# Raised bed gardening



## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

Its not my thing, the ground works ok for me, but a member of our church group suggested on Friday he was going to pay $169 for an "on sale" 8 foot by 8 foot raised bed garden from Costco. I managed to convince him to drive to Home Depot with me instead.

We got 8 - 6 foot long fence posts for $16.  
We got a 150 ft weed barrier for $5
We got 2 yards of sandy loam and mixed in some soil enhancements all for $59
We got 50 ground steaks for 7.97

Now he has a 6 foot wide by 18 foot long raised bed. $88 = 108 square feet


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

8x8 is what two sheets of plywood?


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Excellent job Rip. You have helped your friend become a man.

Something about building it yourself makes me happy. Don't buy no pre-assembled thing-a-ma-jig from Costco. Build it yourself and proclaim loudly to the world that you ain't no wussie-man. Go big or go home I say...


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

For a raised garden bed its just a square/rectangular area above ground.



James m said:


> 8x8 is what two sheets of plywood?


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## Go2ndAmend (Apr 5, 2013)

I was able to save all of the lumber from a deck demo. job earlier this summer. It is 2x6 redwood with 4x4 posts. I spent about a week pulling all of the nails, sorting and stacking the lumber. There is a about a unit of it sitting under a tarp near my shop. I plan on using it all to make raised beds in our new garden area. I also plan on nailing down gopher wire on the bottoms before filling them with dirt to prevent them from eating everything. So many projects, so little time....


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## dsdmmat (Nov 9, 2012)

I had two pallets of landscaping bricks sitting arounf the house doing nothing so one day I decided I would build a raised garden. Of course I have to pick the hottest day of the year to do these type of things. My brick garden sits 3 bricks high and is 10 feet in diameter, it took 4 cubic feet of soil to fill it and the moles have not seemed to find it in the past 5 years. We do have a Ground Hog that knows it is there but he does not seem to bother it except to stand on the bricks and survey "his kingdom." My wife has nicknamed him Fat Bastard and as long as he doesn't bother the garden he is allowed to live. 

I like the raised gardens they are much easier on the back.


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

I like to use concrete end cap blocks - 16 long, 4 wide, 8 high. for the edges. They are solid and last forever. I double dig the subsoil, work in lots of compost, and keep my beds at 4 foot widths. That way they are never, ever stepped on, which compacts the soil. Everything in the bed can be worked from the sides.

I have rabbit fence around the beds. Then electric wire around the rabbit fence to keep out javelina (wild desert pigs).


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

Buy guttering also, attach it too your fences, you have more surface area for growing smaller resilient foods, like tomatoes, chillis, herbs of all types, strawberries etc.


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## pastornator (Apr 5, 2013)

Depending on where I am gardening raised beds can be the answer. But, if I have plenty of soil, I will generally stick with ground gardening. It is just as good and one can till with equipment.

But, I've done really well with raised beds when in poor soil, and yes, I am a big fan of double-digging also. Some roots go down FEET if given the chance and the produce they make is remarkable! As it is, I am currently gardening on soil at my current location, but I have a big problem with sub-soil being clay that is so compacted that it may as well be concrete. Nothing penetrates it! I'm looking to get one of the broadforks this spring and to try to open up that sub-soil a bit while it is still wet before tilling the top.


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## nephilim (Jan 20, 2014)

I've found with clay, if you can fork and break it down, add handfuls of soil *AND* sand and mix it in. Rinse and repeat for the area, You will have a much better growing medium for deeper roots.


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## microprepper (Nov 21, 2013)

I like to use any old plastic tub. Right now I am re-establishing my garden since moving and it will be all container-style. Punching holes in the bottom of the container gives as much access to the ground as if it were just a raised bed.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Doing the same thing with nestible/stackable tubs. Easy to store when not in use
View attachment 5095


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## DogSoldier (Dec 27, 2013)

Ok so here is my raised bed garden, I have 4 kinds of tomato's,4 kinds of hot peppers,2 kinds of eggplant,carrots,radishes,onions,potato's,garlic,squash,bell peppers. In all the wood was like10.00 bucks,the soil 50.00


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## pastornator (Apr 5, 2013)

nephilim said:


> I've found with clay, if you can fork and break it down, add handfuls of soil *AND* sand and mix it in. Rinse and repeat for the area, You will have a much better growing medium for deeper roots.


Yup... Already working on it. Clay IS a great growing medium as it supplies a lot of needs for the crop, plus holds water well, but oh, when it gets dry...

I have 400 pounds of sand and a big pile of mulched leaves to till in this spring, if spring ever arrives!


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## microprepper (Nov 21, 2013)

Beach areas are good places to find cast-off old coolers. These are great because they have those little nozzles in the bottom for drainage and you can control the soil temperature because of the insulation. 

One of the problems of containers in hot climates is that heat is attacking the roots from the sides as well as the top and so it helps to have insulatiion if you water with cool water. Also can provide better growth in cold climates if you place a clear plastic hood over the plants.


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