Fall is here and winter will not be far behind. Here in zone 8, South Carolina, we are planting our second cool season crop, collards, cabbage, etc. For many folks across the country, gardening is pretty much done. That does not mean there is nothing to be done! Beyond the obligatory cleansing of tools, the clearing away of dead plant material, and the organization and storage of all the season’s gardening paraphernalia, here’s another idea. Why not build a raised bed garden?
Things to consider before you start building the raised bed garden
There are as many ways to go about building a raised bed, as there are gardeners. Some of the factors you’ll want to consider are space, your knowhow, the availability of tools and of course, cost. To spark your creativity, visit online sites like Pinterest where you can find inspiration.
The classic raised bed
Let’s start with an easy one, the classic wood enclosed box. Use 2×4-inch lumber which is relatively cheap and easy to handle. The boards can be cut to whatever size and shape you desire with a simple handsaw. The biggest negative, untreated wood warps and rots, especially when it is in contact with soil and water for extended periods. You can address this by using pressure treated wood, or even railroad ties. However, treated wood / railroad ties are soaked with chemicals. If you are planting flowers or shrubs, anything that’s non-edible, this may not be an issue. But, if you are growing something to be consumed, you may wish to keep the chemicals from leaching into the soil. Solution? Paint the lumber with a clear, safe lacquer. It will seal the chemicals inside. Eventually, even lacquered wood will need to be repainted every 3 – 4 years. Alternatively, wrap each board with a UV resistant plastic although even plastic will need replacement at some point. Another solution, line the bed with an old swimming pool liner. Make sure the liner has drainage holes. Otherwise, the only things you’ll grow are cranberries and rice.
The raised bed kit
Another way to create a raised garden bed is to purchase a kit. Make sure the lumber is either cedar or some other rot-resistant hardwood. The boards in a kit are usually gardener-friendly but individual pieces may still need to be sized and shaped. Depending on what part of the country you are in, a kit may double the cost of building a raised bed. Still, a cedar kit will last much longer, and to some extent, cedar helps keep certain critters out of the bed.
The bathtub raised bed
In the world of why didn’t I think of that, consider the bathtub approach. A couple of years ago I replaced a cracked fiberglass bathtub. I hated the thought of just throwing it away, so I decided to try it as a raised bed. It had all the characteristics of a good container, drainage (the crack as well as the drain hole) and it was slightly sloped so water wouldn’t just sit in the bottom. The tub’s material that would not rot or decay and it was safe for growing food. In my bathtub raised bed I planted asparagus. You might want to add ornamental grasses along the edges to hide the fact it’s a bathtub. Go ahead and get creative. Next time you are replacing something, ask if it could have a second life as a raised bed. You may end up solving two problems at the same time.
Once the raised bed is built, what do you fill it with?
If ten people are asked what is the best soil to use in a raised bed, they’ll give eleven different answers. In the end, the choice most likely will be based upon the plants to be grown and what is readily available. Peat moss, perlite, sand, pine bark fines, vermiculite, compost, garden soil, the list of possible raised bed materials goes on and on. There are several things to keep in mind. At the top of my list is drainage. While soil needs to drain, it also needs to retain moisture. Pure sand drains easily but water retention lasts only five minutes. Another factor to consider is the stability of the plantings. Straight peat moss, for example, will not support a heavy plant. Further, if you allow peat to dry-out completely, it is very hard to re-introduce moisture into it as it will become hydrophobic. Once the materials to be used are identified, you’ll need to determine the proportions. That will be governed by the type of plants that are planned for the bed. For instance, if you wish to grow carrots, use a little more peat and perlite so that roots can easily penetrate the growing medium. Tomatoes or peppers, on the other hand will benefit from the use of more garden soil or compost in order to keep the plants upright.
Three reasons for raised bed gardens
As one gets older, it becomes harder to bend, kneel, or stoop, so why not bring the garden UP to you? Weeding, harvesting, pest inspection all become easier to accomplish. In the spring, the soil in a raised bed warms up faster, which will speeds germination. It is amazing how just a few degrees in temperature will make things grow faster. And, speaking of soil, if you have really lousy, clay-based soil, growing root crops can be almost impossible. A raised bed makes such crops much more practical.
A few final thoughts on raised bed gardens
Pretty much anything can be used to frame a raised bed, wood, metal, bathtubs, just as long as it can withstand a few seasons of sun, and water. Make sure the walls of the don’t poison your food. Beds need to be deep enough to grow the crop you desire. For example, a raised bed for potatoes should be at least 12 inches deep. Use a well-draining soil, which can still retain moisture. Don’t get yourself in a frenzy over the measurement of each component of the soil. Think of it like cooking, some of this, some of that, and a bunch of something else. Over the course of a couple of seasons, you’ll figure out what works best for the plants you are growing.
Happy Growing!
What is Composting?
When most people hear the word “compost”, they think stinky, smelly, unattractive bins in the yard, filled with yucky dirt. If they are built and maintained correctly, this line of thinking could not be farther from the truth!
Mother Nature has the “compost” thing down to a science, which it actually is. Composting is nature’s process of recycling decomposed organic materials into a rich soil like substance. It happens all around you, every year, and you probably have never really thought about it. Let me give you an example. Look up at the largest tree that you can see. There are lots and lots of leaves on it, isn’t there? Remember last fall, when they ALL came down? Unless you raked them up, where did they all go? Mother Nature’s compost bin, that’s where!
