If your ground is solid rock, the best way to raise veggies is in a raised bed. My husband built a raised bed garden this year. The "blocks that hold the garden together are, believe it or not, Styrofoam. This was salvaged from boat docks a few years ago when they banned its use in the local lakes. Its insulating capacity, helps to keep the earth cool. The first picture was taken before the topsoil was added. The second picture, taken a few days ago, shows the results of our Mother's Day planting date.
We are about to start picking squash and tomatoes... at least for fried green tomatoes. :)
By Harlean from Arkansas
My husband and I are looking for a platform bed. Does anyone has a good suggestion? Where can we find a good deal on a good quality platform bed? Thanks.
I have seen some cute ones on walmart.com. There are reviews so you can judge for yourself. I don't know if there is an ikea where you live but they also have them or ikea.com.
Sometimes people just plain want to get RID of a frame for a water bed. They get tired of it, or the mattress leaks, or whatever....Free for just hauling it off.
You'd be surprised what people want to give away!!
And what people are asking for too.
Do you have "Free Cycle" in your town ?
(You can check the list and see if yours is there, then your state, Subscribe) Free Cycle is full of things that people don't want anymore. Just as it says, it's Free.And they are yours if you tell'em you want it, and agree to pick it up when they tell you to.
A VERY INEXPENSIVE PLATFORM BED
When I was still in grade school, my parents put their mattress on plywood that was laid on travel trunks. This may sound cheap, but they slept on it for years.
Mom like it because she was able to store things underneath the slipcovers. We used to play hide and go seek.
Dad did drill some holes in the board for air circulation. We lived in Japan, and the moisture gets so bad, you end up having to clean clothes that are in the closet. THINGS GROW MOLD.
IKEA has some really nice ones for less than $300.
We bought our bed from llbean.com, it comes in several flat pack boxes that are shipped FedEx. I put it together myself and have slept on it for over 3 years.
If you're short on space or the soil in your area is riddled by sand or clay, building raised beds may be the best solution to your gardening woes. You'll trade the time, money and effort required amending poor quality soil for maximum yields in a minimum amount of space.
This idea is very old, my grandmother used to have straw bale gardens. It was great for her not to have to stoop over to pick and weed her garden.
We would love to have a garden in our backyard, but supposedly there are gophers. We decided on having a raised garden bed and after looking at the costs of already built raised garden beds and ready to purchase and install yourself garden beds, they were definitely out of our budget!
We made a 30x20 foot garden in our back yard with plastic and cement blocks. You do not have to remove grass. Put down plastic or a thick layer of news papers, and place cement blocks on top around the edge of the space.
I am looking for an economical way to edge my raised beds. I have a large garden and lumber is just way too expensive to do all of the beds. Any ideas?
Hardiness Zone: 6a
By Heidi from PA
I love my raised beds. It helps keep different gardens separated and makes it easier to keep weeds out. They can be watered separately, depending on what you are growing in them.
I have read how straw bales are used to build a raised garden. I was wondering if straw could be used to line the bottom of a wood build raised garden? I was thinking that the straw would decompose and provide nutrients for the soil as well as help to maintain moisture. Please help out.
By Faye B.
Can you turn an old fridge into a raised veggie bed? I would need to put drainage holes in the back and lay it back on ground. What are potential hazards?
By Bec B
