This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: type of soil to use/raised beds

To speak to Bill's use of wooden sides:  

I was raised on raised beds because our garden was in a kind of swampy
area.  I am uncomfortable gardening any other way.  With the flooding I
periodically get in my present garden, I'm very happy I raise my beds.  

I don't use wood, just dig trenches.  The width of the beds is determined
by how far I can comfortably reach into the middle of the bed to
plant/weed.  I never dig my trenches wide enough, in an effort to save
space, so I am usually a bit squished as I work my way down the trench on
my little "sit-n-go, move-n-groove" thing.  By the end of the summer, the
plants are really huge and I can't use my little cart, but there aren't
many weeds anyway because of the intensive planting method.

I do get some erosion by planting this way, and the weeds grow along the
sides of the beds.  They love the soil because I amend it so with good
stuff.  The weeds provide stability to the bed, preventing erosion, but
they also get huge and unsightly.  I deal with this by pulling gently, so
as to dislodge as little soil as possible, or by cutting off the green part
and leaving the roots in.  

I also have to deal with the weeds in the trenches.  I have no leaves or
grass clippings, since I'm in an urban area with very small yards.  I think
the newspaper looks ugly, and it might prevent the water from seeping into
the ground as quickly when we have flooding.  so every now and then I pull
the biggest weeds out of the trenches.  This actually isn't such a bad
idea, since it also helps aerate the soil that's been so packed down from
my walking on it, and thus improves the drainage.

I have often wished I had wooden sides to my beds.  It would eliminate the
erosion problem and the "weeds on the sides of the beds" problem.  it would
look a lot neater too.  

granted, I have to have raised beds because of the flooding, but if you
live in an area where that isn't a problem (such as my garden in Western
MA), I don't think raised beds are necessary.

here's a related question- if you save seeds, the theory is that they will
adapt to your soil and conditions and produce healthier plants over time.
if you only grow in a "mix" that isn't your amended native soil, and then
you share some seeds with your neighbor, would the plants be less happy in
your neighbor's yard?

Sarah


At 03:46 PM 7/15/98 -0400, Bill DeWitt wrote:
>At 08:32 AM 7/15/98 -0700, you wrote:
>>
>>At a certain point, you're better off dealing with (and
>>caring for) the soil condition you have been given, rather than constructing
>>glorified flowerpots on the surface of your land. The labor and upkeep are
>>less
>>in the long run.
>>
>>Ben David
>
>	Well, as much as I hate to admit it (while standing out among my lovely
>foot high boxed beds), this is probably true. I have spent half the day
>trying to find ways to justify my continued use of lumber. Now for me, with
>my physical problems, maybe there is a reason to have some height. But the
>real reason I started with boxes was to avoid nematodes, and since I am
>dealing with them anyway, why buy wood?
>	But for now, since they are already built, and since it is so nice to have
>the soil at arms length while seated on my garden stool, I will have to
>spend hours and days trying to recapture my innocent acceptance of the
>inherent benefit of raised, boxed beds. Thanks.
>	
>
>----
>Hey! I finally got my WEB Page back up!
>      http://www.TheImageMill.com
>        And parts of it actually work!
>--
>To unsubscribe, send a message to: majordomo@lists.umsl.edu
>with the single body line: unsubscribe sqft
>Contact owner-sqft@lists.umsl.edu with any admin questions.
>

--
To unsubscribe, send a message to: majordomo@lists.umsl.edu
with the single body line: unsubscribe sqft
Contact owner-sqft@lists.umsl.edu with any admin questions.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index