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Post by steev on Jun 6, 2014 21:09:53 GMT -5
Having thought about deep raised beds with easily removable sides (for burdock), I'm beginning to mull cinder/cement-block raised beds, lined with heavy plastic, as perhaps facilitating raising/harvesting crops like parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oca, and even grafted fruit trees, for planting out. Filled with lighter, organic material, I think they'd grow stuff rapidly (the plastic preventing rapid dessication as well as preventing rooting into the crap soil on my farm), and the ability to just dis-assemble a wall, drop the plastic liner, and fork out the medium and crop would make it easy for me to grow longer-rooted plants than are currently practical in the afore-mentioned crap soil on my farm.
The potential of this for trees is very great, as digging them out for transplanting costs a lot of root and is a PITA; growing them on in pots, drip-irrigated, is also a PITA.
Now I just have to attract orphan blocks. I do enjoy having a definite goal in mind, when gathering other people's junk, as opposed to gathering it because "it could be useful, someday".
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Post by billw on Jun 7, 2014 10:54:27 GMT -5
Although it is a lot of work, I find block raised beds to be really useful. We now have about 300 feet of 3 block wide (32 inch planting width) beds and the only reason that we don't have more is time. I use them primarily for root crops that would otherwise be difficult to harvest. I'd like to eventually get to the point where I can plant all of our yacon in block beds, because those things are practically impossible to harvest in our native soil. Being able to pull out a side wall to harvest makes it easy. Parsnips come out really nicely with no tip loss.
I'm not sure the plastic is desirable in most cases, although you have much greater water retention problems than I do. I don't like the idea of cutting the beds off from the soil organisms below.
They do warm up quite a bit faster than the soil around them. Will that be a problem in your climate?
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Post by steev on Jun 8, 2014 23:10:10 GMT -5
I think water is the first issue, second being root retention (in trees); I'm not much concerned about soil organisms, the native soil being a very impoverished ecosystem. I'm thinking to fill such beds with a mix of native soil and organic matter, of which I have as much as I can haul and handle (bunny bedding, leaves, horsepoo, sheepoo, and tree chippings). If I build an inviting environment, the organisms present will go nuts.
I am committed to replace my senescent p'up, having decided not to re-build the blown transmission; I need a light p'up for work in town and a full-size for the farm. One must have a dump-bed; I'm just not up to as much shoveling as I once was. If I can haul a ton and dump it in a pile, to barrow it as needed, I'll be good; it's having to shovel a ton out of the truck toute-suite, so I can go home, that's a burden.
Early warming wouldn't have been a problem; is it now? Remains to be seen; it's a learning experience. That's what we're good at: learning and adapting. Light on our feet, even if not on our loafers, that's the ticket.
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Post by steev on Jul 16, 2014 19:48:18 GMT -5
Around here, people are using a lot of retaining-wall blocks, the hexagonal jobs with a tongue at the back; it's only a matter of time until people start to discard them; so nice for higher, secure beds, I await that day with bated breath.
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Post by mountaindweller on Jul 16, 2014 20:55:04 GMT -5
I haven't been around for a while. Why don't you consider old roofing sheets (corrugated iron)? You get them for free and screw it onto some salvaged corner posts or use starposts if you want to spend more. I know it is not great for the temperature but really fast and cheap.
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Post by steev on Jul 16, 2014 22:08:36 GMT -5
That's a thought, but considering the distance I have to haul stuff to the farm, I'm sort of committed to stuff that will outlast me; I've not the energy to plant posts or pound T-posts where I may want to re-configure the beds. I'll count myself lucky if I can stack beds and move them around for awhile, before I'm too old to move myself around.
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Post by mountaindweller on Jul 17, 2014 19:02:57 GMT -5
But the work is so much lighter to put them up and to disassemble. I don't know how long they last, it's quite common here and people are using old water tanks cut in half too.
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Post by steev on Jul 17, 2014 22:42:32 GMT -5
I think both water and tanks therefor are much less available near the farm, than perhaps where you are.
Galvanized roofing isn't used in town and nobody's throwing any away near the farm (folks are much too thrifty).
Good ideas, though; that's how we've survived as a species, making what is available serve our purposes. Personally, I think the currently fashionable "I want it now and I can buy it new" is remarkably stupid and short-sighted, but who listens to me? Like Paquebot, I'm old and anything I know is out of date, like thrift and planning two generations down the line; pisses me right off!
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Post by steev on Oct 2, 2014 19:28:54 GMT -5
I'm thinking corrugated fiberglass panels doubled over a block-bed or in-ground row would give decent sun, dessication, or cold protection, as needed in season. Might want one- or both-end-panels, sometimes. Think I'll use 3/8" or 1/2" re-bar, driven at an angle, to stake the panels down so they don't blow away; I find that holds well and is easy to back out with a pipe-wrench to loosen and screw it out. The panels are often available free, being used. If you've been here much, you know how I feel about "free".
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Post by philagardener on Oct 2, 2014 20:08:24 GMT -5
I'm thinking corrugated fiberglass panels. . . The panels are often available free, being used. If you've been here much, you know how I feel about "free". Me too! What do they use them for, and then discard them? I'd love to get my hands on a bunch but here in the East I have no idea where to look.
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Post by steev on Oct 2, 2014 22:07:53 GMT -5
Get thee to a craigslist!
I kid you not; every time I go to the dump, I wonder how many countries have annual budgets less than the value of what is dumped annually in California. Don't kid yourself; there are such; it isn't their shame, that they aren't sucking enough out of our Great Mother, the Earth.
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Post by reed on Oct 4, 2014 5:56:44 GMT -5
Now that those sprayed in truck bed liners are more and more in style I have been able to accumulate several of those old hard plastic ones for free. One end is open of course so you would have to close it up and drill drain holes but I have found them very useful for lots of things. You can also use a jig saw to cut nice panels from between the wheel wells. It would make great light roofing for a chicken coop or tool shed. The material seems to be very durable no cracking or degrading in the sun.
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Post by prairiegarden on Jan 23, 2016 14:34:41 GMT -5
Chest freezers.. they already have a drain hole and the insulated sides are a buffer for both winter and summer extremes.. Some people paint them, others plant other stuff around them. The main disadvantage ( other than appearance) is the amount of soil it would take to fill the suckers. People are always throwing those away, even here. You couldn't open one side but if the soil is fluffy enough then pulling stuff out is easy..and no bending!
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Post by diane on Jan 23, 2016 16:23:17 GMT -5
I've always used a shovel and wheelbarrow, but a new house has just gone in next to me, and they had a truck fill up their garden beds by shooting soil out of a pipe right where they wanted it. Hmm - next raised bed maybe I'll do that. It may cost a lot, though.
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Post by gilbert on Jan 23, 2016 21:49:15 GMT -5
Steve; would the sides of the bed as well as the bottom be lined with plastic? Would you punch drainage holes?
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