"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. �

I assume you mean a vegetable garden.

For tilling you'll still need to get up into the bed.

Is it practical
to raise them to desk level, or is just a foot or two sufficient? �

I think a foot or two is more practical, especially if you want more
than a teensy vegetable garden.

The general formula in how-to books is to construct raised beds so
that they are no higher and wider than you can comfortably reach to
the center from each side... for most folks 24" X 30" high and 4' wide
works well... if you make them sized so you need to do much stretching
then you've defeated your purpose... with raised beds less is more.
Keep in mind that many plants grow taller than you can reach were they
planted at ground level, planted up in a raised bed you will need to
climb into the bed... I think you'll be spending a lot of time/energy
climbing in and out of raised beds

I honestly don't see the benefit to raised beds unless all you want is
one or maybe two very small gardens as a fancy schmancy landscape
feature but I don't think they are practical. There really isn't much
bending with gardening anyways except for weeding. Weed block cloth
takes care of that easily and costs far less than bed construction.
And for harvesting low growing crops I find sitting on a small stool
works fine, I have an assortment; one of those reversable kneeling-
siting benches, a contractor bucket with swivel seat, a cheap
Rubbermaid plastic step stool, and a few ordinary foam type cheapo
kneeling cushions. I prefer to get in there with my plants and I
don't like having to crowd plants because of limited space.


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.

Treated lumber works well and lasts many years, square fence posts are
perfect... design your bed to accomodate standard length lumber, ie.
make your bed 4' X 8", not 5' X 9'. I wouldn't suggest masonary if
you live where the ground freezes, it will heave and crack. Also
before you begin decide if you will need your bed fenced to keep
critters out, if so regulation-type raised beds may not be what you
want because any fence that keeps critters out will keep you out too.
For my 50' X 50' vegetable garden I used real RR ties laid flat on the
ground, even though used I'm sure they will outlast me. The ties
really just delineate the garden, keeps the amended soil in and the
yard soil out, keeps outside weeds from encroaching and gives me a
solid base for attaching a sturdy deer fence, and a gate for me...
also gives me an inside walkway around the entire perimeter.

Before you get too involved and begin buying construction materials
give this raised bed idea a lot of consideration and reconsideration.

I used plain old fashioned RR ties:
http://i34.tinypic.com/2wp6ukz.jpg

My next door neighbor is a little fancier:
http://i34.tinypic.com/2dvsvvc.jpg