Raised beds/frames

[flyboy718]

How deep does the soil need to be in a raised bed/frame for brocolii, cauliflower, lettuce, pepper, tomatoe, squash?

 

[catjac1975]

As deep as possible. It gives the plants the most topsoil to work with. Mine are 6-12 inches depending on location. This is as aesthetic choice.

 

[lesa]

None of the veggies you mentioned are root vegetables... so you really don't need to overdo it on the depth. Start with what you can afford and add organic matter to it each year- and you should be fine.

 

[wsmoak]

It depends on what the soil and drainage are like underneath. That is, why are you doing raised beds?

If you are working with hard packed clay that refuses to drain, then the deeper the better! If your soil is generally okay and you're doing raised beds mostly for convenience or looks, then you don't _need_ to go very deep at all (but you may _want_ to.)

I have half a dozen permanent raised beds that are 12" tall (though they are not filled al the way up.) Then I have a bunch more rectangles of various sizes that I set down wherever I want to grow something and toss some dirt in. Those are about 6" tall and maybe get 4" of dirt in them. They are mostly there to mark where the plants are so no one steps on them or drags a hose over them.

-Wendy

 

[flyboy718]

It depends on what the soil and drainage are like underneath. That is, why are you doing raised beds?

If you are working with hard packed clay that refuses to drain, then the deeper the better! If your soil is generally okay and you're doing raised beds mostly for convenience or looks, then you don't _need_ to go very deep at all (but you may _want_ to.)

I have half a dozen permanent raised beds that are 12" tall (though they are not filled al the way up.) Then I have a bunch more rectangles of various sizes that I set down wherever I want to grow something and toss some dirt in. Those are about 6" tall and maybe get 4" of dirt in them. They are mostly there to mark where the plants are so no one steps on them or drags a hose over them.

-Wendy

I am actually going to be using raised beds to create more growing areas in my backyard this year. I already have a little 15' X 8' garden area...but I need more and need to isolate a few types of veggies such as tomato.

 

[HunkieDorie23]

If you are starting from scratch and you putting it over grass you might want to try a lasagna garden.

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm

I used this for my herb garden a couple of years ago. I am redoing them this year but only to make it bigger and to change the border. I am going to use the lasagna method though.

 

[skeeter9]

Mine are 12" deep with about 10" of soil in them. They are placed on top of dirt that is like solid granite. I didn't have any problem with tomatoes, squash, bush beans, carrots, and some herbs in them (except for the burrowing rodents who somehow managed to dig through the granite, even though we can't get through it with a jack hammer!).

 

[flyboy718]

If you are starting from scratch and you putting it over grass you might want to try a lasagna garden.

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm

I used this for my herb garden a couple of years ago. I am redoing them this year but only to make it bigger and to change the border. I am going to use the lasagna method though.

Thanks! I am going to become a lasagna gardener!

 

[lillie]

Last summer I gave the Square Foot Gardening thing a try and we built 2 beds that are 4' by 4', 6" deep, and 4 1' by 6' beds (also 6" deep). They all worked really well for what I grew even with just 6" of soil. I didn't grow any root vegetables though.

Of course you can always make them deeper if you'd like, but if you can come across one of the books (or just look it up online) there are great ideas for adding things to your raised beds such as a chicken wire cover to keep bunnies & deer out (which we did, and it worked great!), and ideas to make season extenders & trellises & such.

 

[flyboy718]

Last summer I gave the Square Foot Gardening thing a try and we built 2 beds that are 4' by 4', 6" deep, and 4 1' by 6' beds (also 6" deep). They all worked really well for what I grew even with just 6" of soil. I didn't grow any root vegetables though.

Of course you can always make them deeper if you'd like, but if you can come across one of the books (or just look it up online) there are great ideas for adding things to your raised beds such as a chicken wire cover to keep bunnies & deer out (which we did, and it worked great!), and ideas to make season extenders & trellises & such.

I finished my first one yesterday, made it out of pallet lumber and scrap 2X4's, It's 4X4 and 7 1/2" deep, it cost me only the 8 screws I used to put it together with. Can't wait to get some soil in it. The season extender you mentioned has me interested! Hmmm...I have some 1/2" and 1/4" PVC pipe that I could probably bend into a hoop shape and then I can get some clear/opaque plastic and have tomato's in the winter time in my Zone 8a??