Both drainage and moisture retention have been perfect. We've had a lot of rain since I put in the seeds. I started vegies from seed and two tomato transplants. Just a little update since this thread started up again. Mostly vegies and herbs, with a few flowers here and there. I intend to do it in a pattern with pathways in between. But an herb border type thing is a good idea! Just might solve the "ugly" problem.Īlso, the area that I am dedicating to raised beds is about 45 by 35 feet. However, I would like to grow carrots, etc. I like the idea of using cascading herbs/plants around the edge. I'm in the North Lake Travis area, also known as the Highland Lakes. I do see this area referred to as hill country, though. Some people say it isn't really hill country out here, but walk your dog once and you'll disagree.
Kind of in the southern beginning of the hills. I also think they will be easier to build (no sawing, measuring, etc.) So, yes, it is an appearance thing. And those things are darned heavy to boot!! I'm hoping cinder blocks would be cheaper, though, I can't find them on the home depot web site! And I'm sure they will last longer than wood (untreated). However, budget is an issue which is why I can't use the beautiful stones. I am organic, completely, which is why I don't want to use concrete stain. I really enjoy seeing other people's gardens. Connect with Nebraska Dave at Old Dave’s Garden blog and read all of his GRIT posts here.Ishoot, I would love a pic of what you are doing. Nebraska Dave is a Nebraskan-Iowan dirt farmer-turned-urban dweller who lives to improve life with backyard compost, raised beds, vertical growing, automatic watering, and other undercover techniques. I have two more beds to rebuild and hope to get them done next year. I widened the path between the bed from 24 to 32 inches to give this old body a bit more room to roam between the beds. I would estimate that it took about 10 to 15 hours of hard labor to build the bed and a bit more for the path. All the cinder blocks were a gift from a friend that needed to get rid of them. The brick face is just colored and brick stamped-concrete patio blocks that are somewhat buried in the soil about 4 inches with construction glue to adhere the block to the cinder blocks. I built a weed barrier using wood chips on top to about 4 to 6 inches in depth. The photo above shows one path completed. Personally, I don’t think it’s an issue and didn’t do that. If leaching of concrete chemicals into the soil is an issue for you line the side walls with a non degradable liner to keep the soil pure. This would be just fine for a raised bed like this but I decided to spruce it up a bit. This bed is 4 feet wide with 32 inches of growing width and 8 feet long with 9.33 feet of growing length. That’s OK after the block caps go on and even less when the brick facing is glued on. I planned for that and the bed came together in a back corner. In my case, even with that the bed came together with a slightly different height of a 1/4 inch. If the blocks are set with perfect fit on the top and no cracks between the top or the bottom of the blocks, the side should remain level. Most blocks are accurately square and consist in dimensions.
Then the process begins as each block is set in place in relation to the last block. Once I get the block set, packing the block holes with dirt and around the side will keep the block firmly in place. It’s the most important block of the entire project. This anchor block must be perfectly level both ways to end up with a level bed. Mine will be about 4 inches below the ground level but because there is a slope, the other side of the bed will be ground level for the first layer of blocks. The right height of the bed is determined by the depth of the anchor block in the ground. The first anchor block will take the longest to set in place. It will take 32 concrete blocks and 16 caps to build this raised bed. So with all that cleared away, I’m ready to set the anchor block.īuilding a raised bed to last will require some hard labor but after it’s done the bed will last for years to come. In my case this already was a raised bed with landscaping timbers that rotted away and the bed became a rubbish pile for this growing season. The site for the bed should be somewhat level, but it doesn’t have to be. Prepare the Site and Lay the Anchor Block It’s just a fact of life that we all have to plan for. Unfortunately, we cannot stop the aging process and with aging, comes less physical activity. I may not be able to rebuild my raised beds 10 years from now. In my experience, wood for raised beds only lasts about 10 years or less and then the bed will need to be rebuilt. There comes a time in life when the thought process shifts to how can I build, repair, or purchase something that will last for the rest of my life.