Comments on: Got Raised Bed Gardening Questions?

By: tony

tony — Fri, 20 May 2011 19:30:42 +0000

I have had raised beds for three years here in France but with limited success as they are always plagued with mice. This is presumably
because the raised soil is accessible and soft. Has anyone else had
this problem and is there a solution, otherwise I will have to remove them and go back on the flat.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:23:02 +0000

I am almost ready to give up! 3 years ago I built 2 containers for a vegetable garden. My garden starts off beautifully…thrives until about waist high and other plants are looking healthy and ready to produce, then everything begins to wither and die with very little yield. 3 years in a row the exact senario. I have black walnut trees in the yard, and local nurseries think this may be the culprit. I am thinking of digging up the boxes and lining with landscape fabric today, because I did not do that when I built the boxes. It will be a lot of work. Do you think it is worth it?

By: Emily

Emily — Sat, 14 May 2011 05:43:36 +0000

Jeff! Hi it’s Em! from ob7:) i was reading the posts and recognized ur pic! I actually just built a 6′ by 12′ raised bed on an area of my yard where theres a slight pitch and it worked out fine! I used posts (4×4′s) in each corner and the two posts at the lower level are taller so the beds level. you understand what i mean? im not explaining it correctly but anyway, a small pitch wont make a difference! We have to talk gardens soon!!! see you!

By: lars

lars — Wed, 11 May 2011 20:07:25 +0000

@Sarah

Yes, it should be fine, as long as the other 3 sides are going to be set up in a way where they won’t slide away from the wall or come unattached, letting soil come out.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:58:22 +0000

I want to build a gaden bed by a concrete wall i have in my yard. Do I need to build the box with 4 sides or would just having the front and 2 sides enough since the concrete wall it’s against can act as the back side?

By: lars

lars — Tue, 10 May 2011 21:49:57 +0000

@Joe

Here’s a good online calculator. Just plug in the size, and depth that you want, and it will tell you how much soil in cubic feet.
http://www.garden-ville.com/4376808_36600.htm

By: joe

joe — Tue, 10 May 2011 21:46:23 +0000

how do I calculate how mush topsoil I need in my flower beds?

By: lars

lars — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:21:11 +0000

@Debi

In general, strawberries do very well in raised beds. It is often a recommended way to grow them.

http://www.diynetwork.com/outdoors/tips-for-growing-strawberries/index.html
http://www.farmfreshliving.com/How_to_Grow_Strawberries.html

By: Debi

Debi — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:17:58 +0000

Will strawberries do well in a raised bed? I live in southern Wisconsin, zone 5, and I tried once to put daffodils in a raised bed, only to discover that they don’t do well in a raised bed, none grew the following spring. How will strawberries do, will they survive the winter? Or should I plan to put them directly in the ground?

By: lars

lars — Mon, 02 May 2011 22:04:37 +0000

@Marla

Good question! I haven’t actually tried putting a raised bed on top of cement, so I didn’t have a good answer.

I found this message board thread that shows that other people are doing it, and having success. They are all using slightly varying methods, so I’ll just give you the link. Good luck!

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19322