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Raised gardens - cheap way to contain raised garden bed?

by Dale
(Georgia)

What is an inexpensive way to contain a raised garden bed? I want something about 8-10" high. Cedar boards are very expensive. Maybe it's not necessary to contain a raised bed?

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Raised gardens - cheap way to contain raised garden bed?

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Oct 17, 2009
 Lawn clippings?
by: Anonymous

Would lawn clippings work in place of hay/lucerne??
Sep 09, 2009
 Raised garden beds
by: Connie

Shops now get some fruit and vegetables in large polystyrene boxes. Does anyone know if there is any reason why a combination of these cannot be used as raised garden beds?
Aug 28, 2009
 Peat substitute
by: Les Boucher

With Peat being a "non renewable source" it is up to us, as gardeners, to find an alternative product that will do the same job. For those who are wondering who this Peat guy is ;-)....LOL . The following link will allow anyone interested in finding out more about this natural product http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat

Personally I use "Coconut Fibre" which many nurseries carry in block form as either a mulch or garden conditioner and which is a by product of coconut production. This block is then placed into a container of water where it swells to around three times its compressed size. I have found, through use of this product that if I add a small amount of liquid fertilizer (a combination of Fish and Seaweed emulsions) to the water as the fibre reconstitutes it will impregnate the fibre with these products. I then combine this with either vermiculite or pearlite and use it as a seed raising mix.

While I am on the subject of raising seedlings and for those who only wish to produce a small amount of plants without having to resort to building or purchasing a hot house I have been experimenting lately with resealable storage bags. These can be as small as lunch bags as long as they have the resealable “clip lock” type top on them they seem fine. Being a scavenger I tend to have a collection of pots and seed punnets laying around the place all of the time. I have even been known to buy seedlings from time to time.....but don’t tell anyone will you...LOL.
After I have cleaned a seed punnet I partially fill it with my mixture from above and place seeds on top before covering it lightly with the same mixture. Instead of watering it there and then I place something in the punnet to keep the bag raised away from the top of the punnet and then place it into the bag. At this stage it is looking a little like an open sided tent. It is now that I place a small amount of water into the bag and then seal it completely. This allows the water to form a vapour within the bag and water the plant from the bottom as it absorbs whatever amount of water it requires without compressing the layer of mix that you have placed over your seeds. The whole thing is then placed in a shady / warm place until your seedlings have started to show. After your seedlings start to show their heads above the soil mix you can open the bag a little to allow a small amount of air to enter the bag to reduce the risk of fungal infections and when ready, the plants can either be transplanted to a larger pot or directly to the garden.
Where I live we are a week or so out from spring and, using this method, I currently have rock melons, passionfruit and tomatoes ready to plant out tomorrow. The tomatoes have been in tube stock for about 6 weeks and have long beautiful roots that will give my plants a head start on any plants purchased from a nursery.
Aug 28, 2009
 peat
by: Anonymous

for the sake of the wildlife that live in it and the people who want to live on this planet after we're dead, please stay away from anything with peat.
Jul 23, 2009
 careful
by: Anonymous

I would stay away from the old railroad timbers etc... they can be loaded with toxins. Newer treated landscape timbers from menards, wal-mart etc... are healthy for vegies and you lol. Add good compost after taking out the grass in bed and you should be set to grow.
Jul 23, 2009
 lumber
by: pam

I use treated landscape timbers from menards. I add 40lb bags of compost manure, top soil and peat humas to fill the bed.
Jul 10, 2009
 Linseed oil
by: Anonymous

use linseed oil to treat your lumber
Jul 10, 2009
 treating boards in Ga
by: Gaboy

I have a raised garden in Ga and use pine boards that I treated with lint seed oil. This is a natural oil and will keep wood from rotting for a long time. This was the first wood treatment. Cheap wood-cheap treatment. Good Luck
Jul 04, 2009
 Besa blocks
by: Anonymous

BESA blocks (also known as cinder or ash blocks) can work well if you have decent enough soil beneath where you are putting it - just surround area with besa blocks, then put down cardboard/paper to kill the grass, then layer with lucerne/mulch/soil etc and instant garden. Plus you can fill in the holes with soil and grow herbs or small plants around the edge (like strawberries)- more growing space plus this can pretty them up a little)
Jul 03, 2009
 Discarded Lucerne or Hay
by: Jona

My local feed store where I buy hay for my horses, allows me to gather lose hay off the floor and bag it to take home, which I then use in my raised garden.
Jul 02, 2009
 Railway sleepers - What are They
by: Helpful

When you look at a railway line you will see that the rails lay across a "Sleeper" which they are fixed too.

