Sunday, September 11, 2011

Raised Beds

This was our big project today but it didn't take very long. No wood had to be cut; it just had to be screwed together. This wood was the bunk beds that my boys have had most of their lives. We tried to give them away but no one seemed to need them so now they are the raised beds in my garden.
They, of course, waste a lot of room but since I can't get what I want to grow in this soil even after all these years, I think it they are the best way for us to go. They only take up one side of  my garden and the other side will have to just be planted in the ground unless I find more wood to make more raised beds, which is what I eventually hope to do.
I'll put the compost from the compost bin in these and  I also will be cleaning out the pens and bringing that waste down to fill them with throughout the winter and hopefully by summer I'll add a bag or two of manure and we'll be ready to plant.
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9 comments:

  1. David P. Offutt - The Gastronomic GardenerSeptember 11, 2011 at 6:03 PM

    Looks promising! I can vouch for them....

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  2. becky3086September 11, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    Yup, me too. The one in the back yard grew more stuff for us this year than the rest of the gardens put together.

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  3. LyndaSeptember 11, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    Great idea! Your raised beds are REALLY RAISED BEDS!

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  4. becky3086September 11, 2011 at 10:29 PM

    LOL, I didn't think of it that way.

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  5. LindaSeptember 12, 2011 at 12:54 AM

    I made a four by four foot raised bed and got nothing put into it. So, for a year or more, I used it for a compost. First, I put cardboard and newspaper in the bottom and a layer of leaves. I threw in vegetable and fruit scraps, alternating with raked leaves. The three hens loved to get in and find the bugs dining on the scraps. They, of course, left fertilizer in the compost. Of course, when it came time to plant tomatoes, it was not full, so I just put leaves on top. The tomatoes and peppers love it. You could do the same with your "beds" during the off season. Those are the perfect size. When I see tossed beds, I will be prepared to snag them.

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  6. MoSeptember 12, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    What a great idea :) One of the things I like about raised beds is that they don't 'overface' you. You can work on one bed and feel satisfied, whereas working in an 'open' garden can sometimes feel like you've not even scratched the surface :)

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  7. becky3086September 12, 2011 at 6:27 AM

    Linda, I have a lot of chicken pens to clean out (I have been waiting for the raised beds) so I am sure I can get them filled in by spring.

    That is definitely true. Though this garden has never been big, it always tends to get away from me weed wise, but I had no problem plucking out the few weeds in the raised bed in the back yard.

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  8. DmarieSeptember 14, 2011 at 5:55 PM

    what a fabulous repurposing! well done!!

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  9. becky3086September 14, 2011 at 8:31 PM

    I must admit, I had the idea before the kids ever moved out.

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