link that was posted here in April '06, with directions for building a frame for raised beds. I'll include the link below; it's from Sunset magazine. It looks very simple, and we are hoping we can go ahead and try it! I have a few questions to ask first. If, at any point, you feel I would be better off asking in another forum, please let me know!

1) These beds are 4' by 8', and our one bed is 6' by 20'. Has anyone tried these this large, or would we be better off making two smaller beds?

2) The article mentions using oil-based stain. Does anyone have suggestions of what would be a "safe" stain? Should I even worry about chemicals leeching into the soil? (At least I'm not going to use railroad ties!)

3) We seem to have some issues with our soil, and so I would like to try "lasagna gardening" in these beds to help eliminate that. (To be specific: for some reason, the tomatoes always look a little sickly.) Has anyone tried this method in these types of beds? If so, I would love to hear about your experiences!

Thank you in advance for any information, advice, or comments you can share!

Take care,

Emmie

Here is a link that might be useful: Instruction for raised beds

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

wolfe15136
17 years ago
Well, I have a much smaller potager, in raised beds. One problem I have is that they are not accessible from all sides. I find I have trouble reaching all the way back, and these beds are only 3 ft x 4ft.

I didn't stain, but I now wish I had lined them with landscape cloth as I have had trouble with aggressive weeds coming in from the neighbor's yard, tree roots and rodents. I plan to remove the soil and line them this spring.

I use the soil mix recommended by the "square ft garden" guy : equal parts vermiculite, peat moss and compost (cow manure)because the native soil is a very heavy clay.

Hope this helps!
boondoggle
17 years ago
I remember either in the square foot or the organic forum that people used linseed oil mixed with wood ashes (I think) to treat the lumber for their beds. It's worth a search.

My beds aren't raised, but I've had the one long- or several short-beds debate myself. I've settled on shorter beds for now, because it's easier to arrange plants with similar needs in them. Also, I don't have to go all the way around the garden just to get a shovel that I left on the wrong side of the bed. On the downside, I do regret losing a little bit of gardening space.

If you can't decide, you could buy corner stakes for raised beds that allow you the option of changing things around. I've not tried them myself, and they're a bit expensive. But it does keep your options open. (See link, about 3/4's way down the page. Many sites offer these joints, btw.)

Good luck with your plans.

Here is a link that might be useful: corner joints
Related Professionals
Saint Matthews Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Boca Raton Landscape Contractors · College Park Landscape Contractors · East Hanover Landscape Contractors · Flagstaff Landscape Contractors · Fort Atkinson Landscape Contractors · Hayward Landscape Contractors · Lakeville Landscape Contractors · Lancaster Landscape Contractors · Melrose Park Landscape Contractors · Mission Viejo Landscape Contractors · Ridgewood Landscape Contractors · Hueytown Landscape Contractors · Eastvale Swimming Pool Builders · West Hollywood Swimming Pool Builders
myoneandonly
17 years ago
Emmie, I, too, am pondering the same questions. I intend to make my beds 4 x 8 as I read that one can reach two feet in from each side comfortably and it's not so long as to be inconveniet as mentioned by Wolfe. You said you were having some soil problems and I wondered if the long expanse of concrete is having an effect on the ph of your soil. You might consider a soil test. Really, with the broad array of veggies you're growing, you sound like a wonderful gardener. Best of luck.

Oh, and Wolfe's idea on a landscaping cloth liner...I'll bet that can make a huge difference.
manzomecorvus
17 years ago
emmie,

y'all sound like you know what y'all are doing but heres a couple of old threads to check out:
how big?

lasagna gardening