That is a railway sleeper

Jun 15, 2009
 Dale....
by: Les Boucher

G'Day Dale, have you thought about using old tyres? The retailers, here in Australia, have to pay to dispose of them after they have fitted new tyres to the family transport.For this reason alone they are more than willing to give you any amount that you want. You would also be doing your bit for the planet by recycling and,they will last a lifetime. You can also paint them any colour that your like so that they don't look out of place.
If you think outside of the square you should be able to get car tyres,truck tyres or even tractor tyres. It all depends on what size would suit the area that you have available and, speaking from personal experience, the worms love them as well.
I hope that this helps to solve your problem in some small way.
Les
Jun 15, 2009
 Continued
by: Les Boucher

Just an idea for anyone who has access to a quantity of water damaged straw bales; these could also be used as walls for your no dig garden. Place them on their side and, you can make your garden any length or breadth that you desire and it is a fast way to erect it. They have the advantage of thermal mass (keeping your soil at a constant temperature) as well as allowing you to use them, as you are filling them with your goodies, to support an overnight cover to frost burn and in extreme cases overnight snow damage of your crops. Just remove the cover in the morning to allow the light in.
The only problem that I can see is with stability but, this could be easily overcome by placing a Tomato stake or star (dropper) post through the middle of the bale. One at each end would be even better.
When your straw bale garden has finally reached the stage where the bales no longer support the soil inside (that should take at least a year or two... maybe even three) then the straw, which will be full of worms, can either be spread over your other gardens or, combined with manure and used as fill in the next garden bed that you erect with your next load of bales.
As I said, this is just a thought but, I am always on the lookout for damaged ( read CHEAP) bales all of the time......I’m a cheap skate..wink...LOL
Jun 05, 2009
 Spuds and no dig
by: Les Boucher

G’Day folks,
I’ll start this by answering “gileil” first…You will have no worries with using mold(mould) damaged Lucerne on your veggie garden. If you think about what happens when you add it to your garden or compost and combined it with some manure it starts to break down this is caused by the same process that you are seeing on your already damaged Lucerne. Basically as it breaks down with say cow manure it becomes the Mushroom compost that you pay through the nose for through a garden outlet. It also has one other advantage for the home gardener…..Because it is “Damaged” and can’t be fed to stock and so,it is often cheaper to buy for the gardener.
I have also used old tyres for growing spuds (potatoes). As Lori mentioned it is a matter of stacking the tyres on top of each other. Start with one or two tyre’s placed on a bed of wet paper or cardboard and fill it in the same way that you would build a normal raised garden bed making sure that you fill “INSIDE” of the tyre and not just the centre. In this you plant your “seed” potatoes making sure that you plant some around the inside edge of the tyre. I’ll digress just a little here to warn you to use certified seed potatoes rather than ones from the supermarket as, you just don’t know what has been used on them and what you are importing into your garden. If you can get organically grown potatoes so much the better. Now back to growing. As the shoots appear above the soil in your garden, (Tyre), place the second tyre on top of the first. Once the shoots are showing their tops above the second tyre you can fill that with more compost, straw, manure etc. Just make sure that you leave the top couple of leaves of the plant above the surface of the soil. I know that sounds simple but I have seen them covered completely up and then had people wonder why they weren’t growing. Hmmmmm...I wonder...LOL. From here it is just a matter of repeating the tyre building process as the shoots grow until your stack is at the height that suits you and is stable. Once the tops of the shoots wither and turn brown you can either push the whole bundle over to harvest your crop or remove the tyres one at a time. Make sure that you check inside of the tyres as Potatoes love the dark warmth in there. The left over soil or mulch (compost) can then be put over you other garden beds.

Les
Jun 04, 2009
 raised beds
by: gileil

I have just started to build a no dig garden using the raised beds method. For the side walls I used several left over 900mm Colorbond roofing sheets, cut in half down the middle, making 2 beds approx 4000m x 1000m x 450m. The sides are supported by hardwood 2x4 posts in corners and half way down long lengths. I have covered the bottom with alot of newspaper and cardboard, easily soaked in all the Sydney rain we have been having. I have just now located a source of cheap lucerne, straw and pooey compost at a local feed supplier. So far so good!

Does anyone know if slightly mold damaged lucerne is okay for using in veggie gardens?
Jun 03, 2009
 Re:Double Digging
by: Del

Double Digging is not an option for some of us who live on "hard pan". The soil is too hard to double dig. One of the advantages of raised beds is that no digging is required. Just build the bed higher.

