raised bed question

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I want to build a raised bed about 24 inches off the ground due to a bad back. My question is,can I put a false floor in it, or do I need to put soil all the way from the bottom?Any advice would be helpful. Thanks Roxanne.

-- Roxanne (Roxanne@msn.com), April 12, 2002

Answers

Well, I'm not sure this pertains but here goes. I made a raised bed on ASPHALT. About 8"-12" high. Everything grew great! So I suppose that you could put just about that much dirt into it. BUT. It will be heavy and wet and and. How will you stabilize the underside of your planter? I suppose you could put free mulch in the bottom for drainage and cut down on your topsoil....

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 12, 2002.

i layed concrete blocks on top my rock wall - put about 3 cups dirt from under oak tree in each hole - planted variety of veggies - super results. b. schneider - tx

-- billie schneider (canyonkaty@hctc.net), April 12, 2002.

Roxanne, husband and I were just talking about this. Think of the depth of planters in green houses, many of which are at table hiegth. Also think of the normal planters that are about 10 to 12 inches deep that grow tomatoes to large trees. A good size table, with a board around the outside to either keep soil in or in my case to keep all the planters in! A nice shelf across the bottom to keep all your stuff. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (Nubians) (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 13, 2002.

Get the book "Square Foot Gardening" here's the site: http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ It tells about building a raised bed like you are asking about. It's a great book.

-- Jodie (stanchnmotion@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002.

My "Cash from SquareFoot Gardening suggested wood bottomed boxes on pedistals or styro peanuts as bottom fill as I recall.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 13, 2002.


I plan on using straw or hay to fill the bottom halves of my planting containers & beds...

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), April 13, 2002.

Looks like we are all on the same page here. LOL I start filling my raised beds the Autumn before with leaves, then in the Spring start putting soil in them. Then plant. Also, I have found that the raised boxes do need a bottom of some kind. Mine sit right on the ground and it only took one season to show me that the moles just LOVE coming up in the boxes and helping themselves to the worms. I wondered why my plants were "sinking" there for a while but finally figuered it out! :) Now my raised beds have hardware cloth on the bottom! LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 13, 2002.

I used to have rasied beds that were just big boxes on 4x4 legs. That got my herbs up at a height I could handle. I didn't know I should put leaves or anything in the bottom so it was just dirt from the garden. Worked OK.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), April 14, 2002.

I used to have some 55 gal. plastic drums cut length wise. I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, used small rock in the bottom, then filled them with soil. I put them up on frames made of scrap 2x4s. I used these to grow strawberries. Worked great! Just make sure your 55 gal. drums didn't have anything in them that will hurt you or your plants.

-- cowgirlone in ok (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.

I did not put a solid bottom in my raised beds and everything did fine. I had a terrible problem with pocket gophers in years past, this is what led me to use raised beds. I lined the bottom with half inch hardware cloth. Its only been one year since I did this, and so far the little varmits have not found their way into my beds. I have heard that they can and will climb up the sides.....:( I have now a problem with quack grass growing up through the hardware cloth in the bottom.....this will be really hard to get out. Any ideas??

-- Barbara Ann (think_peace51@hotmail.com), April 14, 2002.


Barbara Ann, you might try successive layers of cardboard, or newspaper. The quack grass will need to get sunlight sooner or later... deny it, and it will compost for you.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

Maybe you could dig a 2 foot deep trench all the way around each garden plot. ;-)

-- Cabin FEver (cabinfever_MN@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

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