According to Wikipedia, “Composting of waste is an aerobic (in the presence of air) method of decomposing solid wastes.” If this process did not take place, we would be buried in piles of leaves, dead bugs, sticks and everything else that were once living.
Composting in Your Garden
Backyard composting is just a smaller, faster, process that is already in use by nature.
The end process, compost, is the basics of organic gardening. It is full of nutrients that feed the soil microorganisms. This organic substance helps retain moisture, feeds the plants to make them healthier, which in turn makes you healthier. Nutrient starved food plants are less nutritious for us, and, even the ones we don’t eat do not produce as much oxygen, which is vital to our existence.
So why don’t more people compost? We are back to the stinky, smelly idea, which is just not true.
Making Your Compost Bin
Here is a cheap, easy to maintain way to make a compost bin at home, and you will be recycling even more than just your kitchen scraps.
What You Need
Pallets – you know those wooden things that shipments of goods come on when they arrive at your favorite store. The nice thing about using these is, the hardest part is already basically done you are just building a box (or two). Most of the time, you can get them for free! Bonus!!
The average pallet is 4’x4’, some are a little smaller, you might find some bigger, but figure on finding an average size. Something to keep in mind, pallets usually have one side where the boards are very close together and the other side rather far apart. Make note of what you have for a future step. With luck, you will find some with both sides that are close together.
Location – you will want to find a spot in your yard that has a couple of things going for it:
You will need extra space for one side of the bin so you have room for a gate, preferably on the least seen, yet easy to access side.
Find or level the spot and clear it of grass. You can skip the removal of grass by simply placing multiple layers of newspaper down, once we get the box built. Okay, you have your spot all picked out.
Building the Bin
1. Connect two of the pallets together from the inside with at least two or three brackets, forming a 90-degree angle. This is where the spacing of the boards is important. Place the side with the boards farthest apart on the inside of the bin. If you want a really sturdy box, the more the merrier when it comes to the brackets. Connect the third pallet in the same way; you now have a three-sided box.
2. You want easy access to your “Black Gold”, so now we need to put a door on it. Take your fourth pallet and connect it to the front of that three-sided box with two or three hinges to create a door that swings out. This is where that extra room comes in handy; you might even want to attach your door an inch higher, so if the hinges droop, your door will still swing freely. Position an eye and hook on the outside of the gate, so you can lock it when you are not around.
3. This next step is optional, depending on how far apart the “internal” boards are. If they are very close together or touching, you can skip this. Staple some very fine chicken wire to the inside of the pallet walls. The gate will need a piece separate from the rest. The other three can be one continuous piece.
4. Now, stain or paint the outside walls. Leave the inside raw; chemicals in stain or paint can leach into the compost. This part is where you can really have fun and hide the supposed eyesore. Use a stain that is to your liking. If you have an artistic side, you can paint a mural, just let the creativity flow.
5. After all the paint or stain is dried; we are going one more step to help hide your bin. Fill the pallet walls with potting soil. This is what the chicken wire was for, to help hold it in until the bin fills up, and when it gets emptied. After you have it filled with soil, plant some trailing jasmine or lantana into the tops of the pallets. In between the trailing plants, you could plant some upright rosemary or some other favorite herb. Again, let the imagination go wild.
The roots of these plants will go down into the potting soil and into the compost through the chicken wire. A win-win for them! If your pallets have wide spaces on both sides, use the chicken wire inside and plant different herbs and such between the slats on the outside, kind of like my inspirational picture. You can also plant some small evergreen plants around the base of your bin. Use whatever is good for your growing zone. Dwarf boxwoods would do nice or even some dwarf azaleas for spring color.
6. Filling the compost bin is easy. Start with those layers of newspaper I mentioned, even if you did remove the grass, they would add bulk to your pile. Then just start tossing stuff in, leaves, twigs, eggshells, kitchen scraps, and lawn clippings, anything that will decompose. Coffee grounds, citrus peels and if you happen to find a stray worm in your yard, toss him in there too! The burrowing of the worms will actually help turn your pile as well as leaving worm castings, which is another good source of plant nutrients. If you have any barnyard animals or friends with them, use the manure, it is really good stuff, especially if it is mixed with sawdust or hay.
Note: Cat and dog wastes should not be added because they can spread certain diseases. Other items that you do not want to ever add to a compost bin are dairy products, bones, meat, and grease. These will attract unwelcome visitors to the bin and they will make a mess. You also do not want to use any diseased plants, the disease may harbor in the compost and you will take the chance of reintroducing it, or spreading it further in your yard.
Caring For Your Compost Bin
Make sure to water it and keep it moist, this is why you want it close to a water source, if it is a laborious job; you will not want to drag the hose out there when it needs some moisture. You will also want to turn it at least once every week with a shovel or pitchfork, get an extra one of either of these too, to keep close to the bin. The job of turning it is even easier if you have two bins. I am sure you can visualize adding a second bin and attaching it to the first. Leave one of them empty, then when it is time to turn the pile, just start at the top and shovel it into the empty one. Alternating bins every week. If you miss a week or two in turning the pile, it is not the end of the world. It might just slow down the decomposition slightly. Try to remember to keep it moist, not wet.
Ready to use Compost
How will you know when it is ready to use? Finished compost looks like dirt–dark brown, crumbly and smells like a forest floor. I mentioned earlier some of the benefits of this “Black Gold”, a few others include, using compost on a regular basis amends both sandy and clay soils. It can also be used to teach children about the cycle of life. So now you have no excuse not to be composting. It is good for the plants, good for the environment and good for you!