trying our hand at raised beds

We made ours in a grid of 4x10 and 4x12 beds. I used nearly free 2x8 framing lumber. I don't expect it to last forever. But it's hard to argue with that price.

DW thinks 4' is too wide. I tend to agree, so the new ones I make are only 3'. Papa doesn't want Mama to have a sore back.

Spacing between beds is 2' side to side and 4' end to end.

I tilled the whole garden with the tractor, placed the frames on the loose soil. I used a spade and hand shoveled the loose dirt from the walking paths into the beds. At our bed depth, thread was enough loose soil to fill. And talk about an ab workout. I felt like the 'after' picture of Buns of Steel video cover, even though I still looked like the 'before' photo.

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Awnry Abe, that is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh! That sounds exactly like what we'll end up doing, shoveling in soil from the sides.

My husband tilled up the plot for me last night so I get to put some peas in today. I tell you what it was so good to smell tractor exhaust again! It's one of those smells that instantly puts you in a better mood!

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There's nothing in life that can't be solved with a little prayer and fresh air, amen?

For my small raised bed "spring garden" shown below, I make sure to place soaker hose and then compost a few inches deep once the weather starts getting hot (mid June by us). My particular raised bed is an "Up North Special". It sits atop 2" of dense insulating foam placed at grade covered with a 1.5' mound of clay soil, and compost rich soil at the top and rocky driveway fill around the edges. It is also a cold-frame and I cover with plastic and plant green beans in mid to late April. We get a LOT of pole beans from this setup as well as tomatoes and peppers. Also had morning glories a few years, but they tended to compete with the pole beans.

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I would like raised beds just to make it easier to get down to the plants, but my location I am better off with sunken beds which hold/catch water.

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"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness."
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington 1787

Does anyone know if loose cellulose insulation would be good to add to garden soil.
I have several bags left here by previous owner. Its in the garden shed and I was thinking that may have been what he intended it for.

We added chicken wire stapled to the bottom of ours to keep out gophers, moles and other critters. We did buy topsoil to put in the beds which is obviously not cheap, but we live in suburbia. Sometimes people will give away black dirt so that might be an option for you to look into.

I wouldn't add it to garden soil. Most have been treated with fire retardant chemicals. While some of the chemicals used could be safe in soil, I personally would not risk it unless you know exactly what is in it.

Thanks MNMammaBear I sure wish I could find a use for it . I said several bags but the truth is the barn is also full of it . Probably 75 trash bags full. I'd like to be able to use the barn for something besides storing useless junk.

I got that big book by GW about D Raymond. Tried my dangest to find DVDs about it, and never could.
Tell me, in a place where waters in short supply which system does the best?

James, D Raymond has a pic in his book of him as a young guy on his Super H

FBB, do a search on waffle gardens or zuni gardening. I think that is best in drought stricken areas. Especially on fast draining soils. I think that method with mulch would be best. Raised beds are good for accesibility for us old folks, but the advantage in wet areas is a disadvantage in dry areas, they dry out too fast. Sunken/waffle beds block some wind, and hold moisture closer to plants instead of letting it run off. Makes the most of the water that goes on.
Ed

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"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness."
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington 1787

Sell it on Craig's list if you have no use for it.

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Here is something that has worked for me. Unless you have to have raised beds cause you can't bend down far enough to tend them try this. Do the raised beds without the 'raised' part or the wood. Take your tiller over a swath about 3'wide and as long as you want the beds several times. After the soil gets loose enough to shovel easy dig the soil out of the bed and put it right beside the bed. Keep at this till you get down to 6 or 8 or 10 inches deep. Fill the bed to the top with seasoned or rotted manure. Throw down a two inch layer of compost,then three or four inches of soil that you dug out of the bed.Keep alternating compost and soil till you use all of the soil you took out. You get the same effect as with a raised bed and it takes a lot less water cause the soil isn't exposed to as much air. Keep adding compost and mulch each year and your beds will get better all the time. Some times the beds will spread out into your paths and you have to shovel the sides back into the beds. If you aren't lucky enough to have an unending supply of compost you can use seasoned or rotted manure instead of compost for the initial building of the beds.