Our raised bed project (pics)

[SewingDiva]

Do the beds do better with no bottom? I will line with hardware cloth to keep the gophers and moles out. I just wonder if a wooden bottom or deck bottom would be better in the long run?

Actually I forgot to add: ours are hollow but are lined iwth hardware cloth on the bottom for this very reason!

~Phyllis

 

[Dilly Girl]

Thank you so much. I have to ask this though. Why two feet. Do you need that much? I keep reading where you can plant in as little as six inches. which seems way too little even for my novie opinion. I was going to go 12 inch boxes. Any reason I should or need to go deeper?

Again thank you so much for the reply.

Oh Yes is there a bottom to your boxes?

 

[SewingDiva]

Thank you so much. I have to ask this though. Why two feet. Do you need that much? I keep reading where you can plant in as little as six inches. which seems way too little even for my novie opinion. I was going to go 12 inch boxes. Any reason I should or need to go deeper?

Again thank you so much for the reply.

Oh Yes is there a bottom to your boxes?

Oh you don't need to make a raised bed that high. Our beds are 24 inches because our goal is to create an outdoor room "walled" by a garden because I love the French potager style that mixes vegetables with flowers and herbs. The center section between the beds is big enough for dinning after the pavers go in, and the 24 inch height is also seating.

The beds are bottomless, they rest on the ground, and there is layer of hardware cloth onthe inside to keep critters out.

~Phyllis

 

[pjkobulnicky]

This issues about asparagus in raised beds are twofold:

1. Asparagus is a SHORT season crop ... after it matures enough to be cut ... usually after three years of growth with no or VERY LITTLE harvest ... you only get a few weeks of cuttings and then you leave it alone. That means that your bed is UNPRODUCTIVE the entire rest of the year. In my beds I get two to three long lasting crops in each bed space. A row of lettuce used as cut and come again can last 6-8 weeks of harvest at least. Beets and carrots can stretch out for 6 - 8 weeks ... and then you replace them with a fall crop. Asparagus just sits there hogging the space. Beautiful, mind you, but it will be beautiful anywhere. Speaking of beauty ... you might want to plant it as a fall ornamental in a border with summer annuals in front of it.

Think of your beds as Manhattan real estate ... each sq ft is very valuable and only to be used for high rent skyscrapers. If you don't think that way now, you will as you gain experience. If you take up one bed for tract housing you will eventually regret it but then you will have made the investment of time and not want to start over.

2. Now here is the important part ... if you trench asparagus in the ground (and a foot deep is ample) and fill the trench with good compost/manure , etc ... you are actually creating a low down raised bed. But it should be where you don't care if it is otherwise wasted space. It is impervious to critters and only slightly bothered by asparagus beetles which you can deal with physically. So ... give it a good start with soil and manure and a full sun location, surface manure it in the early winter, remove the old foliage in the late winter and then forget about it except for the occasional removal of gross weeds. We spend about 1 hour a year total on it doing maintenance.

Hope this helps but, the most important point is, make your own decision and don't look back.

 

[pjkobulnicky]

By the way ... I used to live in Storrs, CT and I understand NE soil (or total lack of it). However, we grew fine asparagus there by digging a trench (removing granite rocks actually and replacing the soil.

 

[Dilly Girl]

Sewingdiva??

I just spoke to our local lumber dealer and he told me that using the Trex is not a good idea. I am so bummed and not yet believing his theory.

He said that it should not come into contact with the gorund first, second that in very hot temps, it is likely to warp.

My question is how long have you had your beds? What is your hottest temp in summer? Were you told anything about no dirt contact?

Thanks
Dilly

 

[OCMG]

Trex is decking material, so if you use it on your deck in the summer that means he is saying it will warp on your deck?

This is a quote from the Trex site.

Why is Trex better than wood?
Trex products offer superior durability and performance that you can't get from wood. Trex products wont rot, warp or splinter, and they never require staining or painting to maintain their great looks. Trex products are incredibly safe for the whole family they dont contain any harmful chemicals and the decking boards are slip resistant, meeting ADA codes. And last but not least, Trex offers design flexibility and creative freedom that wood just cant match. You can bend and curve Trex to create unique designs, and you can mix and match colors and finishes for a one-of-a-kind custom look.
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I have seen many projucts with Trex type material made into planters etc. That means they put dirt next to it. And decks are made with the Trex touching the dirt.

I asked the guy who sells it at Home Depot and he said it was a good idea since it lasts so long.

I intend to use it in my raised beds since the wood does warp and rots and does not last as long as this composite.

Google it for yourself and see what all the companies have to say.

I hope this makes you feel better.....:bouquet

 

[Dilly Girl]

I can see the point of never rotting etc. I guess the point he was making about warping is that unless you build with wood a support base to attach the trex it will bend and warp and not hold shape when used in planters. Especially any length. Cost wise you are using wood to substain the Trex. His point is it in the long run for planters is not cost effective. But very eye appealing.

His point about no dirt contact is still up in the air. The manufacturers quote says nothing about earth contact. Decks have no earth contactm where the decking material is used.

SO.....?

 

[S0rcy]

Dilly, the plastic fibers in Trex allow it to go through years and years without any type of ill effect! This is wonderful stuff and I am convinced your dealer is wrong. I seriously doubt earth contact will do anything to it until you want to change it! I just didn't realize it looked so good made into boxes that way!

 

[Dilly Girl]

I agree they are beautiful and why I am going to inquire with the manufacturer. What I was told makes no sense.