Raised veggie beds

[Kale]

What's your opinion and experience.

I have mine, but asking for yours..

Please post them here!

Do you have any?
How big are they ?
How long have you had them?
Anything you have to say about them is fine!


Kale

 

[Whit1]

My entire veggie garden, about 20yds x 10yds is raised with RR ties. The gentle slope of the land in our backyard allows for this and I do like it. I built mine almost 20 yrs. ago.

 

[prettylady]

I want to keep an eye on this...I want raised beds in the veggie garden...going to start with an asparagus bed this next year...
I have access to all the railroad ties I want...son buy/sells and loads them for the railroad in neighboring county...
Peggy

 

[Kale]

Just to get an idea,I have organized these differently for easier travel with the wheelbarrows and stuff.
I used recycled wood I received from my neighbor (who has a wife that hates mulch!) And cinder blocks from a lady in the neighborhood that replaced her front porch.I made a 2nd bed near the rectangle bed behind garage and made that one smaller. I plan to replace the cinders with 4x4 if I make it financially through the winter. I have many more beds, it keeps me limited (although, I keep expanding them.But it does keep me within reason)*LOL
I like the neat and tidy look and need to be able to wheelbarrow my way about. I have several inches of fresh untreated wood chips in the rows.

Kale

 

[Kale]

NO RAISED BEDS ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Whit, what do you grow and how do you rotate crops?

I have a hard time rotating due to the same family veggies are grown,I try to stick peas and beans in between cycles.


Prettylady, Asparagus takes a 3year cycle,(here in MI. I think anywhere but then again not certain) what do you plan if anything to be planted with it?
How much are you looking to grow? You are a patient gardener!

Kale

 

[Mainegal]

I had an old water bed frame that I used until it rotted away then replaced it with bricks. I have 3 and have weed barrier fabric between them so I can use the wheelbarrow. I have flowers in mine. Have to keep the veggies fenced in to keep the deer away. I have a friend that made some without anything around them and has walk ways in between with weed barrier fabric down. Her dirt doesn't seem to get washed away with heavy rains by not having anything around them to hold the dirt.

 

[Randy]

I had built some at our last house, but didn't do that here.

 

[Dor]

I used raised beds for my veggies for the first time last year. I have two and will be adding three more. They are 5X5 and made out of 2X6's. The new ones I am going to use will be made from 2X12's because the other two are not deep enough and my clay soil is too hard to dig any further down. I may add another height of 2X 6's to made the first two deeper. I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, red, yellow and red bell peppers, onions, and mustard greens.

 

[Kale]

Mainegal, do you remember that herb garden we (my daughter & I ) did with that bunkbed frame ?
It is still standing! And my daughter hasnt killed her plants! I keep making cuttings/starters*LOL
She has a very nice herb bed.
I love raised beds,they served me well until the lady behind me had her husband/boyfriend put up a 6ft fence Didn't like Vertical Gardening Shame on me letting my veggies grow higher then a 4ft fence for all to see
I moved a few beds more east to get some sun.I have no choice but to plant veggies everywhere *LOL
Most beds are raised.
I was going to redesign again this year. Not sure.... my wheelbarrow is overflowing with work come the first workable day out doors.
Raised beds work wonders for me, they really keep me rational and neat and organized.
I have about a foot high of wood chips for wheelbarrow paths I lay them ever other season.

Kale

 

[Dor]

Here's a picture of my two raised beds. I have 9 tomatoes, 6 bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and onions. I really need to get 2-3 more to add other things planted. Three of my tomatoes are blooming.

 

[Dor]

Here's the 2nd one.

 

[richnkim]

I have 3 beds right now. Mine are 2 x 5. We made them out of 2 x 8 's and 2 x 4's. I have to have raised beds. The first two are on top of the ground completely. The third one, Richard put in the ground a little. The first 2 have really taken work to keep the water in. We finally put some dirt around the edges. I have lettuce still doing good in one (not sure how long), gets hot here. I put some bush beans in with what lettuce is left in the box. Carrots in between. Number 2 box has 4 tomato plants with some marigolds in between, and 4 pepper plants in the corners. The tomatoes have blooms and I had to stake them today. Number 3 box has yellow squash, grey zucchini, and scallop squash. They are getting big. I put some bamboo stakes in today with cotton string around to get them to grow up. I have cukes in with them. I am going to train them to grow on poles and string. We are making another one this weekend. It is going to be narrow and long. The place that I have left to put it is along my east fence. It is going to be only 18-inches wide but probably 8-ft long. It will have the new tomato plants that I have coming.

