Raised Bed Sizes

[lupinfarm]

My cinderblocks are frozen in place lol so I'm repurposing some rough sawn 2x10x12ft pine I have hanging around that isn't going to get used on my run-in shelter since I'm going with hemlock as my kick boards to add weight.

I'd like to keep most of my raised beds the same size, I have a big deep one for doing potatoes in along with a bunch of tubs/buckets for my potatos (the big one is an old solid wood television unit that we found in our garage when we moved in).

I have a large bed I intend on trying out either blueberries or blackberries in that is 5ft x 20ft...

Anyone else have a garden full of 4x4 raised beds? My garden has to be practical and pretty lol...

 

[patandchickens]

That rough-sawn pine isn't going to last long for raised beds. Maybe you should save it for building things, where it WILL be useful for a good long while. The cinderblocks will thaw out of the ground long before you can actually plant anywhere, so there is no hurry, right?

If you are wanting to dump winter stall- or coop-cleanings where the beds will go (although you don't want to be planting into just that, it is way too composty and very unlikely to be balanced in nutrients) you can make piles where you want the beds to go, then in Spring push the edges back, line the cinderblocks up, and re-level the beds.

4x4 is a common size for raised beds. If you are somewhat limited in the total area you have available, or in the amount of edging material (remembering that edging is pretty much optional), longer beds, still only 4' wide at the most, are more efficient, as they waste less area on paths between beds and use less edging material. If neither of those things is a concern, just do whatever floats yer boat

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

I only have a little bit of the rough sawn pine, so perhaps I'll make one bed out of the pine ... I can get rough sawn Hemlock for cheaper than pine. Would hemlock be a good idea? I can't buy rough sawn cedar at all.

My only concern with the hemlock is being able to cut it. We had hemlock shelves in one of our outbuildings and we couldn't cut it with a saw at all!

 

[patandchickens]

Seems like a waste of *hemlock* too It is not especially rot-resistant either. What's wrong with cinderblocks? Or just hill the beds up, the dirt will stay in place on its own -- if you want a decorative edging, lay cedar rails/posts/trunks/whatever to outline them, or use rows of rocks or something?

Not that you *can't* use lumber, but to use something like that, that'll rot through within a fairly few years but could be used for a LONG time in a structure, just seems kind of wasteful, doesn't it?

JMHO,

GOod luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

Well the point with hemlock is that bugs don't like it. But anyway, mum wants to use the cinderblocks now for a garden wall. We seem to have a congregation of the entire worlds weeds here due to a neglectful past owner so just mounding soil ain't gonna happen lol. I found that the bed with the least weeds was my big raised one, which I think we're doing in blueberries. Most raised beds round here are made from pine, hemlock is super cheap because its so hard to work with and its so plentiful hence why I'd like to use it.

 

[GrowsLotsaPeppers]

The pine will have little rot resistance. The hemlock modestly more.

But if that's what you have, and it's cheap, you can get yourself five good years of raised beds, before you'll likely want to redo them. And five years from now, who knows what you'll have on hand? Or what life will be like?

Here, in redwood country, though, we use redwood. And pay for it. But pines are not that much cheaper, unless we cut them ourselves. And pay to have them sawed.

Press forward with the project. Veggies are awaiting you!

 

[simple life]

I have all various sized raised beds in my garden and I set them up so it looks pretty.
I like having the small, medium and large for different things.
I have some that are 4x4 like you said, mostly use those sizes for beets and radishes.
I use the 4x8 foot beds for tomatoes and things that need more room.
Go ahead and make them whatever size is convenient, you can alway change them around later if you don't like it.
I would use whatever would you have on hand, if you get a few years out of it before it needs to be replaced then its worth it.
Its not hard to move the soil and put a new frame down when the time comes, especially if they are only 4x4.
I moved my garden around last year and it didn't take long to move the soil.
You mentioned that you want it to be pretty and the wood will look better than the cinder blocks.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[obsessed]

I have 3 4 x8 and 3 4 x4. I wouldn't want them much bigger than that and the 4x4 are the easiest because they are accessible from all sides where as the 4 x 8 are only accessible in two sides.

 

[lesa]

If you use the cinder blocks you could dress them up....I would fill top course with dirt and plant something that would drape over the sides. I love allysum for this, or vinca vine, ivy, etc. Creeping thyme works nicely, if you want only food. Can't wait to see what you decide to do! Enjoy!