Building Raised Garden Beds

What kind of wood should be used for raised beds?
How deep should a raised bed garden be?
What do you put in the bottom of a raised garden bed?
How thick should the wood be for a raised garden bed?
How do you fill a raised bed cheaply?
Should I line my raised garden bed with plastic?
Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?
How many tomato plants can I grow in a 4x4 raised bed?
Do you have to remove grass under a raised garden bed?
Should I put cardboard in raised beds?
Can I put cardboard under raised beds?
Should you line a raised bed?

What kind of wood should be used for raised beds?

What Kind of Wood to Use? 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.

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.

What do you put in 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.

How thick should the wood be for a raised garden bed?

Lumber for a Raised Bed

Make your raised bed from lumber that is either 1-inch or 2-inches thick; a piece of lumber that is 2 inches thick will withstand more wear than a piece of lumber that is 1 inch thick; it will also be more expensive. Standard widths of lumber are 2-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-inches.

How do you fill a raised bed cheaply?

First, dig a trench that's about ten inches deep and two feet down the center of your raised bed. Put down a few layers of cardboard to kill any weeds or grass. Then, fill the core of your raised bed. The best option for this is to use straw bales, but you can also use leaves, grass clippings, or old twigs.

Should I line my raised garden bed with plastic?

You can line your raised bed to make it more durable and to prevent toxics from leaching into the soil. For lining, use landscape fabric found at garden supply stores or cloth fabric from clothing. Avoid non-porous plastic, as it can retain too much water and discourage beneficial insects and worms.

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 tomato plants can I grow in a 4x4 raised bed?

A 4'x4' raised bed can accommodate 4 or 5 tomato plants. For USDA zones with longer growing seasons, & for indeterminate tomato varieties, only 2 or 3 tomato plants might fit in a 4'x'4' raised bed. Determinate tomato plants typically require less space than indeterminate varieties.

Do you have to remove grass under a raised garden bed?

Raised beds are the ultimate in no-till gardening. Because you are literally constructing a bed from the ground up, there's no need to dig into the soil to remove lawn and weeds. ... Over time, the grass and the newspaper will decompose, adding nutrients to the bed.

Should I put cardboard in raised beds?

Many gardeners build raised beds right on their lawns, and line the bottoms with cardboard to smother the grass – a technique that makes it possible to fill the beds and start gardening right away. Even the gardener's helper enjoys a cardboard box!

Can I put cardboard under raised beds?

Cardboard is a great compostable medium that will suppress weeds allowing you to place a raised bed right on top of grass or weeds. The weeds underneath the cardboard will rot down and provide growing plants with nutrients.

Should you line a raised bed?

So, should you line a raised garden bed? Yes, you should line your raised garden bed, since the pros of doing so outweigh the cons. A liner for your raised garden bed can insulate the soil against extreme temperatures, keep moles and gophers out, and prevent weeds from growing.