Raised Garden Beds - Easiest & Cheapest
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Suggested materials:
- 2x10x10 (Hardware Store)
- Screws
Comments
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Jrzy on Aug 21, 2017
A few suggestions... the bed shouldn't be wider than you can reach to the center. You won't be able to get those tomatoes in the center or weed when the plants are full grown. 4 ft. wide is good for most. 3 ft. wide if your older and not quite as flexible.
Also, consider dimensional plastic lumber used for decking. Pine will rot and need replacing in about 3 or 4 years. Cedar wood won't last much longer either. I've had plastic lumber now for 20 years and still looks good.
Happy gardening!
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Debbie Grider Barbee on Feb 18, 2019
Remember to check with the lumber yard re: chemicals in the wood i.e. arsenic. Can definI tell be found in old wood used for decks and such. It is not worth the risk to poison yourself or kids. Leave the Roundup at the store and try the natural tricks listed here. Risk of Lymphoma.
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Frequently asked questions
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What are 22s that you refer to? I don't see them in the top or bottom materials but see them in the instructions twice. So eager to make these. Great!!!!
OK, here goes. I'm well past my 60's and want raised beds next year. This year I'm trying the straw bale for cukes. They're thriving so I'm doing something right. Now, on to the raised beds. I need something that's at least knee level and higher would be better. Though expensive, but here to stay, would be a 'stock tanks' like you water cattle with. The one's that are long and narrow. To save expense, I am thinking of loads and loads of paper and cardboard in the bottom. Then add good soil. And, as years go by, add soil as the cardboard and paper morph into more soil. I expect a lot of settling will happen. Does anybody see any pitfalls in this? I'm thinking of getting started with this as soon as my 'crop' this year is harvested. I have tomatoes in pots squash in huge ones as well as my cukes in hay. Do I need to drill holes in the bottom of my purposed tank garden? Do you think this will work?
I haven’t tried growing vegetables before but I like the idea of raised beds. How deep does the soil need to be to let the roots grow freely? Also I’m a senior citizen and thought I would make them at least 2’ tall. I read that someone used cut up plastic bottles to take up some of the depth and help with drainage. I don’t buy plastic bottles very often so is there something else I could use?