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Re: Raised beds

Hello Richard,

I believe raised beds are a good idea if your own soil is difficult to work in or to improve for gardening.  I live at the beach so have lots of sand and rocks.  I built raised beds (with 4' x 1' boards) and used the soil mix recommended in Mel's book.  I did not mix this with my own soil but assume some of it did mix.  My vegetables (planted 3 months ago) are doing very well.

Heidi (still planting and harvesting in Central CA)

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From:   Betz, Richard[SMTP:BETZR@BDD.COM]
Sent:   Friday, January 10, 1997 11:47 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list SQFT
Subject:        Raised beds

Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of reading Mel's book and I really can't wait until
spring comes around so that I can get started. Since I didn't prepare my
soil this fall I'm going to have to do it this spring. Now here's my
question, in his book Mel really doesn't say much about raised beds,
like if it is better to use them or not. My question is do I really need
to make a raised bed to sqft or can I do without it, the pictures in the
book all seem to be of squares without a raised bed around them. Is it
just for looks or does it really serve a purpose (other than making the
bed a little higher off the ground thus easier to reach). If I do make a
raised bed does it just sit on the top of the soil or do I dig it into
the ground a little. Also when filling the bed with soil do I add the
vermiculite, peat moss and humus on top of the existing soil and turn it
all over to mix it up. I know this question is a little long but I want
to make sure that I'm going to start off on the right foot.

Thanks,

Richard (zone 6 Brooklyn, NY)
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