Really Raised Beds

Hi All,

Has anyone else tried using large raised beds like this? I built two four by eight foot boxes, thirty inches high. I did so primarily because I have chronic back pain but there are a number of other great benefits. Aside from the normal benefits of any raised beds, using boxes this high results in earlier warm-ups in Spring, some improvement with smaller critters, great drainage and ease of maintenance. I used thinner wood than I normally would have - only because Lee Valley sold these great corner brackets for 1 x 8 's. To deal with the weight of the soil I ran a cable across the 2 x 4's screwed to the inside of the box. It takes a lot of stuff to fill that volume!

Victor

Victor, I like the Idea, mainly the part about small critters. My plans for the new boxes in the spring were to build them at 18 inches deep, I think I will revise, probably to 24 inches because I don't think I can afford enough compost to go thirty inches and maintain the ratio I want to try.

This year I will have to purchase compost. and I want to have at least 50% compost.

Buy the way, were is Stony Point? I haved lived in Seneca , NY & went to school on Governors Island. - Dyson

Hi Dyson,

I did not fill the entire box with quality planting medium - that would be just too much. I started with any bulk stuff I could find that is safe for a veggie garden - large rocks, leaves, whatever. I then filled the upper section with the good stuff.

Stony Point is about 30 miles north of NYC, bordering the Hudson on the west side. It's about 12 or so miles north of the Tappan Zee bridge.

I will have to see how much hieght my landscape manager (you know the wife) will let me get away with as this bed will be very visible.

I used cedar for that reason - it ages to a nice color. I also place containers in front of it so it's never an eyesore. You can buy those pot hangers made for edges, or fashion something yourself, and hang pots from the top as well.

I've used an EarthBox, not quite as large, but a good size and deeper than most commercial boxes. It is set on blocks to make reaching easy from a rolling tractor seat. Crops have done so well in it (sweet potatoes most recently) that I have 5 more on order. Yuska

Victor - Those are fabulous, and just look at how happy your t-plants are! Did you have as awesome a crop as this photo indicates? Great job!

Sequee - Thanks. Yes, the tomatoes do very well in those boxes. That photo was from 2003 - a banner year. This year was still good but we just had too much rain. I have also been using the red plastic 'mulch' for the tomatoes and it does seem to increase yields. I usually dedicate one box to tomatoes and the other to various veggies.

Victor

I have the worst "soil" on the planet, so this year I used EarthBoxes and did quite well - despite our, um, "unique" summer conditions! This year I'm having raised beds put in. Yours are surely an inspiration!

Hi all! My hubby is also a chronic back pain sufferer. Here is a pick of our large garden box, we have another but it is sitting empty at the moment, why? Because it took an entire pickup load of 'fill dirt' just to fill one box, now I'm compiling crushed leaves into the other box and throwing dirt in it from the one thats filled, in the spring I'll try to intermix dirt/leaves/compost between the 2 boxes. Ironically DH originally made me 2 small raised beds and that is when his back troubles started, Just 1 year into our new marriage. 3 back surgery's later (the last being Fusion) he is unable to work/ect., I would'nt recomend fusion to anyone!

Victor, Your raised box looks great. Can you explain the way it is constructed with the 2x4s and cable inside. I am a female novice, but willing to learn. I have seen the corners in the Lee Valley book (I love everything I have bought from them. Always good prices and service.) I have 3 raised beds of landscape timbers, 8'x4' and three timbers deep, but the rabbits are a problem, they seem to find a way in, even through chicken wire :(. I can think of all sorts of things to take up some of the volume in the bottom of a very deep bed, as most veggies plants only need a max of 18" to grow. ( Is that correct information?) I am going to start saving the big pieces of foam packing blocks that are used in so many packages. Do you think that would work to just put them in loosley in the bottom to take up space? Thank you for you help and suggestions. Margie, AKA Queen of Dirtland, loudigger

Hi Margie,

It's quite simple. I'm no great DIY'er myself. First of all I used cedar for everything, including the 2x4's. After completing the four sets of stacking frames, giving me the 4' x 8' x 2.5' box, I took 2 2x4's and screwed them to the frame on the inside of the long sides - right in the middle - at the four foot mark. I screwed through the 2x4 into the inside surface of the frame since I did not want to see anything on the outside. You have to be careful since the wood is quite thin. You can easily go right through it with the wrong size screw. I used four screws - one for each level. Once the 2x4's are attached to the opoosite sides, I fastened a metal cable to eye hooks screwed into each of the two 2x4's. I did this about 12-15 inches from the ground so I did not hit it while turning the soil. Then fill it up!
I would not use foam since most give off toxins and this is a veggie box. I only used natural materials - stones, branches, leaves, untreated grass, etc. Good luck!

Victor

Here is mine from last year... I was still finishing up in May so this year we are way ahead... We are going to have 5 more this year 4x12s but only 8 inches high.

Hot dog!!! Looking good!

Nice Drew. Who gets to deal with the short one?

Victor

The last time I tried containers was 1990 91
Wish I had a better camera then and taken more pic's.

All were 25-30'x4'x8" except the border boxes we planted flowers in.
Left enough room between to mow.
I lined the bottoms with several sheets of black and white newspaper.

The short one is for tall crops.... Back is not bad or anything, it is just a time to weed, deal with bunnies etc thing...

Drew

I have 11 more going in this year for about 350 more feet of growing area!

Drew

My grandmother used to live at about 7000? feet, lots of chipmunks, rabbits, deer, elk, etc. My grandpa built her a contraption similar to this on an old concrete pad. He built it with cinder blocks and put a wire mesh domed lid on the top which was hinged to be lifted up and down like the lid of a recipe box...well, a REALLY big recipe box! LOL It was AWESOME! She grew strawberries up there all summer with great success for the first time in that area. All the prior years she tried, the critters ate everything or it froze. The cinder blocks offer unique insulating opportunities within that cavity they have....and they also drain really well, being very porous, but dry out quickly... lots of angles.

Sarah

P.S. I watched my boss recover from fusion, and my mom recover from a (titanium) prostethic disc. GET A PROSTETHIC IF YOU CAN. There's no other way to go. Do not QUINTUPLE (or more) your recovery for no reason. The prostethic has now been approved by the head yahoos :)

Here is my first small rased bed. this is my very first year growing. this is two weeks ago they have grown alot lately.