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Thread: Building raised beds

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
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    Default Building raised beds

    I'm going to try some raised bed gardening this year.

    Trying to find inexpensive material to build the frames.

    I thought I had some old lumber but not nearly as much as I thought

    Was checking Lowes and they had 2X12X16 whitewood for $22 and 2X10X16 for $16

    Any better suggestions?

    Would 10" be sufficient?
    Could I get by with 1X material?

    Thank you
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Default

    I've been making mine out of rough cut 1" x 8" x 8' pine for years - works really well even for carrots and other root crops. You can use basically anything that will hold the planting area in shape - logs, cement blocks, bricks, stones, anything you have handy and choose to use.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Default

    Mine are made with 2"x10"x8' that I inherited from my father in law when he redid his beds with field stone. The bed size is 4'x8'. I don't think 1x would work very well. I plan on redoing mine with concrete wallstone that I'll recycle from some changes to my landscaping.

    If I wouldn't have gotten the boards for free I would have just done it in field or wall stone. You can get wall stone from craigslist or the big box store for what you will spend for wood.

  4. #4
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    Hey,

    Goatlady is right, anything will work. AND you don't even need something to hold the dirt back, you can built the beds without it. However....

    We use landscaping timbers. I've seen others use RR timbers/ties. There may be some replies about the chemicals leaching out, but we haven't had any problems. A couple of years ago they went for 3.00 but you had to go at least 2 high, so about 6.00 for 8 feet.

    The key to building raised beds is you don't want them over about 3 foot wide. You want to be able to reach into the center of the bed without stepping in the bed, and 3 feet is about right.

    Hope that helps.
    Wise Men Still Seek Him

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Lone Star State
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    205

    Default

    I've been using cedar fence boards from home depot. 1"x6"x6'. You might catch them on sale for $1 ea. Going on 3 yrs and and no problems.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    The beautiful Tennessee hills
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    I made a raised bed with cinder blocks. I put dirt in some of the holes and plant things in there, too.
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  7. #7
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    Mar 2010
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    Default

    I think you could get by with 2x10s, but I used 2x12s to make sure I had room for the hardware cloth at the bottom to keep the moles out. I know several people who used 2x6s stacked double because they were more readily available.

    I wouldn't use 1" wood unless you have a good way to keep them from bowing out - perhaps some angle iron.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Willamette Valley, Oregon
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    You could just get a lot of hay bales and lay them out to be a raised bed. They will last a year, and do a really good job.

    Or you could find some really big old tractor tires, like the ones that are 5 feet tall Instant raised bed, just add dirt.

  9. #9
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    Only had 2 boards out of my 12 beds that tried to bow - just pounded a piece of rebar in at the bow and that solved that problem. My very first 1" board bed made 6 yeras ago is still holding up very nicely. I also staple weed barrier on the bottoms of the beds before filling and that saves lots of time and work down the growing season. Nothing grows up into the beds and I didn't have to spend time and work ripping out any sod, grass, etc.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    NE Wisconsin
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    Default

    Old pallets?

    Falling down barn wood?

    Check out local business that may sell snow mobiles, jet ski's, ATV's, those are all shipped in big crates.

    But with those thin woods, you WILL need to reinforce; stakes, rebar, more wood, etc. Our 2x4's bend out, on the beds we didn't do external stakes on. Will be doing that to start the season this year.
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