Building beds

[Timo]

Started a new project a while back,still much to do, but it's a good start.(been raining a snowing here for a week now) I have to do thing the traditional way as the pics show. Lots of back aches but hopefully the rewards will be great. These beds are 24 feet long ,4 feet wide and 11" deep,100 % manure/hay compost. I have access to 2 older barns that are full of this stuff. It's broken down completely and should give me some plant nutrition.

I have a few more to build to start with and maybe keep adding as I go.

[Rick Wallace]

I started with raised beds 3 years ago,,Im planning more this year,  The only trouble I had was I should have put down a layer of thick plastic in the bottom,In my case grass and weeds came all the way up thru. Other than that I love them,easier to water,weed,and pick!!    Looks good!!!!

[Pat B]

Tim, that old manure is the best of the best for gardens. There will be weed seeds that will germinate from the manure but if you keep up with them as they do germinate and use a good mulch around your plants this can be kept at a minimal. A layer of news paper, under the top mulch will help comtrol unwanted germination. Don't use news paper with colored ink though, it contains heavy metals in the colored ink.
  Rick, if your beds were deep enough I doubt that grass and weeds came up through the soil. More than likely it was seeds germinating when sun and water hit the surface.
  Most weed seeds can lay dormant for many years and will germinate when they see the sun and feel the moisture of a garden. Crabgrass, for instance, can germinate after 60 or more years underground. That is why they are considered a noxious weed.

[Denham Archer]

Timo, I always used raised beds when I lived in MA.  I have to make new ones because we moved to SC last year.  Hay/manure compost is perfect for deep beds.  What kind of wood did you use for the beds?  I'm thinkin' cedar when I build new ones.  Just can't bring myself to use pressure treat.  I might use cinder block or brick.  Anyway, good job!

[Rick Wallace]

Pat, They came all the way up thru, My beds are 16" deep,,In NW Florida we have nutsedge  [nut grass] that will grow thru concrete,rock or any thing. There is nothing I can find with a garden label to get rid of it. I have checked all garden centers,co-ops,and county extentions. We just have to deal with it,,,,,,I hope you all dont have this stuff   

[Timo]

Denham Archer, I tore an old deck apart last year and saved the lumber. It is cca that is 20yrs old.  Chem leach is what you have to worry about,I figure most of the leach is gone in this stuff. But I wrapped the insides in 30 lb felt paper just in case. I also have some 2x10 rough cedar that I am planning on making the rest of my beds from,I wished I had more , but it is pricey nowadays.

I studied up a bit on the effects of chem leaching from pressure lumber and found that most say it only effects root crops next to the lumber and that it is not sufficient enough to effect ones health.Fresh lumber has alot of it and I would let it lay a year outside before I would consider it for use.

I would stay away from ACQ treated, it took the place of CCA,they have outlawed both of them and replaced it with yellow wood. About the same stuff but will not withstand alot of ground contact.

Another avenue is the new composite decking material, and also the PVC decking, both of them would be good choices. A bit pricey though.

I looked at some beds a few yrs ago that a fella made from oak logs. He just cut them full length and drug them in place, filled them with his compost. They where plenty rotted down, but he said they had been there for 15 yrs!

[mullet]

Pat, I'll bring you some nut grass when I go to the Classic, if you want. You can have all I have got.

[Denham Archer]

Thanks for the speedy reply and tips Timo.  Since I don't have a whole lot of room, I'm gonna use patio blocks or perhaps cedar.

[Timo]

well, it has been a while since this threads inception, so I figured I would add some updates. I have added some more beds, and a hot fence, with more to come later. Here are a few pics of what I have going on. Broccoli ,cukes,beets,lettuce,spinach, in one bed, tators, onions in another,strawberries in one, corn and beans in the long beds, then tomatoes,(which have set blooms) . Hot and humid here now so things are growing well.

I made me some redneck soaker hoses yesterday, cause these beds dry out quickly and I have to keep things wet.

[Marc St Louis]

Just noticed this thread Tim.  I saw that you put your soil directly on top of the grass.  I've found that the grass will work its way through in short order and then give you weeding fits.  What I do to stop this when making a new growing bed is put a layer of cardboard or newspaper down on top of the grass then put the soil over that.  This will kill all the grass and stop the weeds from working their way through

[Timo]

Yes Marc, it looks that way from the pics, but I did put down a layer of paper/cardboard before I laid the fill. I to hate weeds.

Although some of the fill I got has alot of weed seeds in it and I am having to keep them at bay. Not to much work though as small beds are easy to maintain from either side. Good therapy after a long day of work.

[Marc St Louis]

Great minds think alike   

[Rick Wallace]

B U T FUL !!    I like!

[recurve shooter]

i thought you were building worm beds! looks awsome!!1

[Lombard]

Looks real good Tim. You should get a nice bounty from those beds.