RE: Raised Garden Bed Materials

Connie,
We do use plastic wood in our raised beds.  They serve as the top caps secured to concrete blocks. The plastic wood was purchased by the City of Huntsville.
When the city moved us to our new location, they wanted our CG to have a special area for the disabled gardener.  These beds meet ADA requirements.
 
1) Not sure of the cost but they are pricey as compared to wood.
2) They will last long after you and I have gone to a better garden
3) Yes, see http://www.casagarden.com/rotary.htm
4) Heavier
5) Yes, using a good jig or circular saw
6) The City of Huntsville purchased the plastic wood
7) If you can afford plastic wood, go for it, virtually no maintenance and long lasting.
 
We planted our CG yesterday and the ARC of Madison County whose mission is to help mentally challenged individuals came out to plant our raised beds.  They had a great time (see at... http://www.casagarden.com/arc_04.htm ) .  I'm encouraging them to come back on regular basis to garden in our raised beds. 
 
FYI - These beds are set up to be irrigated on a regular schedule via a sprinkler system (soaker hoses distribute the water).  Raised beds need more water than a normal garden.  I suggust using alot of mulch (fairly composted leaves).
 
Hope this helps,  Jim
 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: community_garden-admin@mallorn.com [mailto:community_garden-admin@mallorn.com]On Behalf Of Connie Nelson
Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2004 11:30 PM
To: community_garden@mallorn.com
Subject: [cg] Raised Garden Bed Materials

I know we've had this discussion before from different angles, but I still have a question or two.
 
For various and sundry reasons, I'm investigating use of "plastic lumber" in the use of 4 X 8 foot garden beds.  There are a bizillion different places that sell these kits for use in raised beds. 
 
If you have experience in this material, would you please address one or more of the following questions?
 
Have any of you tried these and:
1) what was the cost (include both the kit cost and transportation)
2) how long did they last
3) were they easy to put up
4) was the weight similar to wood products (or lighter, heavier)
5) were they easy to cut if you needed to make changes
6) are there any companies you actively recommend or conversely, strongly suggest avoiding
7) any other suggestions / comments you might have?
 
What I'm hunting for here is practical experience consensus.  Hopefully by tapping into the listserv's expertise, I can find that agreement.
 
Thanks for helping!
 
Connie Nelson
Spokane, WA

Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25"
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index