Raised planter boxes?

[Dilly Girl]

Hi, I need help -- Going to the lumber yard and need to know how high the planter boxes should be? Is 12 inches sufficient or should I go higher? The soil under this is not at all that great so I need to depend on the filler for plant frowth.

Thanks so very much.
Dilly Girl

 

[patandchickens]

12" is fine for most things. Don't buy 12" lumber (IMO, some may disagree) -- buy 6" and stack it. Check the individual pieces carefully for straightness before you buy if you're going to do this, though (sight down the edge).

Personally I would go more like 6" high on raised beds, and just dig up and amend the upper 1-shovel's-depth of native soil. The raised-er a bed is, the worse it dries out. Plus this way the amount of new soil you have to move, and potentially buy, is halved Tastes may vary, though.

Have fun!

Pat

 

[S0rcy]

12" is certainly sufficient for the average gardener and as pat noted, the box will do better if you by 6" boards

I have one box that is over 2 feet high and is filled with nothing but compost. This is an experiment I am trying to encourage children with physical problems to be able to garden. I have used only compost successfully in bedding boxes, but I do find most things do better with topsoil mixed in. The rest of my boxes are 12 inches, (3 2x4's stacked) made from nothing but free scrap lumber I got when a farmer refenced with plastic fencing. I have done this before and wouldn't you know, the soil underneath does get better season after season of the compost, etc breaking down and trickling through the soil profile. Eventually you will be able to remove the bedding boxes if you want and really use that soil underneath.

Good luck!

 

[Nifty]

Do you all suggest some type of hardware cloth / chicken wire below the raised bed for added protection against moles / gophers?

We've got such a problem out here that I went ahead and attached some expanded metal (about 1 inch holes) on the bottom of my raised bed. I figure the roots can still grow through it but hopefully the gophers / moles can't get through it.

I think the only way you can successfully create a barrier against this critters is in a raised bed.

 

[whatnow?]

How sturdy are you? Labor saves cash. If you have the stamina for it, break out the shovel and start digging. To me, I would much rather turn 6 inches of soil then to move 6 inches of soil to the garden from the nearest spot a truck can dump. And cheaper, too.


S0rcy,

Do you have more info on your raised beds? That seems like a great community project. Topsoil is a waste material around here due to development. There is a wally world nearby that has something like 27,000 cy of topsoil they need to get rid of.... it can't go under a building or parking lot, so developers are always trying to get rid of the stuff. For the right amount of sweet talk, you could probably get them to redirect a triaxle of it to your house.


Nifty,

Neighborhood cats keep mice and moles under control, here. For gophers and groundhogs, I recommend a discreet (especially if you are in a suburban area) harvest using any lawful method. We can lawfully harvest (I like that word... very PC/military speak) groundhogs year round (with a general season hunting license.) We are on 1 acre lots, which seems to be about the limit for safety zones using archery methods. With neighbor permission, it may be feasible to use firearms. Hell, if you're neighbors don't object, it's possible to blast vermin with a shotgun in a townhouse community, but that would never happen. (Bad PR for hunting, too. Lot's of people don't object, but also don't want to know. )

 

[Dilly Girl]

The reason I am going with 12 inch boxes is so I do not need to put in a bottom. I will line it with wire on the bottom to keep out the moles and gofhers. Great drainage and hopefully the ground under will eventually loosen up.

I have decided to put in more planters and go much smaller than I originally planned. Instead of 8x8 I will go 3x8 for easy access into the plants and management of the boxes.

 

[whatnow?]

I will line it with wire on the bottom to keep out the moles and gofhers.

That would be too hard to do with digging, for sure. Vermin problems are out of my element. My nemesis has wings...

 

[Dilly Girl]

I will line it with wire on the bottom to keep out the moles and gofhers.

That would be too hard to do with digging, for sure. Vermin problems are out of my element. My nemesis has wings...

Hi not sure what you meant by too hard to dig? I am not using our ground soil only because where the garden is going to be, the ground had all the top soild removed and cut by a dozer a few years ago and what is left there is not worth trying to plant in, very rocky underneath and decomposed granite. So I am left with using raised box planters, I will have no bottom but will line with tight wire to pervent gophers and moles from eating away at the goods. Hope this makes sense.

Thanks

 

[simple life]

I am glad I found this post since I am very interested in raised beds.Why is it better to use two boards than one for the frame? Thank you, Natalie

 

[Beekissed]

I just put in 9 raised beds that are approx. 6 in. deep. I would have to argue about them drying out faster than traditional gardening, though. A raised bed actually retains moisture much better . Just like "hilling up" a row does in traditional row gardening. A good 1-2 inch layer of mulch will go it one better for moisture retention. I don't see why you couldn't use the wire at the bottoms, if you don't plan to till these beds. As you add more compost over the years or you desire a deeper soil for potatoes and such, you could always add another board width later. Some folks plant potatoes in a deep layer of straw and they never touch the bottom of the bed!

You need to find you a good mouser and keep him/her outdoors. Due to my cat and one of my dogs, I have neither mouse nor mole on my whole 2 acres! They won't eat 'em but they sure will kill 'em!