Raised Bed Question

[Zippo1]

I was planning on building some 4 foot by 8 foot by 12 inch tall raised beds in our greenhouse but my wife is questioning whether or not 12 inches is deep enough for tomatoes and other basic veggies. Any thoughts?

 

[2ndhalf]

12 inches will be fine for most things depends on what you are growing I would go 24". Corn will need more that that to do well.

 

[jeff9366]

Cultivate the ground which will be under the raised beds 6" or more deep, before enclosing the ground. Mix in compost if you have it. That will give you 18" for the plant roots.

That basement zone will remain soft within a greenhouse without vehicles running over it and sunlight baking it for multiple years ~~~ forever if you practice organic growing.

I am a native of Seattle. I hope your near-Bellingham soil is as friable and dark as the soil above Lake Washington.

 

[2ndhalf]

Cultivate the ground which will be under the raised beds 6" or more deep, before enclosing the ground. Mix in compost if you have it. That will give you 18" for the plant roots.

That basement zone will remain soft within a greenhouse without vehicles running over it and sunlight baking it for multiple years ~~~ forever if you practice organic growing.

I am a native of Seattle. I hope your near-Bellingham soil is as friable and dark as the soil above Lake Washington.

I guess I assumed since he said it is a greenhouse he meant with a floor. But if it is a dirt floor, I agree with what Jeff says here.

 

[brown40]

Its a whole lot more work, but next time I make raised beds, I'm making them waist height so I can garden on my feet. I made one for the local Nursing Home before it went out of business and it worked great for folks in wheelchairs even. I only did 11" and it did well on everything up to tomatoes.

 

[TnAndy]

Its a whole lot more work, but next time I make raised beds, I'm making them waist height so I can garden on my feet.

Yep...that IS the way to go. We built a 20x36 hoophouse and raised the beds to right at waist height and it is great !

 

[2ndhalf]

Yep...that IS the way to go. We built a 20x36 hoophouse and raised the beds to right at waist height and it is great !

Now thats a greenhouse .... very nice. when do you plant this?

 

[oosik]

When we had a garden - eventually I had two raised beds. The major reason, at the time, easier on the 'ol back to weed, good way to contain the soil amendments & elevated soil temps. The other advantage came the day my neighbor visited all this work going on and said.

"Don't you have problems with gophers?" Of course, I do. "Well, then - lay down one layer of fine gauge wire mesh on top of the original ground before you assemble the side boards and fill the area with soil". Hmmm - never occurred to me, but easy solution to perennial problem.

 

[Budweiser John]

Ditto on the waist high raised beds. Most labor saving project yet however each bed requires 2 yards of soil so with out a front end loader they problly would’en Have happened.
B. John

 

[RalphVa]

My raised beds are 2 two by sixes high: 11 inches. Plenty high for tomatoes. They're on top of soil. Unless you're putting them on top of concrete, 12 inches is plenty tall. If on top of concrete, they probably have to be about 4 foot tall.

Ralph