As to cheap edging, the suggestion to use hay bales is a good one. You can also rake up leaves, pine straw, grass clippings, etc. to create the edge.
Jun 03, 2009
 Vegetable Root Lengths
by: AJAD

Many Vegetable roots grow to a depth of 50 cm, some to 100 cm.

A no dig bed using common 20cm deep x 5 cm wide timber with a weed prevention mat of newspaper at ground level would inhibit good vegetable growth.

It is recommended earth contained inside the bed is double dug to loosen any compacted soil and provide suitable vegetable root depth with adequate aeration. When you double dig and place the top surface upside down in the place where the 2nd level of dig was made you will make green compost out of any weeds and will not need a newspaper barrier.
Jun 03, 2009
 Containing raised beds
by: Steve A

I use rough sawn timber sold for shuttering when pouring concrete, this is a lot cheaper than buying planed finished wood.You can treat it first
if you want or just replace when it rots.
Many builders discard this wood when they finish pouring foundations etc and it is sometimes possible to beg it for free. It takes a bit of hard ork to get the cement off, but generally this is on one side of the boards and you can face this side outward.
Jun 03, 2009
 RAISED GARDEN
by: djohnston@slingshot.co.nz

I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU GO TO YOUR LOCAL TYRE DEALER AND GET SOME OLD TYRES YOU CAN USE THESE SINGLY OR STACK ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER. GREAT FOR GROWING SPUDS IN, JUST BUILD THEM UP AS THE PLANT GROWS, ADD MORE SOIL COMPOST ETC. YOU CAN GET THESE FOR FREE AND MAY EVEN GET FREE DELIVERY,
Jun 03, 2009
 Raised bed idea
by: Lori

How about old car tyres? Here in Australia we have to pay to get rid of them, as do the service stations and auto repair places. Stack them carefully like bricks, along the edge of the garden you want to raise, filling them with soil. Plant into the centres of the tyres - low plants or herbs that will spill over the edges and hide the tyres, and plant out your garden behind (which has been built up from old newspapers, cardboard, rotted weeds, old hay, seaweed, vegetable scraps if you don't have chooks to feed them to, whatever you can get hold of, with some good soil on top. The bed will sink as the layers underneath compost down, but just keep adding more to feed your plants.
The car tyre edging can look good if you stack carefully, is strong and will last for almost forever.

I've also used car tryes to build terraces in uneven ground in our backyard.

By the way, tyres have also been used for house building in some places, and we have used truck and tractor tyres to build a causeway so we can cross the river which divides one side of our farm from the other.
Jun 03, 2009
 From Manuredepot.com
by: Adina

I am growing in raised beds. Some are made with 2x10's untreated, and when they rot they rot. I have tried 1x10's but I find that the weight of the filling inside the box is too much for such light weight wood.
I have other raised beds that are simply mounds, that is no sides. during the growing season I use straw sheets off of a bale of straw to help hold the sides in, By sheets I mean how the straw comes off the bale in compressed flat squares, I don't pull them apart. I have also had great raised mound gardens with nothing holding the sides up.
Anything strong will work. I have sandy soil, but I wonder if people with clay soil could use the unamended clay soil for sides to hold in their garden soils.
Concrete blocks would work, but the concrete will leach alkalinity into the garden.
Jun 03, 2009
 Cheap and Comfortable Raised Beds
by: Anonymous

I plant most of my herb seeds directly on raised beds. I also owned one third of a lumberyard 25 years ago and do my own thing when it comes to cheap.
First, treted lumber has for years contained no poison. Therefore, treated wood is OK to use and considerably cheaper than oak.
Second, if you are old or have problems bending or kneeling make your beds as high as you can comfortably work in them. I use surveyor stakes to keep stacked lengths of lumber secured by screwing them to ground driven stakes.
Third, I use old newspapers at the bottom of my raised beds, before adding soil, etc., in order to prevent grass or weeds from coming up. Its organic recycling, allows for drainage, its free and eventually decomposes. Use only 8 layers or more of newsprint paper, the glossy stuff is toxic.
Fourth, lay a soaker hose on your raised bed by snaking it among your rows. This will allow you yo water without wetting the leaves and prevents mold and fongus to occur. Use a quick connect system to attach to your regular hose.
All my beds are 4 foot wide, 16 inches high and 16 feet long. My supporting surveyor stakes rise 6 inches above the beds, so I could raise them another 8 inches, with 2 X 8 boards and screws.

