How high should a raised bed be?

One source says to use scaffold boards, but I have no idea where one gets
scaffold boards from, should they be treated to stop rot?

Do they really have to be that high?

Would 4 inches be high enough?

--
alan

reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

quote "One source says to use scaffold boards, but I have no idea where
one gets
scaffold boards from, should they be treated to stop rot? "

Builders merchants would be the best bet, and the inside could be
painted with a mastic paint to prevernt water penetrating.

Mike

wrote in message
oups.com...
quote "One source says to use scaffold boards, but I have no idea where
one gets
scaffold boards from, should they be treated to stop rot? "

Builders merchants would be the best bet, and the inside could be
painted with a mastic paint to prevernt water penetrating.

Mike
You do not even really needs boards at all for a four inch raised
bed.....just mount up the soil to that height with the pathway trodden
down....after all, a raised bed just consists of a bed higher than its
surounds....Hw

Alan Holmes wrote in message
...

How high should a raised bed be?

One source says to use scaffold boards, but I have no idea where one gets
scaffold boards from, should they be treated to stop rot?

Do they really have to be that high?

Would 4 inches be high enough?

--
alan

reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net


Hi Alan,

A raised bed can be as high or as low as you want it. It depends what sort
of conditions/culture you're trying to create.

If you want an acid bed because your local soil is alkaline, then you
obviously need a much deeper bed than 4" so that roots don't grow through
the acid layer and find your alkaline soil.

If you're raising the bed for alpines, say, so that you can increase
drainage, 4" may be enough - unless you're on very heavy puddly clay.

If you're raising beds with your ordinary soil to improve vegetable growing
conditions, 4" is probably good enough. However, by the time you've added
muck and mulch over a few years, you'll be over-flowing your 4" barrier, and
wish you'd put in a 6" barrier to start with.

Hope this helps.
Spider

Why do you want to raise the bed? Will 4 inches be enough for what you are
wanting to accomplish?

I raise mine to prevent root crops from rotting if we get too much rain.
Most radishes would only require 4 inches. Potatoes will require more. I
till my soil, then rake the dirt together from two directions to make a
ridge. I make the ridge as high as I need ( 4 to 10 inches) for what I am
planning to plant on it, then take a rake and flatten and level off the top.
Then I lay a soaker hose along the top of the ridge and plant along the
hose. I make the top of the ridge wider for onions, radishes, and carrots,
and plant them on both sides of the soaker hose. If you cant locate a
manufactured soaker hose, you can take a regular watering hose, make very
small holes in it, install a water pressure regulator, cap the end and it
will do the job.

Dwayne


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

How high should a raised bed be?

One source says to use scaffold boards, but I have no idea where one gets
scaffold boards from, should they be treated to stop rot?

Do they really have to be that high?

Would 4 inches be high enough?

--
alan

reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

g'day alan,

i always use 10"s as the rule of thumb 6"s would be a minimum for me.

can't help with where to get boards but i usually go to the recycle
demolition yards to look for material for borders.

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
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