4 Strange DIY Raised Bed Garden Ideas You Could Build Yourself

How do you make Hugelkultur raised beds?
What can you make raised beds out of?
What do I put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?
Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?
How many bags of soil do I need for a 4x8 raised bed?
What can you not put in a Hugelkultur bed?
How do you stop wooden raised beds from rotting?
Can I put logs in my raised garden bed?
How deep should a raised bed garden be?
Are concrete blocks safe for raised beds?
What is the best wood to use for raised garden beds?

How do you make Hugelkultur raised beds?

“To create a hugelkultur, pile up branches or brush a foot or two deep in a mound 4 to 8 feet long. Stomp on the pile to compact it a bit. Then toss compostable materials—grass clippings, sod, straw into the pile. Sprinkle some compost on the mound, and top with an inch or so of soil.

What can you make raised beds out of?

Cedar or Redwood

Cedar and redwood are the two best choices of wood to build raised garden beds with. They're both very durable, beautiful, and naturally resistant to moisture, rot, and even termites.

What do I put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

The bottom of a raised garden bed should be a layer of grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, straw, and other organic material. The cardboard should be placed on top of that layer. The organic material will turn into compost, while the cardboard will prevent weeds.

Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?

Building raised beds is well worth the effort. Raised beds allow you to overcome problems such as poor, rocky soil, waterlogged areas and people walking through your gardens. While raised beds drain better than in-ground beds, adding rocks to the bottom of the bed improves drainage even further.

How many bags of soil do I need for a 4x8 raised bed?

How much soil? For a 4x8–foot raised bed with a 10” height, about 1 cubic yard of soil is needed.

What can you not put in a Hugelkultur bed?

No Black Walnut or Black Cherry, no dog or cat waste (but horse and cow is encouraged), no grass clips from a treated lawn (that goes for leaves too), and don't put weeds that have gone to seed (unless your goal is to grow weeds).

How do you stop wooden raised beds from rotting?

As a shorter-term alternative, untreated wood can be painted with a preservative. To prevent wood preservative leaching into the soil, line wood exposed to soil within the bed with black plastic sheeting.

Can I put logs in my raised garden bed?

Wood base: Logs are MUCH preferred over wood chips as a base for hugelkultur raised beds. Soil depth: The top layer of soil in a hugelkultur raised bed should be at LEAST as deep as the wood base.

How deep should a raised bed garden be?

A raised bed does not have to be very deep to be effective. Eight to 12 inches is usually adequate. If drainage is a problem, or if the plants you are growing prefer drier soil, the bed could be taller and filled with a porous growing medium. Vegetable beds should be 12 to 18 inches deep.

Are concrete blocks safe for raised beds?

Some concrete blocks contain fly ash, which is a byproduct of burning coal. This means that the blocks could contain heavy metals and other hazardous waste materials. Concrete blocks can also contain lime, which might leach into the soil when you water your plants, but this is not thought to be harmful to humans.

What is the best wood to use for raised garden beds?

In most cases, cedar is the best wood to use for garden beds because cedar is naturally rot resistant. Western red cedar is commonly used, but Vermont white cedar, Port Orford (yellow) cedar and Juniper are also high-quality choices for outdoor construction projects.