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I want to build a few 4' x 8' raised beds for my wife to grow some tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. I figured I would buy regular 2x12's instead of treated due to the cost difference. What type/brand of garden soil would be the best to get from Lowes or Home Depot? From past experiences some of these have too much mulch. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciate.
I want to build a few 4' x 8' raised beds for my wife to grow some tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc. I figured I would buy regular 2x12's instead of treated due to the cost difference. What type/brand of garden soil would be the best to get from Lowes or Home Depot? From past experiences some of these have too much mulch. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciate.
Hopefully you post pics of your project!
Do you have access to compost in your area without buying it?
I would throw a 4 inch layer of leaves at the bottom. Then fill the rest with compost. Maybe half compost half garden soil. Maybe 1 inch of peat moss in there too.
If you are a member at Costco get a few of their huge Miracle Grow Garden Soil bag.
You're correct not to use treated lumber--not just because of the cost but because of the chemicals in the wood. Depending on how many raised beds you plan to make, I would suggest calling some landscape supply companies and seeing if they can deliver a few yards of topsoil. You might also consider buying some compost (many communities sell it for cheap or give it away as part of their recycling program) and then you can plan on making your own, too. If I were to make raised beds, I'd probably just take some dirt from the yard (next to where the raised beds would be) and fill the excavated areas with wood chips to make pathways. You can oftentimes get a truckload of wood chips delivered for free. Check out Chipdrop. i would also never used peat moss. Although it can be beneficial as an amendment, compost is better--and mining peat moss destroys wetland bog habitats.
Darn, I just blew all of my leaves down into a ravine. My soil is very rocky thus the reason for using a raised bed. I don't have a Costco close by, but I do a Sam's Club.
Darn, I just blew all of my leaves down into a ravine. My soil is very rocky thus the reason for using a raised bed. I don't have a Costco close by, but I do a Sam's Club.
You can buy some wheat straw to use in place of the leaves.
You can buy bagged 'garden soil' and in the past I have mixed that with topsoil with good results.
I would also suggest making them 2 or 3 deep feet instead of 4 feet so your wife can reach without stepping into the raised beds. I made mine 3' by 4' in a grid pattern so I could walk between and around easily.
You can trellis many plants like green beans, cucumbers, squash etc so they grow more vertical than horizontal.
I use concrete blocks, no leaching, no rotting, and plant herbs in the holes.
I will check into these. I am assuming 8" would not be deep enough. I also have about 700 bricks that was left over from when my house was built.
Edit: I checked and it would cost about the same ($75) if I double the blocks vs three 2x12x8' boards. This is for a 4' x 8' bed. My wife would be able to work from both sides of this. I am assuming she would be able to plant 6 to 8 plants. I think I can get 3 or 6 cf loads of silted top soil delivered. Would my calculations be right that I would need 32cf for a 4'x8'x1' bed?
Last edited by reubenray; 03-08-2022 at 01:23 PM..
I will check into these. I am assuming 8" would not be deep enough. I also have about 700 bricks that was left over from when my house was built.
If you mean the classic red clay 8"x2"x4" brick, you'd probably need to mortar them together so the walls won't collapse under pressure from the beds. As others mentioned, be cautious using any pressure treated lumber!
If you mean the classic red clay 8"x2"x4" brick, you'd probably need to mortar them together so the walls won't collapse under pressure from the beds. As others mentioned, be cautious using any pressure treated lumber!
I would use the bricks as the sub-layer with a row of cinder blocks on top of them. The 4" plus the 8" would give me 12" of depth. I would also drive rebars in the corners and maybe the halfway point. This would give me something to put the fencing around it to keep the deer out. If I get the silted soil I would mix it with some of the garden soil.
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