What is the best way to make a SMALL raised bed garden?
Image by the.sprouts
they’re putting on a shield to prevents weeds and other plants from growing in once we put the raised bed on the soil (so you’re looking at the bottom of it)
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part of sprout’s gardensense project [1]
[1] gardensense.thesprouts.org
Question by ritabird1: What is the best way to make a SMALL raised bed garden?
I want to have a small “postage stamp” garden next spring and summer and have horrible soil in my yard. What is the best way to build a small raised bed?
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
5 Responses to What is the best way to make a SMALL raised bed garden?
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you can use bricks, pavers ,or 2X4s, then fill with dirt
no1special
October 7, 2011 at 10:47 am
You should use cedar 2X8s to build the raised bed, and fill with good top soil. You will need at least 8″ of topsoil to grow healthy plants.
Hope this helps.
big_avenger
October 7, 2011 at 11:21 am
Make a nice ‘postage sized’ frame out of 2×6, 2×8, 0r 2×10 lumber, or whatever boards you have. Put 4 posts in the corners, you can bang them into the dirt with a hammer, then nail the lumber on them, more or less LEVEL from one to the next, and as many ‘rows’ as you want the bed HIGH, —and fill the bed up to the TOP with good soil.
If you can’t FIND good soil, make it by digging up some of your horrible soil, a handful of bags of peat moss, some sand, and even a bit of sawdust, and mix it all together. In the FALL, sprinkle some 17-17-17 (weak) fertilizer on it, or some manure. Dig it in and mix it up. If you have LOTS of leaves falling from trees in the fall in your area, use those also, add LOTS of leaves to the mix . The MORE the better. If you can find some fishworms, throw them in the soil.
In the spring, plant your tiny garden and enjoy your tomatoes. Grow a pumpkin for your kids too.
fiddlesticks9
October 7, 2011 at 11:38 am
Determine what type of plants you wih to grow first. Carrots and corn require deeper soil than radishes and zuchinni for instance. I would build the box out of pressure treated 2x10s. Scarf off any grass and weeds below the box site, line the box with black plastic sheeting and poke several nail holes in it at the lowest point to facilitate drainage. Fill the box with a mix of sandy loam, peatmoss, vermiculite, and an all purpose fertilizer. Fill the box level with its top and grid the box into one foot squares. Follow the plant spacing and depth directions on the seed package. Add water and stand back.
rico3151
October 7, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Raising the bed raises the temperature and changes the water requirements due to materials used.
Try sinking the bed.
Take two of those $ 8 kiddie pools and dig a hole in the yard the same diameter as the pool.
Put one pool in and toss in a couple similar sized rocks so there is a space when you put the second pool, with drainage holes cut in it. Just take out your garden frustrations on it and stab, stab, stab.
Fill with good new topsoil and plant your heart out, grass wont creep into it from the yard and plants won’t creep out.
This even works on apatio or a balcony.
If you are bent on raising the bed, set the system on blocks
Carol H
October 7, 2011 at 12:15 pm