raised bed gardening
- Thread starter 19Dawn76
- Start date
Hattie the Hen
Deeply Rooted
19Dawn76 
Take a look at Catalina's raised bed's on
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25175
This thread shows her wonderful garden throughout this last growing season & it is an inspiration to us all on TEG. Both Reinbeau & HiDelight also have extensive areas of raised beds which are very productive & beautiful.
I have a few over here in the UK but no photographs unfortunately.
:rose Hattie :rose
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- #3
HiDelight
Deeply Rooted
here are some of mine they are mostly on tiers some in my chicken yard ..I have 16 of them now ..combining flowers herbs and vegetables in each one is my goal
I just love how they look and how easy they are to deal with! seriously I can not imagine not using this method if you have a choice!
good luck
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25351642@N04/page2/
I just love how they look and how easy they are to deal with! seriously I can not imagine not using this method if you have a choice!
good luck
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25351642@N04/page2/
4grandbabies
Deeply Rooted
HIDelight, I just took a tour of the link you presented. I am so inspired. You must feel like you live in the most wonderful setting on earth. Just wanted you to know that "tour" has lifted my spirits and started my day off in a wonderful way.!
row
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- #6
I just spoke with a man that had an ad on craigslist and he has some beds for sale he said were waist high that he built out of wood pallets. My husband said he could get all the wood pallets I wanted from his work. Waist high sounds like a very good idea.
HiDelight I love your garden pics!! Lovely! Thanks for the response.
HiDelight I love your garden pics!! Lovely! Thanks for the response.
simple life
Garden Ornament
The only thing about waist hight is that you need alot of soil to fill them and some times its actually harder to reach when they are that high especially if you want to till them, work compost in etc.
HiDelight
Deeply Rooted
thank you guys so much for the kind words this garden is a labor of love...heartache ..tears!
one hint and btw I love the idea of tall raised beds for your back ...but you do have to come up with filler first ....I think doing a layered self composting type set up would be the best idea to fill something that tall or lots of rocks and stuff to fill space ..unless you are lucky enough to have tons of free soil and the energy to fill the beds ..beds that high would be hard to just dump a wheelbarrow full of dirt in! ...be careful of the wood and what/how it is treated so you do not add more toxins to your soil ...
also if you import soil make sure you have it tested ..we already have a problem with heavy metals here so I have to lime lime lime spring and fall to keep the pH up and the heavy metals in the soil and not in my plants ...but I was very angry when I was going to buy a mix for my vegetable beds and the owners of this company that sells soil told me "no" when I wanted to test it ..well I scooped a bit up and put it in my pocket then sent it off to a friend who owns a lab to be tested ..omg it was loaded with lead, mercury and arsenic!!! I was so angry that they were so willing to sell me toxic soil! if they truly did not know and I believe they did ..why not let folks test before buying
the second place we went to was very happy even bagged up a few randomn samples as we walked around and gave them to me! and asked if I would share the report with them when it came (they tested but wanted to compare their results with mine ..and they showed me theirs!!!) it was perfectly clean and safe to use ..not to mention much cheaper than the place with the added heavy metals!!! go figure ..
so just a hint for a few bucks you can have some peace of mind knowing your soil is safe if you test it before buying it and filling your beds..if you have a source that you can dig for your beds ..still be safe and test it ..you not only find out about what you need to add to make the right recipe for growing ..but you can test it make sure it is safe!!! ..everyone should ..and as I found out after a complete meltdown over our soil here where I live (years of Asarco dumping in the the air and water did serious damage to the land and water around the Puget Sound) .
I did learn that there are very simple things you can do to clean up and make your soil safe to grow in ...and I have worked hard to do that!
every paradise has it's own demons ! mine comes in the form of heavy metals ...
anyway I learned a lot about botany and soil science! and have had produce tested and nothing so far! it is all very clean free of heavy metal and wonderful to eat!
for planning your raised beds ...how about the Square Foot guru??? you can check out Mel Bartholomew and is Square Foot gardening site online ..just google him and you will find his page ..lots of good info there...I have never been that organized but have used his ideas to base my beds and keep things going all year if possible ..
well good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
no lovely produce, no weeding and fluffy perfect soil you can work on to make the best ever in raised beds
it was a lot of work to get it all set up but now we add beds when we see wood on sale and find them so nice I can not imagine gardening any other way!
one hint and btw I love the idea of tall raised beds for your back ...but you do have to come up with filler first ....I think doing a layered self composting type set up would be the best idea to fill something that tall or lots of rocks and stuff to fill space ..unless you are lucky enough to have tons of free soil and the energy to fill the beds ..beds that high would be hard to just dump a wheelbarrow full of dirt in! ...be careful of the wood and what/how it is treated so you do not add more toxins to your soil ...
also if you import soil make sure you have it tested ..we already have a problem with heavy metals here so I have to lime lime lime spring and fall to keep the pH up and the heavy metals in the soil and not in my plants ...but I was very angry when I was going to buy a mix for my vegetable beds and the owners of this company that sells soil told me "no" when I wanted to test it ..well I scooped a bit up and put it in my pocket then sent it off to a friend who owns a lab to be tested ..omg it was loaded with lead, mercury and arsenic!!! I was so angry that they were so willing to sell me toxic soil! if they truly did not know and I believe they did ..why not let folks test before buying
the second place we went to was very happy even bagged up a few randomn samples as we walked around and gave them to me! and asked if I would share the report with them when it came (they tested but wanted to compare their results with mine ..and they showed me theirs!!!) it was perfectly clean and safe to use ..not to mention much cheaper than the place with the added heavy metals!!! go figure ..
