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Post by mountaindweller on Feb 4, 2013 3:00:11 GMT -5
I must redo some of my beds. I did them in the Sepp Holzer style as hilled beds and they didn't work very well. They dried out too quickly and I cannot make the soil sticking on the sides.
We have fill and only little soil and I deciced to try raised beds with something around which keeps the stuff together.
Timber is treated and or very expensive even second hand.
I think I can organize secondhand roofing sheets fairly cheap and could fix them with some starposts. I could either cut them lengthwise (awful job) or leave them like that and make very high rised bed. I think I could organize enough timber, twigs and stuff to fill the lower part of the pile.
I would buy long starposts that I can throw netting over the whole thing or have some strings for beans ect.
Are very high rised beds ridiculous? I don't get younger and I still want to play in my veggie garden when I'll get very old.
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Post by steev on Feb 4, 2013 21:22:16 GMT -5
Regarding getting old, you want to think about the durability of whatever is supporting your raised beds. You don't want them collapsing faster than you do. It's really nice to have raised beds you can sit on the edges of when the back is getting a bit "iffy". That relates to the highness issue. Cement blocks can be very useful, being nearly immortal, unlike wood or sheet metal.
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Post by mountaindweller on Feb 5, 2013 1:13:26 GMT -5
I had to smile reading that! Yes it's true that I won't collapse that fast, hopefully.
I am actually still topfit, but still, I realize I am not 30 anymore. That means you think (even in our rockhard underground) my starpost construction would fall apart soon.
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Post by circumspice on Feb 12, 2013 20:52:59 GMT -5
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Post by raymondo on Feb 17, 2013 4:08:23 GMT -5
I've composted directly on a garden bed but hadn't thought of setting it up like the African keyhole garden. Very neat idea.
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Post by circumspice on Feb 20, 2013 5:45:08 GMT -5
Yup, I really want to build a keyhole raised bed, if only for experimental purposes. It may be just the type of bed I need for my climate. Of course, it won't work well for plants that climb or sprawl... But I bet I can find veggies that are well suited for that type of bed.
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Post by barefootgardener on Apr 13, 2013 0:46:29 GMT -5
"...a 2 meter diameter keyhole raised bed that has a center compost basket, you can build it out of almost any material you have on hand, to the height that you want. You throw compostable materials in the compost basket & water the bed through the compost basket."
i LOVE this idea!!!
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Post by steev on Apr 13, 2013 1:42:38 GMT -5
May it serve your purpose! Meeting the needs of our members is our mission.
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Post by reed on Aug 28, 2014 21:39:40 GMT -5
I made some raised beds from Black Locust logs thirty years ago and they are still solid. All my fence posts and outbuildings are made of it too. It is a pretty tree with small thorns, it grows pretty fast and makes a bean so I think maybe it fixes nitrogen. It has clusters of white flowers that are tastier than morel mushrooms, I'v never tried the beans but have thought about it. It can spread from roots so when you cut one down two or three grow back. Older people here appreciated these trees but most now consider it a weed.
I'm fortunate to have lots of these trees, their wood just doesn't rot and termites don't eat it. I think it grows wild over a large area form at least Illinois to Pennsylvania and from Michigan to Alabama. O, yea it is wonderful firewood too.
I hope I'm not going too far off topic but there is another tree here called Honey Locust. It has giant nasty thorns, more like big needles and strong as nails. It is also a pretty tree ( from a distance) and has wonderful smelling flowers. Its wood isn't much use but its beans are much larger than Black Locust and when they start to dry they are filled with a sticky goo that tastes like honey, although I have always been afraid to eat much of it.
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Post by steev on Aug 29, 2014 1:44:19 GMT -5
You're right; very useful trees.
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Post by flowerweaver on Aug 29, 2014 9:18:36 GMT -5
We built our first raised bed garden out of free pallets. It was a lot of work, looked great, and saved our backs, but everything rotted within four years. (Also, mice and snakes took up residence in the pallet walls!) We are in the process of removing the wood. Perhaps it would have lasted longer had we lined them with something. Cedar is the only locally sold long-lasting wood and it's quite expensive. Concrete block doesn't look all that great, so we never came up with a replacement idea. We've since moved on to larger scale gardening, tilling fields on the other side of our property. Good luck with your project!  |
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