raised garden beds
by
Judith B
+2
I want a raised bed for my vegetables and herbs. I need something really simple to put together or an idea of a product already out there. I'm along the gulf coast so the plants will get big. I also have to keep in mind something that will not attract termites.
Hopefully the fire ants wont move in either.
Hopefully the fire ants wont move in either.
5 answers
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I've used some synthetic decking for this...since it is not as stiff as real wood it will need to be braced, for that I have used short lengths of re-bar. I picked up some odd lot material from one of my local lumber yards, since I did not need a "decks worth" I was able to use odd colors etc that only cost about 25% the regular price.
KMS Woodworks
on Apr 07, 2013
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I would use cedar. I'm afraid of chemicals leaching into the soil (and being taken up by the plant root) from treated lumber, and you don't always know where the wood fibers in composite decking come from. Cedar is naturally insect and decay resistant. ~M
Better Outdoor Living at Home
on Apr 07, 2013
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Adding to the conversation, I have raised vegetable beds (live along the lower Texas gulf coast) and am using plastic ready made frames. To solve the invasive bermuda grass issues, I put down 4-6 layers of newspaper followed by a layer of weedmat. Then I placed the 12" deep frames and filled with a mixture of (half and half) compost and topsoil. Our municipality generates compost from the brush/yard trimmings and I buy the "premium" which has a bit more nitrogen. We have a huge problem with fire ants and I have had no problem since I started using the compost. I also spread 2x a year a 1/2" layer of compost on the lawn and in the landscape beds. I add at least 6" of compost to the raised beds at the start of the growing season - for us that is late August with our season running through late April. After a number of years of growing, I have not had a problem with fire ants. Lots of luck and enjoy the veggies!
Ouina
on Apr 08, 2013
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@Judith B our neighbour has one made of patio stones - standing on their sides. They used connectors from lee valley tools and ordered the stones separately - http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=44674&cat=2,2180,33227 they chose plain concrete so looks like something under construction, but with the right choice of stone it could add a lot of character to the yard. They look like 2'X2' stones - 2 wide and 4 long. You could add these one at a time to assess how many you want. Found these sites as well - stone bed http://www.houzz.com/photos/808087/G-Residence-modern-landscape-las-vegas This site uses cement blocks http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/raised-bed-gardening-cheap-and-productive and this site too http://www.ehow.com/how_12035285_build-simple-cinder-block-raised-garden-bed.html No attraction to termites. Do post a pic of what you do. Thanks for posting :)
Gail Salminen
on Apr 08, 2013
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We made our raised beds using garage door panels. If you go to www.lifeatthecottage.com there are details and photos. I also have made an herb planter using old drawers that can be found at http://southernidaholiving.com/?s=Herb+planter
Mary
on Feb 13, 2014
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