Planning to put together a raised bed garden, or have you been thinking about it? It is truly a garden project that will pay you back many times over. The idea of raised bed gardens seems to be more appealing now a days. I think that a brief description of the benefits are in order before we proceed.
A raised bed garden is truly a garden for any area it can be built on your lawn, on your deck, on your patio, heck you can even build it on your driveway.The reason that it is so versatile is basically it is just a box that s filled with soil. It can be made out of wood, blocks, stone, or any material that you can stack and that will hold the soil in.
There are many reasons why a person would want to garden in a raised bed garden I believe the number one reason would be that you can choose the type of soil and amended it just the way you want it. But there are other reasons as well. Perhaps you live in an area where the soil is all clay, or stone, or to wet the raised bed will eliminate all these problems. Another reason to build a raised bed is to give back the ability to garden to someone who has physical disabilities that do not allow them to work a regular garden. This is the perfect solution.
When planning your raised bed garden the first thing to decide is the type of material that is available to build it out of. I have seen beds that have been built out of old rail road ties and pressure treated lumber these I would not use because of the contamination by the chemicals that are used to preserve them that can leach out into the soil. I have also seen them built out of wood that is resistant to rot such as cedar, and cypress. These are nice but the lumber can be pretty expensive. You can build out of cement blocks but it is time consuming and requires a bit of work.
My choice for a raised bed is now going to be composite lumber. After halving seen composite lumber being used in several different gardens I have decided that is going to be my number one choice from now on. Not only does it look good it is 100% recycled. That makes it more environmentally friendly. I would suggest using a 2 "x 10" board for the sides and using side supports made out of 2 "x4" composite lumber. This type of raised bed can be two boards high giving it planting depth for a good root zone for most vegetables. You can even make it higher for those that maybe unable to bed or need to use a wheel chair the design is up to you.
I would recommend that the bed be no more than 4 feet wide so you can reach the other side with out having to walk around. A very important suggestion is that after you have added your soil mixture you have it tested before you begin planting this way you are assured of starting out right with your new garden.