Let's see your raised beds. I need ideas

theres a wood treatment made in canada that is organic, claiming it keeps wood from rotting for 30yrs. some kind of mineral mix. forgot its name. it comes in a pouch you mix with a gal. of water. never tried it but seems it might be a alternate to using expensive cedar in beds. ill try to find the name of it.

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called ECO wood treatment. amazon has it.

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cinder blocks, concrete hollow blocks/pavers and a few bags of cement mixes are my preferred building materials due to the sense of permanence they impart. The most economical in the long run, considering their all-weather durability, and may be stacked ad libitum like lego pieces. The configurations are limitless-- ranging from simple one-level raised beds to geometrics, built-in plumbing, and artsy fartsies

moreover, no need to go to the gym if often lifting cinder blocks and bags of cement :wink:




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unfourtunitly up here the cinder blocks aren’t a option. the deep frost from the cold destroys brick in short order from the freezing /thawing process. they’re in pieces by spring. the wood flexes with the freeze process. wish i could use brick as i wouldn’t have to mess with them anymore.

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Pine 2x4 and 2x6 are cheap and easy to work with but in my environment they only last 5 yrs. ECO might solve that problem.

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They make buildings out of cinderblock in Alaska. I scared to ask where you live that concrete falls apart due to cold!

I like your bed, but love the trees planted as far as the eye can see. Awesome!

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Trees. That’s what’s in my raised bed(s) now. :thinking: They’re supposed to be for flowers, herbs, & vegetables. :roll_eyes:

Dax

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I’m building one per year. I have a master plan. This is last year’s.

Dax

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buildings aren’t filled with wet soil and then frozen and thawed constantly every year. put wet soil in a cinder blocks hollow spot and freeze it. it will be in pieces. same process that breaks down big rocks to little rocks. bet in alaska they don’t use cinder blocks for raised beds. :wink:

I’ve had back trouble for years,so my husband built 3ft high,by 12×4 beds,out if our old deck boards. works well for me.

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After another 2 back surgeries and with a neglected garden, I’ve been lurking without participation for too long but on this subject what has worked for me for the last few years are sections of the galvanized metal culvert pipes sold locally by Rural King for firepits. I’ve got 3 that are 36" and 42" diameter and about 14" deep that I picked up for around $35. I put down landscape fabric and use 2 for Columnar Apple trees and 1 for vegetables. I left mine plain metal outside, but they accept paint well, I painted the inside before planting. They are cheap, easily transported, strong and easy to move around if needed.

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Sorry for not cleaning up around the garden before posting, but I used untreated 2x12x16s, which I cut down to a 4’x12’ raised bed with middle support, and hardware net on the bottom to dissuade tunneling creatures. Honestly, the “soil” was far more costly than the frame. My trellis supports were made with metal conduit pipe/fittings, and I used chicken wire to protect from rabbits. I shaped my fabric plant containers from landscape cloth, and used wooden pallets for my walkway (which I need to upgrade, probably to landscape cloth/pea gravel). You can make out my drip system, which I need to lay down again, off to the right. This has worked out really well. Another change I will make is to move the strawberries to their own raised bed, since they took over the one they were in.

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Very similar to my approach. It makes good use of lumber. I never thought of the hardware net- good idea.

Good luck with the back.

Of course use lose dry soil as filler. The cinder blocks are more porous than rocks and are designed to withstand the extremities of temperature fluctuations.

the rain wets the soil then it freezes. I’ve seen it many times people up here try cinder blocks for raised beds and wind up making wood ones because their block beds were broken by the next spring. at -30f those blocks aren’t very flexible. :wink:

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that happens if you forget to use moisture barrier and apply concrete water sealant at the base and bottom layers. :wink:

Engineered wood might be better to use. Sometimes I help friends with their decking and so I can bring their leftover engineered wood and use them.

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Nice and basic and I suspect I will mimic your approach.

Nice looking property you have there. Looks like some large trees. Do you have any issues with too little sun?

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I’ve used a variety of ‘containers’ for gardening over the years. In the foreground are treated boards, and on the right are landscape timbers piled 2 high. In the midground, those greenish looking containers are actually the liner of our old above ground swimming pool that I cut into 3 strips and laid out to be about 4’ wide ovals. In the background on the left are those gigantic nursery pots that trees come in. Landscape places used to toss them but now they charge maybe $5 for them. They are hard to see because I have to put cardboard around the side that get the sun on them. These are nice for root veggies that voles like.
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Actually, the easiest way to do a bed is to put down compost and layer a bunch of wood chips on top to control weeds. The compost feeds the soil and helps with the decomposition of the woodchips. I’m thinking of planting watermelon here.
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The biggest challenge for me is to make use of otherwise unsuitable areas for growing things. I had to redediate low lying areas where it stays soggy most the time. This area is down by the creek so I needed to raise the beds higher. Higher beds mean more structural support. The vertical stays were leaning in so this winter I had to use bottle jacks and cables to get them back where they should be. This is in my unheated hoop house which I uncover each spring.
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