Raised Bed Gardening.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Years ago I used to keep a large area under cultivation. I had 1/4 acre fenced in againsed the deer and used half of it one year and the other half the next. Last year I only planted herbs as I just didn't have time to care for a garden. This year Diane and I are trying something new. We are putting in raised bed gardens. We will plant less and be able to care for it more. One great advantage is we will not have to bend over as much.

Starting out. I love a lady who doesn't mind getting dirty!

 

Here's the first 2 almost completed.

 

I hope to be able to make 2 more before Mother's Day. That has always been our planting day.
Our goal this year are greens (salad makings) and beans.

Jon

[gww]

My wife loves the raised garden.  Ours are only about 10 inches tall but I have a bunch of them.  I have a flat garden portion also.  I can't see how it is much easier but she loves them.  They were all filled compleetly with cow, horse, goat and chicken poo, so maby thats why she likes them.  I don't like anything I can't use a tiller on.

My opinion is with raised gardining, you need a good way to water cause it will lose more water then planting in the ground. 

To my not understanding the draw of raised bed gardening, Just keep in mind that my wife likes them and is about 20 times better at gardening then I am.

Good luck
gww

[DeerMeadowFarm]

My brother-in-law had a decent idea last year. He took 2 old fridges, took the doors off, drilled the holes in the back-side, filled the openings with dirt and "camoed" the outside of it. He had the best garden ever. This year he has 3 or 4 more of them ready to go for this year. They're free and really the perfect height. If you can get past the "red-neckness" of it all it's really a pretty good idea....


 

[Jeff]

My one mistake when I put ours in a few years ago, was to not leave enough distance between them to get the mower through.

[Raider Bill]

My brother-in-law had a decent idea last year. He took 2 old fridges, took the doors off, drilled the holes in the back-side, filled the openings with dirt and "camoed" the outside of it. He had the best garden ever. This year he has 3 or 4 more of them ready to go for this year. They're free and really the perfect height. If you can get past the "red-neckness" of it all it's really a pretty good idea....


 

@wildbill
Billy, take a look at these!

Wildbill has several he grows in that are table height. Maybe we can get him to post a couple pix?

[Den Socling]

I built raised beds for Patti. She has a composter into which she tosses kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and some paper, etc. When the mess is good and rotten, she puts it in a bed. She was one of very few around here last year who had an abundance of great tomatoes.

[sandhills]

Raider Bill I think those would go good with your rental house!  :D

[Raider Bill]

Raider Bill I think those would go good with your rental house!  :D

I only store my kayak in the camo house. $600 a year in taxes is all it cost me to not have anyone living across the street! ;)

I do like this refer idea though. Fill the bottom with rocks or bricks the top soil.

[fishpharmer]

@Raider Bill @wildbill , here's a thread that has pics of wildbill's raised beds.  I like them.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,80910.msg1232346.html#msg1232346

There's a no good old fridge and freezer out back, now I know what to do with them.  I have been avoiding the old toilet for a planter, and revealing my "red neckness." :D

[Weekend_Sawyer]

My one mistake when I put ours in a few years ago, was to not leave enough distance between them to get the mower through.

Ours are 4' x 10' with 4' in between for just that reason.

[trapper]

My one mistake when I put ours in a few years ago, was to not leave enough distance between them to get the mower through.
Landscape fabric and chips = no mowing

[DeerMeadowFarm]

I do like this refer idea though. Fill the bottom with rocks or bricks the top soil.

Yes, he did put rocks in the bottom of his. Worked great!

[wildbill]

Nice things about my beds is no bending over and I don't have to fill the bottom with anything.

[Peter Drouin]

Ann and I like ours.


  

 

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Wow! That looks better than some of the farmers markets I go to.

[beenthere]

Peter
Did you raise the height by adding a timber on the top, or does it just appear that way?
Sure looks like a comfortable way to have a garden.

[pabst79]

Peter, That's awesome, and I'm jealous...

