You have made your choice of building materials, now you need to decide how you want your beds constructed.
Height is the first thing to think about. Beds can be as
low as 6 to 8 inches or as high as 2-3 feet. Most people
using these as vegetable gardens will probably be happy
with the lower height.
Next consideration is width, you should probably consider
4 feet the maximum. This is narrow enough that you can easily
reach the middle from either side of the bed.
Length is restricted only by the size of the area you want to
place it.
The shape of your beds can vary. They can be a plain rectangular box or if you feel the need to be creative you can build them with angles.
When putting them together you will need corner bracing and this is simply 2X4’s cut to length. If you are using wood screws to assemble the pieces place them from the outside. Same thing goes if you use carriage bolts.
Make sure you have the nut to the outside. This is just in case you want to dismantle your box. Your screws and bolts won’t be rusted to the point you cannot get them out.
Consider the width of your walkways if you are using several beds in a grouping . If you have this area in grass keep enough distance between beds to allow you to use your lawn mower.
You want bark or gravel between the beds. If this is your choice make sure you have placed landscape fabric on the ground before adding the topping. You do not want weeds growing in your walkways.
Soil for your beds should be about 50% topsoil with sand, peat moss or compost making up the other half of your growing medium.
When planting place your plants in such a way that larger varieties do not shade the shorter plants in a detrimental way. This can be by aligning the boxes them selves or by planning on how you arrange your plantings.
Once you have your beds up and planted you will find the work associated with your gardening will be reduced dramiticaly.
Raised beds enable you to grow more with less effort.
Copyright © 2007 | Outdoor Activity Guide |.All rights reserved
RAISED BED GARDENING........Basic guide to constructing your raised beds
How to Build Your Raised Beds .
