Hi, I rarely post, although I read a lot. I've read part of the thread on raised beds to try and get info to come to a decision. Gardening time is near as well as tax time, so I can afford to either get a tiller or do another method of gardening. I've done my past gardening with a tiller and always lose to the weeds. I also have a limited area for gardening due to my septic lines, I don't want to plant over them. I battle Johnson grass every year, so I thought if I could put down a barrier, it would help that. I also have an old glass storm door that could be used for a greenhouse maybe? I would appreciate hearing how others figure what's best. Susan from KY

-- Susan Kolb (slkolb34@yahoo.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

Raised beds give you less stooping and bending, a home for earthworms, less weeds, easier soil maintance, they just dry out a bit quicker. It is not a problem to put raised beds over a sewer supply line, just make sure the drainfield is un disturbed.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 13, 2002.

Hi Susan, I lay 2 sheets of newsprint in my rows around the plants as I transplant, or around direct seeded seedlings, then top with grass clippings, leaves or some other kind of mulch. I have almost an acre garden so this does take some time. BUT - it's worth it when it comes to weeds. Almost none. I just take scissors out once a week and trim any weeds that have poked through. I don't pull them so it doesn't hurt plant roots or tear up the mulch. Wall Street Journals are my favorite. They are the exact width I need and they don't use very much color. :)

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), February 13, 2002.

Sorry, I should have added: I don't use raised beds, but the newspaper and mulch is good for 4 reasons: helps retain moisture, certain pests won't go through the newspaper to get to roots, paper and mulch are good for soil, and the weed thing.

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), February 13, 2002.

I vote raised beds. I have done both, and raised beds have better yield, easier weeding, less wasteful on water, etc etc.

-- Rose in Texas (open_rose@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002.

Susan I have both,When you do your raised beds make your frame,then soak news paper in a bucket of water.Layer them 4 to 5 sheet thick and add your soil on top.If you go with a tiller let me suggest a Mantis.Its small easy to handle and you will be surprised at how they work.I got mine on Ebay.for $80 less than a new one,I would replace it in a heart beat if any thing happened to it.I have dug ditches for drain pipe in a few minutes.Its everything they say it is.I have a 3 horse tiller from Lowes, we dont use it anymore.because the mantis will do a better job.Thanks Pam

-- pam (pams65@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002.

For small scale gardening raised beds are great, they produce just like everyone says. Even with raised beds you are going to want to turn the soil and work in compost so a small tiller such as the Mantis is great. I have a Troy Bilt but it's the same thing, small, light, and very easy to manage. The advice on using newspaper is right on the mark as well. We lay it about four layers thick in the walks between beds and cover it with straw and then top the straw with some grass clippings to help keep the straw in place. Our beds are mounded and covered with 1 mil black plastic. this does a great job of eliminating weeds, helps conserve moisture. and since we are in a northern climate, warms the soil which boosts production. We also use drip irrigation but that is mainly because of the volume we grow which would make hand watering impractical. Before we started growing for a living we used the same techniques on our 50'x50' vegetable garden with fantastic results. You would be amazed what that little area grew. whether you go with raised beds, mounded beds or a traditional garden the small tiller is a great investment. the only draw back is that if you garden a large area you may want a bigger machine. I used my little tiller on a 80'x125' garden and it was a major piece of work for me and the machine.

-- JJ Grandits (JJGBDF@aol.com), February 14, 2002.

Thanks for all the info that everyone gave. It helps a lot in deciding what to do. Now to figure out how to put that storm door to use. Susan from KY

-- Susan Kolb (slkolb34@yahoo.com), February 14, 2002.

We use Pams combination of raised beds and a Mantis tiller. We've had our Mantis for years and would replace it in a flash if it gave up. Raised beds mean so much less. Less weeds,less soil,less amendments,less watering, less tilling,less cursing.....but more goodies for the table. We utilize plastic bed covers in the spring and fall and shade cloth in the summer which really extends our season. I hate to think what that would cost to do in a conventional row type garden. jz

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 16, 2002.