Raised garden beds

General Gardening
1

Hey ya’ll, it’s me again with another question. I wanna make a raised garden bed at my parents house. Last year, they removed 3 hedges, 2 front the front lawn area, and 1 in the backyard. in the front two, I want to place raised garden beds. I just want to know, what is an average depth for the raised beds. The measurements of the area I’m working with is pending, but I can always figure out with the help of ya’ll the depth I should put it at. Hope ya’ll help me with this.

2

What would you like to plant in the raised beds? Something like mint would require less depth than say a fig tree

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3

I’m not quite sure yet, but something small, since it’ll be in the front of the house. Where I plan on putting these two beds in the front area are practically right in front of the house. One of them goes against the tiny front porch we have, while the other one will be right by the concrete sidewalk leading to the driveway. I would prefer something small for the one right in front of the sidewalk, and then something medium for the one by the porch. Hopefully this makes sense of what I’m saying.

4

Most small things would may only require a depth of 1 foot or so.

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5

A foot you say? That’s not deep at all.

6

I thought it would be more

7

This might help!

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8

I really like the metal ones. I’ve made them out of cedar and treated lumber. Both rot. For just a couple more bucks you could get the metal ones and they last forever.

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9

If the native soil under the raised beds is well-draining, decent topsoil, the raised bed can be any depth that you want. If it’s pavement or poor soil, then a depth of 1 foot would be a minimum; and anything more would improve growth.

10

You can also make borderless raised beds… that is what I do here.

My good top soil in most locations is 3-5 inches deep… if you go deeper… you get into sticky red clay which is full of rocks fist sized to head sized. Some real tiller jamers.

So… I often make beds by breaking up a 8 ft wide strip 3-5 inches deep… avoiding that rocky clay layer. Then rake that 8 ft wide strip to the center… so I have a raised bed of all good soil perhaps 8 inch deep (good top soil) then the red clay and rocks below that.

I add compost then wood chips or straw and it is ready to grow in… and mow around.

Below is one I made the summer of 2019… which I planted full of fruit trees bushes canes, etc. Spring of 2020.

TNHunter