10 thoughts on “What is the best material for garden beds?”
(Sorry to intrude… this is Kay, following up on your wool question). Linen may work, but is probably going to be more expensive than wool, and will drape more roundly than wool does. Muslin is way too light for a cloak. Look at the softly spun polyester suitings and similar for cheap. Actually, I can often get decent wool flannel and the like for $ 5-8/yard.)
As to your raised beds… how long do they need to last? In a cool climate, plain ol’ 5/4 cedar will last at least 5 years, more likely 10; untreated 2×4 will usually last at least 4-5. Cement block is good for permanent, and you can also just build up the bed with sloped sides — essentially a long mound — and simply repair it a bit in the spring by shoveling the washout back to the middle. This is also a much easier construction technique for incorporating compost and similar materials into later.
Someone asked me to put in a raised bed garden for them. Besides the obvious costs of materials, how much should I charge for my time? I’m assuming it will take about 2- 3 hours max. It’s a 6 ft bed by 3 ft wide. Thanks for any help you can give.
I’d prefer some type of wood but ive heard you cannot use treated pine sleepers as they have arsenic in them ( for eating crops) Im really adverse to brick/haeble because its so permanent and a bit hard to make. Will normal wood raised beds rot, and hwo would you make them on a slanting area.
I’m planning a complete overhaul of my very small backyard in the spring. I’m talking raising stone flower beds along fence line, addition of small pond and trees. If I clear the entire yard i.e. there’s nothing but dirt there, what preparation should I do for the winter? I’m in colorado and it’ll definitely get below zero. Should I cover the area? Or I was thinking to thouroughly cover it with grass seed before the first snow and fertilizer, but to be honest I’m clueless.
Last year I installed some raised beds in my garden. Between the beds I laid landscaping cloth and covered it pine bark mulch. This year I find that pine bark mulch is a great growing medium for all kinds of stuff, even strawberries. It also floats well and since I garden on a down slope, that’s not too good. What is the best product to use to cover the cloth, hold it in place, not puncture it and won’t grow grass?
At the minute i have a little porch out the front and french doors leading out to the garden, which is fenced with a lowish fence, the gate is next to the little porch. Outside the porch and french doors there are small white stones but weeds have grown through them, the rest of the garden is dull looking grass!
This is my new house and i want to change it from the previous owners. I also dislike the white stones.
All ideas welcome
They need to be cleaned often and the pet shop bedding works out expensive. Considering shredded newspaper, leaves or sawdust from the timber yard. I would like to compost the used bedding for the garden as well. Any ideas anyone?
I have an organic lasagna garden that was doing pretty good until a couple months ago when it rained for a week straight and all of my plants died, I’m assuming due to drowning. I am going to dig it up, add more layers, and put the dirt back down and leave it alone until spring. Is there any special way I should arrange it so that the drainage is better the next time around? Or is there something I’m supposed to do to protect the plants when it rains that much?
1 acre site clay base with about 2inchs of soil on top,tops been scraped with machine,water lying on top of ground we also have a lot of twitch.which way is best way to tackle it.kill twitch first and then drainage, or vice versa.thinking of raised beds.
(Sorry to intrude… this is Kay, following up on your wool question). Linen may work, but is probably going to be more expensive than wool, and will drape more roundly than wool does. Muslin is way too light for a cloak. Look at the softly spun polyester suitings and similar for cheap. Actually, I can often get decent wool flannel and the like for $ 5-8/yard.)
As to your raised beds… how long do they need to last? In a cool climate, plain ol’ 5/4 cedar will last at least 5 years, more likely 10; untreated 2×4 will usually last at least 4-5. Cement block is good for permanent, and you can also just build up the bed with sloped sides — essentially a long mound — and simply repair it a bit in the spring by shoveling the washout back to the middle. This is also a much easier construction technique for incorporating compost and similar materials into later.
What should be used for garden bed lines (in the front of the house)?
Someone asked me to put in a raised bed garden for them. Besides the obvious costs of materials, how much should I charge for my time? I’m assuming it will take about 2- 3 hours max. It’s a 6 ft bed by 3 ft wide. Thanks for any help you can give.
I’d prefer some type of wood but ive heard you cannot use treated pine sleepers as they have arsenic in them ( for eating crops) Im really adverse to brick/haeble because its so permanent and a bit hard to make. Will normal wood raised beds rot, and hwo would you make them on a slanting area.
I’m planning a complete overhaul of my very small backyard in the spring. I’m talking raising stone flower beds along fence line, addition of small pond and trees. If I clear the entire yard i.e. there’s nothing but dirt there, what preparation should I do for the winter? I’m in colorado and it’ll definitely get below zero. Should I cover the area? Or I was thinking to thouroughly cover it with grass seed before the first snow and fertilizer, but to be honest I’m clueless.
Last year I installed some raised beds in my garden. Between the beds I laid landscaping cloth and covered it pine bark mulch. This year I find that pine bark mulch is a great growing medium for all kinds of stuff, even strawberries. It also floats well and since I garden on a down slope, that’s not too good. What is the best product to use to cover the cloth, hold it in place, not puncture it and won’t grow grass?
At the minute i have a little porch out the front and french doors leading out to the garden, which is fenced with a lowish fence, the gate is next to the little porch. Outside the porch and french doors there are small white stones but weeds have grown through them, the rest of the garden is dull looking grass!
This is my new house and i want to change it from the previous owners. I also dislike the white stones.
All ideas welcome
They need to be cleaned often and the pet shop bedding works out expensive. Considering shredded newspaper, leaves or sawdust from the timber yard. I would like to compost the used bedding for the garden as well. Any ideas anyone?
I have an organic lasagna garden that was doing pretty good until a couple months ago when it rained for a week straight and all of my plants died, I’m assuming due to drowning. I am going to dig it up, add more layers, and put the dirt back down and leave it alone until spring. Is there any special way I should arrange it so that the drainage is better the next time around? Or is there something I’m supposed to do to protect the plants when it rains that much?
1 acre site clay base with about 2inchs of soil on top,tops been scraped with machine,water lying on top of ground we also have a lot of twitch.which way is best way to tackle it.kill twitch first and then drainage, or vice versa.thinking of raised beds.