Archangel
Jun 02, 2009
 Cheaps rased bed
by: Louise

I have used old pallets for my no dig garden, pulled them all apart, then renailed them together. Beware whiteants do like them. I would advise you not to used painted or treated ones.
Cheers & happy gardening.
Jun 02, 2009
 Raised Bed Sides
by: Del

In the past I have used small pine tree logs as an edge. They will rot away eventually, and termites will get into them. If far enough away from the house you should be OK. Any kind of logs will do. Use some nails and put it together or if big enough roll cut them and roll the pieces together.
Jun 01, 2009
 What to use for edge of raised bed gardens
by: Gavin

Macrocarpa, sometimes called Monterey Cypress from California, and found worldwide now, is a long lasting wood that is used untreated for raised beds. In Australia they use a hardwood Eucalyptus tree called Jarrah for railroad ties and in New Zealand they use a different hardwood called Totara. These hardwoods don't need preservatives as they last for ages. I understand the Oak in UK is similar.

All these woods are excellent for making raised garden beds. Enquire at sawmills, railroad yards, councils and garden centers, or advertise locally or Ebay etc.
May 30, 2009
 "railway sleepers"
by: peacenique

I'm going to make a guess that "railway sleepers" are railway ties. However! Railway ties are completely saturated with crap you don't want leaching into your veggies! If I'm not mistaken, "creosote" comes to mind...
I've not done any yet, but, I have been admiring all the things people do with willow. It would cost nothing to make the sides of raised beds by weaving willow "hurdles". When you google that, I'm not referring to the pre-made willow fencing you can buy. You pound some willow branches into the ground in a line, and then weave smaller willow branches through them. I'm not sure if I'm explaining that well. Google it. It looks fabulous! I've come across pictures of compost piles surrounding this way too, and it looks so... ummm... natural. And better than cheap... FREE!
May 25, 2009
 Containing a raisen garden bed
by: Megan

You can of course, use sweet all nothing... so technically it's not now a raised bed, but a no-dig bed, There's the patch of lawn, weeds or bare ground, and you just start laying down the layers. Water it first if possible, then down goes the wet paper, cardboard or howsomewhatever... and so on with the layers.

Now you've got an above ground mini lasagne dish! Yum, grow something to eat in it now.

The only time this is not so successful is if you have high winds to blow it around, lots of rain to wash it away, bit of a back/movement challenge so you have to stoop lower to garden, or if you find the lawn, weeds, dog, encroaching later. You can then make a bit of a path around it if you like.

You can also dig out some soil first, then do the no-dig layers, and it will all level off to ground level.

I've often used this method to plant flowers or smother weeds or grass around say, a letter box or bush. Just put a thick layer of paper, say 10-20 pages on, then pile up the mulch. Plant any flower seedlings in a good handful of soil through these layers.
May 17, 2009
 Railway sleepers for raised gardens
by: Stacey

Hi Dale, railway sleepers are what they lay railway tracks on. Once they get too old, they replace them, and sell off the old ones (well, in Australia anyhow).

There are are number of places in Australia that sell old railway sleepers. I'm guessing it would be the same in America.

I just looked on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_tie
and I see they call them "Railroad Ties" over your way.

They are very rot resistant; so hope you can get hold of some.
May 17, 2009
 Railway Sleepers
by: dale

What in the world are "railway sleepers?????"

May 17, 2009
 Railway sleepers
by: Stacey

Railyway sleepers last a long time ... they take ages to rot as they are made of hardwork. Ideal for a raised garden, or for borders.
May 15, 2009
 Containing Raised Beds
by: dale

I think it's best to have boards that are 10" high, since most vegetables need that depth (and some ornamentals).

Most wood will rot if not sealed and painted, unless you buy cedar. Here in Ga. an 8' long board, 10" high, costs around $36. So, you would need two boards to make a 4'x4' bed. Then, there's the hardware, amendments, etc., so it gets expensive!

I have heard of someone using concrete blocks, but then you have to pay someone to deliver them.

I've just given up and am planting in pots (tomatoes and eggplants).
May 15, 2009
 Thinking the same about raised gardens
by: Oralia

I, too, am still pondering over how I'm going to start the raised bed or even if I need to border it.I watched a video online on how to create one and untreated wood was used. I don't think it mattered what kind as long as it was untreated. I've yet to go to the lumbar section of my home improvement store to find out which one is best price and size-wise. The lady in the video used 1x6x8, I believe, and had each piece cut in half, then she used brackets and screws (outdoor kind)to fasten each piece creating a 4ft box. She made several. I think the same principle could be applied to longer boxes so I wouldn't be cutting each plank. I would like to make maybe 4x10 size boxes. I would rather not make boxes at all and just start layering the newspaper, hay, etc but worry it would not contain itself. I will most likely be using the untreated wood. Good luck!
I would love to hear how things worked out.

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