Hello,

This spring we intend to build some raised beds by our house. They
will be fairly low to the ground, about 6-8" above the ground level.
For those who'd suggest higher beds, let me say that we have our
reasons and I won't go into them here.

We originally intended to use pressure treated lumber, but have
decided we'd like something more permanent (plus we have concerns
about the toxins in the lumber.)

Thus, no wood. Period. (Don't bother even suggesting it, not even
redwood.)

Obviously, we can go the complex route and use ordinary concrete block
or brick with mortar and pour a "foundation", but this seems like
overkill. I'm not sure if using reinforced concrete "beams" make any
sense because of their weight -- we'd also need to tailor them to
specific dimensions and handling corners.

Are there any recent inventions in this area that may be what we
are looking for, such as interlocking blocks (akin to legos) by
which we can build the raised beds retainer?

Any insights here would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Jon Noring

Try cutting out an old polyurethane foam cushion and then custom mixing the
soil. Lots of leaves and manure for instance mixed with the soil. You can
leave in a bottom or not, as you choose. If there is no bottom, you can use
thick layers of newspaper, cardboard to kill what is underneath, as I expect
you do not want that growing through. These biodegrade with time anyway, but
you should mulch them on the outside. The raw material is best found in inner
city neighborhoods, or around big universities, wherever people are careless
about their trash. My best cushion was contured thanks to a couch fire. It
rivals in looks the best sandstone trough. When you kick it, it gives unlike
stone or hypertuffa.

If you want you polyurethane foam custom made, expect to pay.

Jon Noring wrote:

Are there any recent inventions in this area that may be what we
are looking for, such as interlocking blocks (akin to legos) by
which we can build the raised beds retainer?

Any insights here would be most appreciated.


I'm not sure what country you're in, but here in the US, every Home
Depot ad that has anything from the garden department has at least one,
usually more, choices in stackable, interlocking blocks. They even have
little charts that you can look up the height and length of the wall
you're building, and they'll tell you how many blocks you need.

Most of them are sort-of keystone-shaped so you can line them up
straight, or curve them in or out, and many have ridges that will
interlock if you off-set each successive course on top of each other.

They don't seem to have them at Homedepot.com... probably because
they're awfully heavy to send by UPS.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.

"Jon Noring" wrote in message

Hello,

This spring we intend to build some raised beds by our house. They
will be fairly low to the ground, about 6-8" above the ground level.
For those who'd suggest higher beds, let me say that we have our
reasons and I won't go into them here.

We originally intended to use pressure treated lumber, but have
decided we'd like something more permanent (plus we have concerns
about the toxins in the lumber.)

Thus, no wood. Period. (Don't bother even suggesting it, not even
redwood.)

Obviously, we can go the complex route and use ordinary concrete block
or brick with mortar and pour a "foundation", but this seems like
overkill. I'm not sure if using reinforced concrete "beams" make any
sense because of their weight -- we'd also need to tailor them to
specific dimensions and handling corners.

Are there any recent inventions in this area that may be what we
are looking for, such as interlocking blocks (akin to legos) by
which we can build the raised beds retainer?

Any insights here would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Jon Noring

I'm not sure what it's called but it's like plastic lumber and it's made
from recycled plastic. It can be nailed and cut just like regular lumber.
Try www.plasctilumberyard.com.


--
Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5

If the area is relatively flat, and your soil is clay based and not too
sandy, you may not need to use anything at all. Just mound up the soil and
tamp it into place along the edges. Mulch will help hold things in
place--bark mulch for an ornamental bed, or straw for the veggie garden.
You'd be surprised how well it will stay in place, especially if you are
only dealing with six inches of earth. You can also plant ground hugging
plants along the edges to give it more of a formal, finished look. Various
thymes, alpine strawberries, even dwarf marigolds--there's lots of
possibilities.

If you find interlocking blocks you like, but don't have the time/money to
install them all at once, you can make the bed and install the edging at
your convenience this way.

Sue
--
Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Jon Noring" wrote in message
...
Hello,

This spring we intend to build some raised beds by our house. They
will be fairly low to the ground, about 6-8" above the ground level.
For those who'd suggest higher beds, let me say that we have our
reasons and I won't go into them here.

We originally intended to use pressure treated lumber, but have
decided we'd like something more permanent (plus we have concerns
about the toxins in the lumber.)

Thus, no wood. Period. (Don't bother even suggesting it, not even
redwood.)

Obviously, we can go the complex route and use ordinary concrete block
or brick with mortar and pour a "foundation", but this seems like
overkill. I'm not sure if using reinforced concrete "beams" make any
sense because of their weight -- we'd also need to tailor them to
specific dimensions and handling corners.

Are there any recent inventions in this area that may be what we
are looking for, such as interlocking blocks (akin to legos) by
which we can build the raised beds retainer?

Any insights here would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Jon Noring

This spring we intend to build some raised beds by our house. They
will be fairly low to the ground, about 6-8" above the ground level.

My husband, Rod, built a raised bed out of wood, but it rotted out after a few
years.

He built raised beds in our garden out of both interlocking pavers
(brick-colored to match our home) and out of the local stone. Both look
wonderful. If you e-mail me, I will e-mail back photos.

The pavers have the advantage of being flat on top, and the wall is stable
enough to sit on. This makes gardening easier, since I can sit on the raised
bed, and work without bending.

One source of the pavers is E.P. Henry.
http://www.ephenry.com/store/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=110

Wendy
Wilmington, DE

On Mon, 3 Feb 2003 13:46:09 -0700, "Jon Noring"
wrote:
~
~Are there any recent inventions in this area that may be what we
~are looking for, such as interlocking blocks (akin to legos) by
~which we can build the raised beds retainer?

Here's another firm offering interlocking blocks which might serve
your purpose.

http://www.unilock.com/walls/stackstone/index.html

Cdonahey41 wrote:

Try cutting out an old polyurethane foam cushion and then custom mixing the
soil. Lots of leaves and manure for instance mixed with the soil. You can
leave in a bottom or not, as you choose. If there is no bottom, you can use
thick layers of newspaper, cardboard to kill what is underneath, as I expect
you do not want that growing through. These biodegrade with time anyway, but
you should mulch them on the outside. The raw material is best found in inner
city neighborhoods, or around big universities, wherever people are careless
about their trash. My best cushion was contured thanks to a couch fire. It
rivals in looks the best sandstone trough. When you kick it, it gives unlike
stone or hypertuffa.

If you want you polyurethane foam custom made, expect to pay.

A funny prank is slice a waffle-type mattress core into strips, then spray
paint each with diagonal black and yellow stripes. Lay across any residential
street plagued with reckless imbecile drivers. Indistinguishable from actual
concrete speed bumps when approached at 40 mph.