I was thinking of putting in raised vegetable garden beds this year. I
wasn't sure what to use for the sides but am leaning towards the large
white
cement blocks since they are permanent. The problem is that these are
quite
wide (not sure exactly how wide) but this would make the recommend bed (4'
x
4') that much wider. I was thinking of doing something longer in any
event - say 20 feet or more. For those with experience, does this seem a
good idea? Should I go to a 3' wide bed so it is easily reachable from
both sides? Would you go with the longer beds? Is there any drawback to
doing that? Any other suggestions for the material to use? Thanks for
your
input.

Jane, have you thought about just using some boards? Makes 'em much less
permanent and it's much less expensive (4 boards and about a dozen nails).
It would also allow you to experiment a bit with what you prefer -- longer
vs. shorter, wider vs. more narrow, and so forth.

If you really want to go with rock (and therefore a more permanent design),
you may want to look toward the ornamental. Not knowing how your property
is set up of course, but this would preserve them for later use with flowers
and shrubs should you decide to stop growing vegetables in that part of your
garden. Creek rock for example might cost the same to a tad more, require a
little more work, but looks much nicer than cement blocks and leaves your
future options open.

Just a thought.

James