raised garden beds
Hopefully the fire ants wont move in either.
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KMS Woodworks on Apr 07, 2013I'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.Helpful Reply
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Better Outdoor Living at Home on Apr 07, 2013I 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. ~MHelpful Reply
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Ouina on Apr 08, 2013Adding 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!Helpful Reply
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Gail Salminen on Apr 08, 2013@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 :)Helpful Reply
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Mary on Feb 13, 2014We 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+planterHelpful Reply
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