so just a hint for a few bucks you can have some peace of mind knowing your soil is safe if you test it before buying it and filling your beds..if you have a source that you can dig for your beds ..still be safe and test it ..you not only find out about what you need to add to make the right recipe for growing ..but you can test it make sure it is safe!!! ..everyone should ..and as I found out after a complete meltdown over our soil here where I live (years of Asarco dumping in the the air and water did serious damage to the land and water around the Puget Sound) .
I did learn that there are very simple things you can do to clean up and make your soil safe to grow in ...and I have worked hard to do that!
every paradise has it's own demons ! mine comes in the form of heavy metals ...
anyway I learned a lot about botany and soil science! and have had produce tested and nothing so far! it is all very clean free of heavy metal and wonderful to eat!
for planning your raised beds ...how about the Square Foot guru??? you can check out Mel Bartholomew and is Square Foot gardening site online ..just google him and you will find his page ..lots of good info there...I have never been that organized but have used his ideas to base my beds and keep things going all year if possible ..
well good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
no lovely produce, no weeding and fluffy perfect soil you can work on to make the best ever in raised beds
it was a lot of work to get it all set up but now we add beds when we see wood on sale and find them so nice I can not imagine gardening any other way!
Ladyhawke1
Deeply Rooted
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My sentiments exactly. I started my garden this year with this SFGardening style and I personally have had great success with it. Not everyone likes it and that is OK. But for me with the brown thumb it was a miracle.HiDelight said:thank you guys so much for the kind words this garden is a labor of love...heartache ..tears!
one hint and btw I love the idea of tall raised beds for your back ...but you do have to come up with filler first ....I think doing a layered self composting type set up would be the best idea to fill something that tall or lots of rocks and stuff to fill space ..unless you are lucky enough to have tons of free soil and the energy to fill the beds ..beds that high would be hard to just dump a wheelbarrow full of dirt in! ...be careful of the wood and what/how it is treated so you do not add more toxins to your soil ...
also if you import soil make sure you have it tested ..we already have a problem with heavy metals here so I have to lime lime lime spring and fall to keep the pH up and the heavy metals in the soil and not in my plants ...but I was very angry when I was going to buy a mix for my vegetable beds and the owners of this company that sells soil told me "no" when I wanted to test it ..well I scooped a bit up and put it in my pocket then sent it off to a friend who owns a lab to be tested ..omg it was loaded with lead, mercury and arsenic!!! I was so angry that they were so willing to sell me toxic soil! if they truly did not know and I believe they did ..why not let folks test before buying
the second place we went to was very happy even bagged up a few randomn samples as we walked around and gave them to me! and asked if I would share the report with them when it came (they tested but wanted to compare their results with mine ..and they showed me theirs!!!) it was perfectly clean and safe to use ..not to mention much cheaper than the place with the added heavy metals!!! go figure ..
so just a hint for a few bucks you can have some peace of mind knowing your soil is safe if you test it before buying it and filling your beds..if you have a source that you can dig for your beds ..still be safe and test it ..you not only find out about what you need to add to make the right recipe for growing ..but you can test it make sure it is safe!!! ..everyone should ..and as I found out after a complete meltdown over our soil here where I live (years of Asarco dumping in the the air and water did serious damage to the land and water around the Puget Sound) .
I did learn that there are very simple things you can do to clean up and make your soil safe to grow in ...and I have worked hard to do that!
every paradise has it's own demons ! mine comes in the form of heavy metals ...
anyway I learned a lot about botany and soil science! and have had produce tested and nothing so far! it is all very clean free of heavy metal and wonderful to eat!
for planning your raised beds ...how about the Square Foot guru??? you can check out Mel Bartholomew and is Square Foot gardening site online ..just google him and you will find his page ..lots of good info there...I have never been that organized but have used his ideas to base my beds and keep things going all year if possible ..
well good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
no lovely produce, no weeding and fluffy perfect soil you can work on to make the best ever in raised beds
it was a lot of work to get it all set up but now we add beds when we see wood on sale and find them so nice I can not imagine gardening any other way!
PS: I bought the Square Food Garden Book. $20.00
obsessed
Deeply Rooted
I have a few raised beds that range from 6" to 12"+ inches. The 6" is easier to keep moist where as the taller ones dry out way faster. And then there is the dirt to fill them. I got two yards of dirt and it cost me 180 from a nursury but I don't have a truck and had to have it delivered. To contrast that 18 yards of filled dirt can be delivered for 250 but that isn't something that I want to grow in.
So I think waist high dirt will be expensive.
And hard to work in like HiD said. I think that unless you need it that high for physical reason it might be more work than worth it.
This next year I also intend on doing some of the SF gardening... we shall see how that works out!
So I think waist high dirt will be expensive.
And hard to work in like HiD said. I think that unless you need it that high for physical reason it might be more work than worth it.
This next year I also intend on doing some of the SF gardening... we shall see how that works out!
