On 11/3/2008 3:43 PM, SteveB wrote:
We are ready to till up our garden, and want to raise it in beds or
platforms so us old people don't have to bend over so much. Is it practical
to raise them to desk level, or is just a foot or two sufficient? I would
think that whatever you made the raised bed from would rot from water and
gook within a few years. And then, if you use cinderblock or cement, you're
talking high cost and a lot of skilled labor.

Help appreciated.

Steve


Raised beds are generally done to improve drainage in heavy soils, not
to make the beds convenient for people. If you wish to raise your beds
for your convenience, do them as high as you want. Just remember that
the higher you make a bed, the stronger you must make the frame.

I have one raised bed, a square just about a foot high and 40 inches on
a side. This is for a Mineola tangelo because citrus needs soils that
draing very well while my soil is adobe clay. The bed is framed with a
single layer of unmortared cinder blocks. I filled the holes in the
blocks with potting mix and planted wax-leaf begonias in them.

I also have a raised miniature circular bed that is about 6 inches high
and 15 inches in diameter. This is for a foxglove plant. The bed is
framed with a cereal box that I cut apart and stapled to create a ring.
I expect this frame to decompose, by which time the foxglove roots
should hold the raised soil together in a mound.

The rest of my garden is at the original level. I'm 67 and have a bad
back. I work much of my garden on my knees. I use a step bench that
can be turned upside-down; under the step is a 1-inch pad of foam rubber
for my knees. The legs (for when it's right-side-up) assist me to stand
up. Right-side-up, it's very handy for sitting and resting. See my
http://www.rossde.com/garden/tools.html; scroll down a little past
half-way.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/