Do you have garden boxes?

[H.C. Heartland]

I have a friend who just mowed down her beautiful vegetable garden and has decided to plant everything in garden boxes. This is so she can have better control over the different types of soil the different vegetables may need. Also, she does not have to bend down or kneel as much because they are elevated to knee height. What do you think? Do you know anyone who has these and have they worked well?

 

[firelily99]

I have seen them but I have not used them for my garden. I worked for someone who had most of his beds raised and I have to say that it is a lot easier on the back.

 

[Chuck]

Different soils for different vegetables? Vegetables only need fertile soil. Soil with lots of micro-organisms and organic matter. I have seen these "garden boxes" on TV. All the ones I have seen are made of wooden 2x12's and if they haven't rotted out in 4 or 5 years I would be surprised. Maybe railroad ties or cement blocks I could see but not pine lumber. The only advantage I can see is not having to stoop over as far.

 

[Trellum]

Garden boxes are fine, H.C. They are easy on the back and can really good for people who can't bend anymore due hernias! They're made of wood and can root tho, but at least she will have used them quite a bit before that happens.

 

[Pat]

I would have a raised box for the garden to reduce the stress on the back and knees. I see some of the pictures of boxes and they look good, well organized and reduces the fear of a person mowing it down or walking into your garden and trampling every thing.

 

[claudine]

I don't have any garden boxes yet, but I think that it's a nice idea. It sounds really convenient. I want to plant a few strawberry plants in big, wooden containers, I'll keep them on a balcony.

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

We have those, but we mainly plant flowers in them. We have had baby's breath, white angel plant, yellow bells and etc. Unfortunately, my dog loves to dig and sleep there, so there's a big patch of dirt and a sleeping dog there now.

 

[H.C. Heartland]

Different soils for different vegetables? Vegetables only need fertile soil. Soil with lots of micro-organisms and organic matter. I have seen these "garden boxes" on TV. All the ones I have seen are made of wooden 2x12's and if they haven't rotted out in 4 or 5 years I would be surprised. Maybe railroad ties or cement blocks I could see but not pine lumber. The only advantage I can see is not having to stoop over as far.

It just looks like normal 'deck' wood to me; probably pine. So you are right, they are looking to have to replace them every 4 or 5 years. I wonder if making brick or concrete boxes would do better. I know concrete retains water so maybe concrete blocks would make nice boxes. Although the decorative granite type bricks would probably look more pleasing to the eye.

 

[Tiara Murphy]

I actually have these beds that I bought on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UNYFLO/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have just a few because I live in an apartment and kind of set up shop in the small, shared backyard. They've been working wonderfully. They even have an irrigation hose in case there's a heavy rain. It will drain the extra water into the yard. They're not exactly super gorgeous, but they're definitely something I'm glad I bought. I could put my organic soil in there and I don't have to worry about weeding ever and they're just the right height so no bending over!

 

[Jewell]

Here is two of my garden boxes. OK they are big planters.

Needed them for shade. They did so well last summer I expanded since I was still getting the soil prepped for new veggie beds this spring. Here's my ghetto pot garden (beans, peas, kale).

 

[ACSAPA]

When I lived at my ex's house, he had brick planter boxes that his mother had built for her and then abandoned when she went senile and moved into full time care.
My ex doesn't have anything growing in them but weeds. I had elephant ears growing in them, but I have so much resentment toward my ex that I dug up my plants and moved them with me to my apartment and have them growing in pots.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

How to build a raised garden bed with legs

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

Our soil is mostly sand so we have raised beds with rims about 12 inches above ground level. They are actually built on crushed rock gravel that extends the entire south side of the house and also forms our RV pad. A layer of landscape felt keeps the growing soil from mixing into the gravel. It is great for drainage! I agree they are definitely easier on the back. A couple of things I recommend if you build your own are: No more that 48 inches wide, but not too narrow either because you waste space with too many walkways in between and think about how many rows you will get - for example, 3 1/2 is wasted space too, go for 3 or 4. Add a flat board - even a 2x4 or a preferably little wider centered on the top edges for stability. It's a lot more comfortable to sit on! Plus it makes a nice surface to put things on while you a re working or harvesting. Word of caution, learned the hard way. Whether you miter the corners of the caps or not, cut off the tips at 45 degrees - it saves your ankles! The overhang is no problem, because the plants won't be right up against the sides anyway, but still have the same amount of room for the roots. We also have 1/2 barrel type planters for some individual plants and those that spread. I definitely recommend a drip irrigation system - not necessarily "drip" per se, we use quite a few mini sprays.

 

[Sean Regan]

We've a couple of boxes.

The trouble is, that wood rots.
So ours which are pine I painted with Dulux exterior grade woodstain. They were quite inexpensive from a garden centre. I'd have paid as much for the wood to make them.

Instead of the solid bases which I removed, they have two rails, enough to support three pots in each on big plastic saucers. So no earth is touching the wood.

They are light enough to move around easily, if I take the pots out.

So sometimes they are here either side of the tea-house steps.

Or at other times here in front of our rose patio. They get another coat of paint every few years.

We have almost a couple of dozen ceramic pots on pot movers on the two patios. They get moved around too.

 

[Don Perry]

Today I built a raised box 33w x 16d x 84l. Raised 12" off the ground. built out of treated deck wood. I intend to plant broccoli and cabbage in the green house. I need to make 3 more and make a watering system.
Last year was a wash and I don't really know why. A lot of gardens around here didn't do well .