Kale, I like mine because they do keep things a little neater for me. I can work each bed without having to go in between rows.

 

[Dor]

Mine raised beds are 5X5 and the new ones are going to be 4X8 so that I can put them together myself. I will just have to buy the 2x12 x 8 and have HD cut only 1 in half for me. I can then screw them together at the corners. I am going to just lay the topsoil down on the east side of the house next to the fence and did just layer my shredded newspapers and put the compost and everything else on top to ldo a makeshift lasagna garden for my beans. I will be going to HD in the morning early. The topsoil is $1.05 a bag so I will get as many bags as I can get in the van. I can just lay them down and cut the bags open and leave the plastic to kill the grass. I got that from Dizzy. My arthritis is to bad that I can't dig up all that grass. I will get my yardman to get garden mix next Saturday to fill the 2 raised beds I want to get together this week.

I want to grow bush and pole beans, butterbeans, okra, and squash along the fence. Also cantaloupe and the mini pumpkins. In my raised beds. I will put some cucumbers zuchinni, and hot peppers in my raised beds. I will have some more tomatoes to set out.

I have some marigolds and nasturiums in my raised beds but the nasturiums will have a new home this week.

 

[richnkim]

What a great trick, Mis Dor. I didn't think of putting the plastic bags down.

I have 2 nasturiums in one of mine as well. but they are getting to big. I put some seeds in my front bed and I think I will move those 2 out there as well. I am going to buy some more hot pepper plants and put some in with my ne tomatoes.

 

[sunflower3]

I will have 3- 8x6x4 stainless steal ones here in about a week. one I plant green beans in, one is for my lilies and the other is for beets,carrots,spinach,lettuce, radishes. I plan to lasagna garden them so they will have nice dirt in them for growing my plants.

 

[Crabbergirl]

I had a friend who came by some huge sewer pipe. He cut them lenght wise and made 2x4 stands for them. He capped the ends and drilled drain holes. That was the coolest raised bed I have ever seen and he never had a weed. He actually made them so you did not have to bend over at all to plant. Each "tube" contained somethng, from strawberries to squash. I often think when I get where I can not longer bend ( coming fast too by the way) that I will have something like that.

 

[IronKnees]

I have used wide row raised beds for over 25 years, albeit slightly different than the permanent "raised bed." I use my TroyBilt Tiller to ready the garden, then make several passes in the area I intend to "raise." I then use my heavy garden rake to pull up the soil from the sides to raise the bed, leaving narrow walkways in between... I do NOT do this with my onions, but I do use this method on carrots and beets and other root crops... I think the accompanying picture will help you see what I do... Also, in my experience these beds produce much better carrots and beets and tend to conserve water and stay warm better...

 

[Bernie]

Raised beds are fantastic. I find the soil warms up earlier in the season, drains well, it never becomes compacted and I get much fewer weeds. I am not sure if my veggie garden should be considered raised beds or containers. I love that I don’t need to bend over to plant or harvest my veggies and I can easily keep track of and rotate things from year to year. Click on this link and check out post #38 to see what my veggie garden looks like.
http://www.gardenforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=512&page=4

 

[Dor]

Well I finally got around to getting my lumber cut at HD for my last 2 raised beds. I bought 2X12 X10 lumber and had it cut in half. I bought enough to make 2 raised beds and yesterday I bought 10 bags of topsoil and had that put down for my lasagna beds and today I bought 7 bags of topsoil and 7 bags of compost. I now need to put down my shredded newspaper. Once I get that done tomorrow or Friday my yardman will be here Saturday he can remove the grass if he wants or I bought 2 tarps to go under the raised beds and up the sides as someone had mentioned(sorry I don't rememember who)and bring in a load of gardening mix and a yard and 1/2 of mulch and finsh what I started. I am so very proud of how my yard and garden is looking. I want to be able to get the rest of my veggies started on the 25th in my area that is a good date. Happy gardening everyone.

 

[Kale]

Dor what is the tarp for and the newspaper?
I sorta lost you there.

10 inches high?
What plants are you planning to grow in the beds?

Kale

Kale