On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 21:10:27 GMT, "ecologicals"
wrote:



The most cost-effective way to raise a raised bed is to form a midden, a
flat hump that should contain rocks, rubble etc. as well as soil. Drainage
is of critical importance and a 24 inch soil pad will add that, plus cost is
far less than an additional 2 feet of raised bed wall, unless you use field
stones as walls. Central Maine is full of good rocks, there is no better
material than rock to create a raised bed.

We're currently using old tires - with the sidewalls cut off
- as raised beds. Cost: free. So far, this is working
very well and we're very pleased with the tire planters.

Not only are the tires free, my husband even found a tire
store that cuts off the sidewalls (the sidewalls are sold to
farmers) so we don't even have to cut the sidewalls off
ourselves, although we did it before he located this source.
It's not very difficult. We used a large heavy knife at
first, then an inexpensive jigsaw.

Each of our 'small round raised beds' is set on rototilled
'soil' from which the larger rocks have been removed (our
soil is heavy heavy clay and full of rocks). Then the tire
is filled with spent-mushroom-soil (this is very like
compost). This gives the plants about a foot of lovely
loose rich stuff, stuff, and their roots can continue on
down to the soil if they want to.

We've placed the tires in the garden in double rows (except
a single row at each edge), with paths wide enough to mow
with our lawn mower. They'll probably need trimming at the
edges with the string trimmer. But maintenance should be
fairly low.

Back to width: raised beds are semi-permanent structures. If you can reach
in to 24" from either side could you do so in 10, 15 years from now? Why not
40" wide? 38"? It all depends on what you want to do.

If I were making conventional raised beds, I'd have them no
more than 36" wide.

Pat