[sandhills]

fish, "We all got a hillbilly bone down deep in side"  :D :D :D.  I've got an old bath tub I haven't decided yet whether it's going to be a worm bed or a horse tank  ;D

[pabst79]

fish, "We all got a hillbilly bone down deep in side"  :D :D :D.  I've got an old bath tub I haven't decided yet whether it's going to be a worm bed or a horse tank  ;D

If its an old clawfoot, you may want to sell it instead of filling it with dirt. Some tub's can fetch 100's if not a 1000 bucks depending on style. 

[sandhills]

Nope, not that old, I'd like to find one though  ;).

[Den Socling]

At our last house long ago, I used rocks on the bottom. The problem was topsoil kept settling down in the cracks and every year I had to refill it.

[rjwoelk]

We been grown taters  in old bathtubs.  Works ok

[tmarch]

I brought in several old stock tanks for the wife, filled the bottom with wood chips and dirt on top, she's happy.

[Peter Drouin]

Peter
Did you raise the height by adding a timber on the top, or does it just appear that way?
Sure looks like a comfortable way to have a garden.

Yes, that happens if you fill too much loam there's no room for manure. The bottom ½ is filled with gravel. :D

[gww]

This is not up to the standards of you guys and I don't see the bennifit but my wife loves them.



 

I should not have took the picture through the fence but you guys get the ideal.
Cheers
gww

[wfcjr]

Ann and I like ours.


  

 

Pretty slick...
Do the windows on the sides close up?
If they do, how early can you start things in the spring?

[Peter Drouin]

I do close it up for the winter and can get things started by 2# week of April.

[fishpharmer]

Thanks Sandhils, good idea,pretty sure there is an old(nonclawfoot) tub around here too.   Wildbill, Peter and gww those are some mighty impressive raised beds.   

gww, is that a large solar panel in the background?

[Den Socling]

I was wondering the same thing. That looks like a very nice solar array.

[gww]

Hey guys, yes it is a solar aray.  I had to move away from here to get my last four years in so I could retire.  I built a bunch of panels and a few wind turbines.  The homemade panels were mostly a waste of time.  When I retired and we moved back my very first projects were the solar (5800 watts) another line of raised garden and the fence.  Four years of being gone and the deer thought they owned the place.
I must say it is good to be home.
gww

[Den Socling]

"a few wind turbines"? I'd like to hear more.

[gww]

den
My opinion, soler for the money is much better then wind except in extreely special circumstanses.  Solar is a loser also unless you get rebates back from the electric company and don't use batteries.  I however use batteries.  I was going to retire and figured if it saved me ten bucks a month it would be ok even if I spent pryor to that equal to a hundred a month to buy it.  Like all hobbies, even my chickens, cost something.  I say this before mentioning the turbines cause I don't want anyone misled.

I built two 500 watt turbines from a hugh piggot plan that was free on the internet.  I had built some others but nothing really worked out but these two.  I did have to and still have to make some adjustments to get them better.  One is better then the other cause the stator is a bit to strong for the 8 foot blades the plan calls for.  Even the plan creator agrees with this.  The one I have working the best now has 9 foot blades on it and is on a 80 foot tower.  The other one is still below the trees on a 40 foot utility pole.  I am in a really poor wind area but the grandkids like the ones that spin better then the solar.  I know this is a forest forum but I will post a picture anyway.



 

I built them mostly out of boredom and interest.
gww

[Den Socling]

That's pretty cool. You are obviously handy with tools.

[gww]

den
Perhaps you are missing my home built sawmill thread.  If you weren't missing it, you would have put a smily face at the end of that statement.
cheers
gww

[beenthere]

 :D :D :D

[Den Socling]

I haven't read it. There is so much to read here. I guess you have a good sense of humor, too!

[gww]

den
I am living the dream,  I am retired and I am mostly doing things that interest me.
The only bad thing about being where I am is I have less time till death.  I don't worry about that cause my odds are as good now as when I was 20. 
cheers
gww

[Weekend_Sawyer]

 

 

Almost done. I have to finish putting in the deer netting around the other 3. Diane really likes them and that's what really matters.  ;D

[Roxie]

 

[fishpharmer]

Weekend_sawyer, they look very nice!

[Ron Scott]

Well done!

[Peter Drouin]

Nice, 8) 8)

[WDH]

Good job.  Deer complicate things for sure.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

But they sure do taste good!