Cheapest Way for Raised Beds? - Garden Plants and Gardening Forum

cia007 · 04-26-2008, 03:08 PM

I am getting ready to put in my 4 x 4' raised beds, and I am wondering what the cheapest way to do it? I am mostly concerned with using organic ingredients (no chemical treated lumber), and want them fairly deep.

I saw Mel's Squarefoot Gardening site sells the cedar ones for $49.95. Any other resources? I want to do my homework on this before I spring this total cost on hubby.

Durgan · 05-04-2008, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cia007

I am getting ready to put in my 4 x 4' raised beds, and I am wondering what the cheapest way to do it? I am mostly concerned with using organic ingredients (no chemical treated lumber), and want them fairly deep.

I saw Mel's Squarefoot Gardening site sells the cedar ones for $49.95. Any other resources? I want to do my homework on this before I spring this total cost on hubby.

If you are looking for beauty then buy a couple of foot wide 2 inch planks and nail or screw them together.

If you want the practical approach get some mini-rail ties from a lumber store and stack them three high, and fill with triple mix. A cubic yard oif triple mix will be more than enough since 27 cubic feet equals a cubic yard, and the soil settles. The bed should be around a foot deep, but if you are using the underlying soil the height of the structure can be slightly less than a foot high.

cia007 · 05-10-2008, 05:25 PM

Thanks! I went exploring at the Home Depot today and found that the untreated kiln dried hemlock fir is the cheapest bet...they have the cedar too but it only would last about 1 yr longer according to the expert. He thought they'd be good for about 6 yrs. The ones I am thinking of are 2 inches thick and 12 inches wide. When doing the math, it figured out to be between $10-$13 per 4' x 4' bed, so with $100 I could make a lot of beds!

Hubby liked the price but was less thrilled when I told him my dream would be 7 beds. I think we will negotiate to 5 beds.

Dan D Lion · 05-20-2008, 04:59 PM

Rail ties(I think) are treated with creosote. They are treated with something.

There is a nursery north of me that moved to a better location. After they left I went to see what kind of goodies I could scavenge. There were lots of things but one thing I noticed was that they had some raised beds with some untreated 2" X !2" boards filled with pro mix. After the enclosure was built they laid in some fairly thick plastic sheeting. I'm assuming it was for water conservation but it also kept the wet growing media from touching the inside of the raised bed enclosure which gives the wood a longer life. I didn't see whether or not they had any drainage holes cut in the plastic which was almost as thick as waterbed liner.

Another thing they had along their property frontage was a couple of ordinary bathtubs filled with pro-mix. Same thing - they had the thick plastic in them too.

When the owners were there those beds/planters were gorgeous

Good luck on your project.

I have been looking for an old ball and claw tub so I can give it a whirl.

04-26-2008, 03:08 PM	#1
cia007 Green Thumb Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 48	Cheapest Way for Raised Beds? I am getting ready to put in my 4 x 4' raised beds, and I am wondering what the cheapest way to do it? I am mostly concerned with using organic ingredients (no chemical treated lumber), and want them fairly deep. I saw Mel's Squarefoot Gardening site sells the cedar ones for $49.95. Any other resources? I want to do my homework on this before I spring this total cost on hubby.

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05-10-2008, 05:25 PM	#3
cia007 Green Thumb Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 48	Thanks! I went exploring at the Home Depot today and found that the untreated kiln dried hemlock fir is the cheapest bet...they have the cedar too but it only would last about 1 yr longer according to the expert. He thought they'd be good for about 6 yrs. The ones I am thinking of are 2 inches thick and 12 inches wide. When doing the math, it figured out to be between $10-$13 per 4' x 4' bed, so with $100 I could make a lot of beds! Hubby liked the price but was less thrilled when I told him my dream would be 7 beds. I think we will negotiate to 5 beds.

05-20-2008, 04:59 PM	#4
Dan D Lion Green Gardener Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ocala, Florida Posts: 9	Rail ties(I think) are treated with creosote. They are treated with something. There is a nursery north of me that moved to a better location. After they left I went to see what kind of goodies I could scavenge. There were lots of things but one thing I noticed was that they had some raised beds with some untreated 2" X !2" boards filled with pro mix. After the enclosure was built they laid in some fairly thick plastic sheeting. I'm assuming it was for water conservation but it also kept the wet growing media from touching the inside of the raised bed enclosure which gives the wood a longer life. I didn't see whether or not they had any drainage holes cut in the plastic which was almost as thick as waterbed liner. Another thing they had along their property frontage was a couple of ordinary bathtubs filled with pro-mix. Same thing - they had the thick plastic in them too. When the owners were there those beds/planters were gorgeous Good luck on your project. I have been looking for an old ball and claw tub so I can give it a whirl.