Prefabricated Raised bed kits

Good Morning, DGers!!!

It's a beautiful day, today!

I tried to find (on google) prefabricated raised bed kits that are made out of plastic (I heard about them), but with no luck. Does anyone know of where I can purchase? I'd rather not do wood (unless it's pressure treated) because we just treated for termites. Although there was no damage (I found them just in time), I don't want to give the little buggers anything else to lunch on. I know (or at least heard) that pressure treated wood is safe, but I don't want to take any chances.

Thanks in advance my wonderful garden friends!!!

Gardeners Supply has just what you describe. I'm waiting to see how the lumber from Home Depot compares in price. Everyone sells recycled
'lumber" now. You can just buy connectors, too. Shipping is expensive; you might save buying locally. If that is unpractical, the stuff will last forever--either way.

Lee Valley has them, but they're not very big and rather expensive.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=51149&cat=2

sheesh....I guess I should just buy the pressure treated lumber....

Or build your raised bed out of cinderblocks instead. Home Depot has them for 88 cents a piece and 18 built me a 6 x 4 foot bed that is 8 inches deep. That was the same price as the preasure treated lumber I looked at. You can fill up the hollows with dirt as well and use them to grow herbs and edible flowers!

I have seen some very attractive cinderblock raised beds, topped with wood or end-blocks. I hear that you can use a sort of spray-on concrete to most effectively and easily seal and stabilize the blocks.
K. James

If anyone is actively building subdivisions in your area, get to know the onsite building superintendent. Many times after they build decks they have lots of PT lumber left over which they just throw away. Another thing I found out is that sometimes if extra or wrong lumber is ordered, it is just left there because it it not cost effective for the supplier to come and pick it up. I just picked up a bundle of 4 4x4x8 PT posts and 2 2x4x8s

This has been a neat lttile fringe benefit of working for a builder. But anyone can take advantage of it if you want to.

BB

This is great information guys....thanks!!!!!

you may want to seal any pressure treated lumber, if you're using it for veggie beds.

Zeppy....any suggestions on what to seal it with? I don't want any chemicals seaping into my veggies!!!

Ipe is supposedly more resistant than pressure treated wood for termites. Alot more expensive, but you'll have the prettiest raised bed in all the land.

I have been wanting to build a raised bed but don't want it permanent until i am sure where I want it. Depending on the sun and other things. I asked my sister and here is what she wrote to me:

I think, if I were doing a raised bed, I would make a perimeter of concrete blocks (not cemented) 2 layers high, on a 6" gravel bed for a footing, just under the blocks. Then I would put bales of straw in the middle. Then I would cover the straw bales with hog wire. Then I would put a layer of landscaping cloth over the hog wire. Then I would put a row of concrete blocks around the perimeter. I would fill that with dirt and compost. A concrete block is 8" high and that should be deep enough for most things roots. The straw would not only support it, but insulate it from the cold. The hog wire would add stability. The landscape cloth would keep the dirt from washing through.
If it worked, the second year I would cement the first 2 rows of cement block in place for added stability. I wouldn't cement the top row because I would want to add to or even change the straw. If the bales start to mold or rot, the second year I would pull it out and use it for mulch and add new bales.
I think the hardest and most important part would be to dig out a 8"x12" deep footing and pack it with 3/4 minus gravel keeping it level enough to support the blocks. It should not be that expensive and I bet it would work great

Let me know what you think of this idea. Jeanette

I have been thinking about using rabbit wire to help hold the form of a raised vegetable garden bed.

I am going to try leaving about a two inch space between dirt and wire and fill that with mulch. I have drainege issues, so planting in amended ground beds is not an option for vegetables or flowers.

I am also saving empty laundry detergent and kitty litter plastic jugs, I am going to experiment filling them with water and burying them upside down, so the bottoms are at the same level, and try to make a flower bed out them. They should look like partialy buried "white blocks" from the street..

I am a first time new home owner, and I amcrazy enough to try wierd things out in the yard. :=)

What is the purpose of planting in the containers that are buried in your flowerbeds? Why not directly in the beds?

Noobie, sorry, didn't see your question.
on sealing and all that:
http://www.homeenvy.com/db/6/646.html

Also, I saw (somewhere, where???) beds you make from those concrete garden stones. Pretty attractive. I'll look for the link.

Jnette, for those in cool climates, the raised beds heat up quickly. They don't get compacted b/c you don't ever step on them, so they stay relatively fluffy. For those with poor soil, it's easy to put the soil you want in a raised bed and amend it. For those with poorly draining soil, raising the beds can correct that. For folks with limited space, it allows more plantings (the roots can reach down deeper). And it's a lot easier on folks with back problems or other disabilities.

Hey Jnette, as usual I didn't explain myself very well.
I meant using the plastic jugs turned upside down and partialy buried to make a "wall" for my raised flower beds.
Instead of buying concrete blocks I want to try using the jugs instead. Filled with water and buried halfway they will be pretty heavy.

I don't know if it will work, but I am going to try it on at least one smaller bed.

If it works I can use those plastic containers everywhere I want to plant some flowers...like I said my yard completly flunked the drain test (dug a hole 1 foot square and filled with water, two days later the hole was still over half full, not good)

Hee hee, jnette meant containers not raised beds. Duh! I'm slow today. Haleysaunt, that sounds like a good idea to me. What've you got, solid clay?

(My deck's covered w/ plastic containers, but they've all got soil and seed in 'em.)

OK, now I see what you are getting at. Boy, you sure have a good imagination. I thought I did but I never would have thought of something like that. Bet it works. Good luck.

Thanks for wishing me luck, I will need it. LOL.

Yes I have solid clay from 6 inches down to at least 30 inches, that is as far as I dug - at three different places - before giving up.

I think everything in my yard will have to be in raised beds... but thats ok, I am just trying to think of cheap, cheap ways to build them!

I just mound mine up. Old logs, whatever as borders when I find 'em.

I've seen some classy looking ones made out of old cedar fence slats and stakes. Cedar resists rot, "so hey."

Haleysaunt,
Love your idea about using the jugs, but I'm pretty sure the sun would cause them to become very brittle and they would crack up quite quickly. I used one of those kitty litter jugs to water plants a couple of years ago and I left it in the yard over the winter. The next spring I went to pick it up and it fell apart in my hand.

I'd hate for you to go through all that work only for them to fall apart after a year. I wonder if you could paint them with something that would protect them.

Thanks for the info Booswalia, I would hate for them to disentigrate after one year. I guess it is good to know they break down at the landfill, but not so good for a flower bed.

Of course I could replace them every year, my cats keep pooping, I will never run out of jugs, LOL.

Hey, Zeppy, I do have some smaller logs I saved from a cut down cedar tree. I will use them, for sure.

Has anyone tried using rabbit wire to contain a raised vegetable garden?

I wanted to try that, it would be cheap....I only need 4 x 8 feet of space this year.

haleysaunt, go to the Veggie forum and check out the Straw Bale Gardening thread. You might find it innerestin.

Thanks, Zeppy, will do!