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Very cool! Love how they are raised up off the ground! Smart for making them deep because once they are off the ground, the roots need more vertical space so the bed has to be deeper.
Those are very attractive, much more so than I would have thought from the term "skid wood". Nice job!
Actually, they are not the actual skid, but rings of wood used on the skids to ship plastic piping on. One of the contractors I delivered to had a pile of them for the taking. I have built about 8 planters/raised beds. They are not large, but the price was right. Had to buy abut $20 worth of screws though......lol
Actually, they are not the actual skid, but rings of wood used on the skids to ship plastic piping on. One of the contractors I delivered to had a pile of them for the taking. I have built about 8 planters/raised beds. They are not large, but the price was right. Had to buy abut $20 worth of screws though......lol
With today's high cost of lumber, it's well worth the money.
Do what I posted using straw bale and just a bit of soil/ compost on top and watch your tomatoes grow.
My Lowes has two types of straw. Which would be the best to use? I also found a pile of wood chips on my adjoining lot. Would this be good for anything?
My Lowes has two types of straw. Which would be the best to use? I also found a pile of wood chips on my adjoining lot. Would this be good for anything?
The bale of straw (the first one - wheat straw) is the one that you should use. Check around for other places besides Lowes. It's usually cheapest to get it from a local farmer or a local supply store.
My Lowes has two types of straw. Which would be the best to use? I also found a pile of wood chips on my adjoining lot. Would this be good for anything?
Fresh wood chips tend to rob nitrogen from the soil as they decompose, so they’re not great for garden compost. They are good for covering pathways and areas where you’re not actively planting.
You can, however, make a steep sided pile of chips and mix it with 10-10-10 to speed up the process. It’ll still need to cook a year or so to be good.
There are several chicken farms (huge houses) around me. My dad retired from a fertilizer plant and he only would use 13/13/13 fertilizer on his gardens.
And as I recall from my Master Gardener class (down in SC) years ago .... they said not to use uncomposted (as is) chicken poop as it was too "hot" and would possibly / probably burn plants. And maybe has E Coli etc in it too.
And as I recall from my Master Gardener class (down in SC) years ago .... they said not to use uncomposted (as is) chicken poop as it was too "hot" and would possibly / probably burn plants. And maybe has E Coli etc in it too.
When I spoke to a farmer he taught me to use the "aged" manure since it wouldn't burn the plants....but you can use the fresh manure if you're putting it in a compost pile.
The bale of straw (the first one - wheat straw) is the one that you should use. Check around for other places besides Lowes. It's usually cheapest to get it from a local farmer or a local supply store.
There were no other places to get the straw except at Lowes (at least close by). I got one bale which should be enough for what I want to do. I have changed my mind back and forth about what I will build. I have decided to build a 4' x 8' cinder block bed. I have left over bricks I can use for the bottom with the cinder blocks on top of them. I will buy some short pieces of rebar to put in some of them for support. I will have to put up some posts and fencing to keep the deer out also.
What made me to decide to do this instead of using containers was the muddy ground that would be left from watering the containers. I will take my rake to break up the ground some prior to starting anything. This would give the roots more room to grow. I will be using a half/half mix of potting soil and garden soil along with the straw. How deep do I need to have the straw?
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