Sunken Beds?????

Hi All:

Some friends of mine are about to close on a farm down here in Georgia. In addition to nice collection of raised beds, they said that there a ton of sunken beds.

I understand the principles and reasons why you would used raised beds but why on Earth would you build sunken beds? While the land hasn't been used in awhile, a lot of the irrigation is still there and the sunken beds were definitely irrigated. Land was in foreclosure, so can't ask the question of the actual owners.

Any answers would appreciated

Thanks
BB

BB, I have six raised beds which are all dug down into the ground and several are four foot deep. During the winter I store horse manure in these beds and remove most of it in the spring after composting it. After removing most of the compost I use the deepest beds as hot beds to condition transplants before going to the garden. Due to our short gardening season I cover these raised beds with a frame and 14ml plastic sheeting to get a head start on growing leaf lettuce and herbs. The bottom of the shallower beds (approx. 1 ft depth), I leave some new horse manure as well which helps to keep the bed warm. After conditioning my transplants in the two deeper beds I go back with horse manure for composting. I have tried raising asparagus in one of the deepest beds, but was not pleased with the results. I may try sweet potatoes this year.

I am guessing BB that the purpose of these deep beds my be for winter gardening. Territorial Seed Company has a winter catalog which has seeds for winter gardening if that appeals to you. Wouldn't work here...It was down to -35F last night.

morgan

Thanks Morgan

that sounds logical

I read on google that they are used in arid regions to retain water but that doesn't make sense here. Your explanation sounds a little more feasible

Well BB I can add one more comment here. My original soil is clay or glacial rock dust as I call it and the bottom and sides of the raised bed pits are lined with it. Once ammended it is very porous which works well for most crops. But as a water retainer, this clay seals off rather quickly when moistened. I also do some layering in the bottom of each of these beds before preparing the top six inches of material for planting. This layer may include shredded papper, hay, grass clippings, leaves, or horse manure. Whatever is available at the time. Purpose is to sponge up excess water and ultimately decompose. When I empty the beds in the fall this bottom layer is full of red wigglers which were added to each raised bed before planting began. There are a lot of different things you can do with this type of arangement BB. Maybe others will toss in some ideas for you to think about.

m

Interesting!

I may experiment with one next year

BB

We use sunken beds out here in the wild, wild west for a different reason. Sunken beds allow us to mulch higher as the bed helps to contain the mulch. This helps keep our roots cooler in this hot hostile desert. What little water we get in the form of rain goes to the lowest spot which is an important factor for us when considering sunken beds.

Thanks

I saw some sunken beds in use in an arid, windy area of Washington State. The basic soil of the area was fast draining, and the people had amended it to a fair depth, thougt the surface of the bed was a few inches below ground level. This protected seedlings from the wind as well as retaining moisture.

In my area, a sunken bed would quite simply result in flooding in the winter and spring and fall rains. Not a good idea here.

BB I grow many vegs and flowers in sunken beds. I use 2-7 gallon nursery pots sitting in 2-4" of water. Everything thrives, even when it rains every day like it did the last half of 2009.

The pots drain like a raised bed and the roots always have freedom of choice. No blossom end rot or cracking to speak of. Perfect for tomatoes, peppers, cukes and squash.

I've followed you thread on this Twiggy anv have to say, I am interested

BB

The latest one is on the hydro forum with results from 3 others that tried it. I can't really decide which forum is best for it.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1029953/