New to Raised Bed Gardening

[brown40]

If I was building a raised bed, I'd make it a tall one, and go with Hugulkultur (?sp) base for long-term nutrient and water-holding. Tapes, soakers, lines & emitters are great when they work/before residues line the innards and they need replacement.

 

[OldMcDonald]

I agree with farmer2009 about the copper. It is an essential micro nutrient, but (like almost everything else in the world, including Vitamin C) is not good for you at high doses. Copper based sprays are essential in areas that suffer high fungal attacks on the fruit trees. Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate and lime) has been used for a very long time on grapes and potatoes. We have all consumed copper all our lives. There is some in most foods.

brown40, If the water is properly filtered as outlined on the previous page by STx then irrigation lines will operate for many years without problems. Hugulkultur is a useful system, if you have the wood going spare, but it does not provide all the nutrients in the correct proportions for most crops.

I use the idea in a modified format. I have been gradually filling in order corners and depressions that were unused due to topography by putting prunings in them, growing anything I can - rye and lupins are quite good at taking hold amongst the loose material, as are beans and maize; and continuing with this, plus adding fym and other organic matter until the depression is levelled out. I first did it with a hole of about 3000 cu metres, although I also put a lot of stone and soil in there too. I raked the stones and then picked them up with a home-made tph bucket with a slatted floor. Some soil was carried with the stones. I have had olive trees growing on this area for ten years now.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I raised up my back garden and I did it with my tractor. I did it by cleaning out cp (cow poop) that was partially composted,

and started dumping it in a low spot by my shop,

I just kept building it up,

Until I had it where I wanted it,

I also added in wood chips from my planer, leaves and about anything else I could find, as I prefer to let everything compost out, in place. I even added some sand in one end where I plant potatoes. Anyway, once I had it built up, I mixed it all in with my rototiller,

And left it set, until planting time,

It's turned out to be an amazing garden spot,

Growing some amazing veggies,

With some even super sized! Like these Yukon Golds,

It's been a nice addition to our garden spots...

SR

 

[STx]

If I was building a raised bed, I'd make it a tall one, and go with Hugulkultur (?sp) base for long-term nutrient and water-holding. Tapes, soakers, lines & emitters are great when they work/before residues line the innards and they need replacement.

Filtration of the water before the drip line and annual flushing of the system is key to long life. I put filters on my installations even when they're running off city water, it doesn't take much to plug those little emitters.

 

[JRobyn]

If I was going to coat the insides with shingles. I think I'd just get a bucket of tar and roll it on. Although your worried about a copper based preservative getting to your food but you're willing to replace it with oil. Copper is naturally in the soil already, although at much lower rates.

Not "coat the insides". A single layer of shingles on the ground around the outside perimeter with them slipped just far enough under the cut ends of the side boards to separate them from direct dirt contact. I would expect some minor "contamination" of the ground underneath the bed doing this, but plant roots would need to be 18" deep to even begin to reach it.