Learn to build: Raised Bed Gardens Straw Bed Gardens Straw Bale Gardens
Benets
Flexibility
Raised bed gardens can be customized to your unique needs and preferences. They can be built in almost any shape, size or location and with a variety of materials.
Accessibility
Beds can be built to any height, allowing gardeners to work while sitting or standing, providing more comfortable gardening and a great option for persons with physical disabilities.
Safety
Raised beds provide a barrier between your growing space and contaminated soil. If the safety of your soil is unknown, soil tests can be done but can be more costly than building an above ground garden.
Soil Control
Traditional gardening typically allows for extra nutrients to be mixed into the soil several inches deep. In raised bed gardens soils are custom mixed to ensure proper nutrients and texture throughout the entire bed. This also allows beds to drain water more eciently, preventing over 1
Ecient Productivity
Compared to gardening in the ground, raised bed gardens can require less water and produce higher yields. The absence of pathways through the garden bed reduces water use, allows for dense planting, and eliminates soil compaction issues. The dense planting patterns, means dense plant foliage as well, reducing water evaporation and keeping plant roots cooler. Weeds and other pests have a more dicult time reaching raised bed gardens. Beds warm faster than the ground allowing soil to be worked sooner.
Drawbacks
As an alternative to gardening in non-contaminated ground soil, raised beds are more expensive and require more materials to build.
Location
The following suggestions and considerations can be used to determine the most ideal location of your raised bed garden. Dont feel limited by a small yard or no yard at all. Roofs, concrete areas, even decks are all great locations for a garden. 3 Sketch your site to imagine possible locations Include pathway space for walking and equipment (wheel barrow, lawn mower, etc.) Create a list of plants you want to grow and the amount of sun they need Observe sun and shade patterns on your site Think about north-south bed orientations for maximum sunlight exposure Look for areas that are level and dry
Dimensions
Length - Keep in mind your available space and room for pathways around beds. If walking around a long bed may be an issue, consider two smaller beds. Width - Determine by measuring the length of your arms reach. Calculate this by sitting or standing at a table and reaching toward the center until you bend slightly (2 feet is average), double this number for the total bed width if you plan to garden from all sides of the bed. Depth - Herbs and many owers need be 8 to 9 inches, vegetables, most fruits and shrubs 12 to 18 inches. Height Choose a height that will make gardening comfortable for you. If you wish to garden while sitting, estimate bed height by sitting in a chair, reaching your arm out and measuring the heights you can comfortably reach. The same test can be done standing. Raised Bed Kits Kits are available that include materials and instructions for building a raised bed garden. They can be ordered in a variety of sizes and styles. They can be more expensive than making your bed by hand but can also be easier to build and save time.
Natural Yards http://naturalyards.com/raisedbeds/ Raised Garden Beds http://www.raised-garden-beds.com/
Materials
The following information will prepare you to build your raised bed garden. In addition to the basic tools needed for gardening, a variety of materials can be used to build and ll your bed. Possible bed materials Concrete blocks Plastic lumber Metal siding Scavenged materials Bricks Old tires Glass Wood Metal Edging Rope Stone Straw Hay
Mortar
These are just a few options, be creative and experiment with dierent materials. On a basic level, your bed just needs to contain the soil, but they can also add an aesthetic element. Keep in mind some materials are processed with chemicals that could potentially leach into your garden. Pressurized wood such as railroad ties is one example. If using wood, pay attention to the rot resistance. Cedar is one good option that is more resistant to rot. If you are planning to build with degradable materials, straw is typically preferable to hay because it contains less seeds and thus less potential for weeds. Plastic lumber is often used to construct decks and sometimes patio furniture, making it a very sturdy option for a garden bed. The weight of your soil, expansion and contraction with the seasons, and the length and height of the beds are all factors that can lead to the need for reinforcement. If using concrete blocks, bricks or stone you can mortar for additional stability. Metal edging can be wrapped around the bed to reinforce. Stakes made of metal or sturdy wood can be placed around edges (about half the stake should be underground) or drilled directly through the bed material into the ground. 5
Soil and Mulch Options Top Soil Compost Ground Bark Manure Peat Moss Small Stones Sawdust Sand Straw
Tools like shovels and rakes will help move and level soil. Stakes, string, and tape measure can be used in the preliminary stages ofbuilding the bed by creating the outline of a geometrical shaped bed, a hose or rope can be used to for a curved design (further explanation in Time to Build on page 4). While there are a variety of opinions on how to make the perfect soil, a sandy loam soil is considered the best for most plants. Some people simply alternate layers of compost and soil until the bed is lled. Others create 3 equal part mixtures of organic matter (like peat moss), compost and sawdust or ground bark. Another common recipe calls for equal parts of top soil, peat moss, and sand. Mulch materials can be straw, bark or small stones to name a few. Benets of mulch include moderating soil temperature, reducing water evaporation from soil, preventing erosion, suppressing weeds and other pests, while creating a haven for benecial organisms that will help your garden. Some people also use mulch to make gardens more aesthetically pleasing. Before building the garden bed, some people smother the existing grass or weeds with black plastic for weeks to ensure they are dead. Others do this at the time of construction as the rst construction step. The bottom of beds can also be lined with cardboard and newspaper for the same result. 6
4. Fill bed
5. Plant
Strawbed Gardening
Straw beds provide a novice gardener the ability to plant a raised bed garden with inexpensive materials and little experience. With a straw bed garden, bales of straw are used as boundaries for the raised garden bed. Though straw bales are not intended to be permanent garden structures, they provide a great start or addition to any gardening space. Lastin only two seasons, the materials to build straw beds are far less expensive then commonly used wood frames, and can be composted when they have expired.
Benets
Sustainable
There are numerous benets to using straw in a garden. Straw is a natural byproduct of cereal plants after the seed or grain is removed. It is a sustainable, natural resource providing a gardener with the opportunity to reuse a natural material that can be grown and purchased locally.
Soil Assistance
Straw can also be composted easily and it can help remediate contaminated soils. As the straw decomposes into the soil it starts to absorb some toxic elements. Straw provides better insulation than materials like wood and metal.
Materials
30 bags of compost 17 bales of straw Peat Moss Cardboard and paper Seeds Top Soil
Steps:
5. Plant seeds
Create depressions in the mulch to plant seeds in the soil.
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Straw Bale Gardening 4. Soak the bale for three to ve days before planting
Keeping the bale wet allows the temperature inside the bale to rise, allowing the bale to begin producing microbes that aid in the growth process. Be aware that the straw bales need more water then normal gardens.
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Resources
Raised Bed Garden Building a Raised Bed Garden by Texas A&M University
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/raisedbed/index.html
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