Gardening - Raised Beds

Railroad Ties!!! Seriously, that's what I have for my raised garden. They're cheap, they last, they're heavy, and they work! I doubt I'd ever use anything else.

Hi J.,
We have two small raised beds in our backyard... we used redwood that we had left over from building our deck a few years ago that was just sitting on the side of the house and let our daughters paint them. We just love the raised beds and have had great success with everything that we have had growing in them! The tomatoes go crazy in there and so has my basil, rosemary, chives, sage, EVERYTHING! We are going to make another one on the side of the house and probably again use the redwood. I think as long as the redwood is treated it will take some time to break down. And yes of course it is less expensive than the cedar. Go to www.Sunset.com they have a featured article on raised beds... i saw it this morning! GOOD Luck and Happy planting!!!! :)

J.,
Hi, we have made ours out of cinder blocks. I like them because you can plant herbs or small plants in the square of the blocks. Ours are two blocks high, 3 feet wide and 15 feet long. They work well to be able to sit on the edge and they are durable enough for the kids to walk or stand on.I don't know how they compare to cedar or redwood in price but I know they should last "forever". Just don't use the treated wood(railroad ties or green plated stuff"). God Bless, L.

We just moved here last summer, but in AZ I had raised garden beds in my back yard that I built with concrete block. The kind I used was specifically for retaining walls, and was prettier than the cinder block type that they make block walls out of. I haven't checked into whether we can find it here (in UT). But it worked incredibly well and allowed for ideal soil drainage, and was very durable. It still looked brand new when we left 2 years later. Check it out.

You could use that kind of wood, but it is expensive. Any kind of wood will work if you build the item then coat it with creasote. It's a black liquid that needs to be painted on any wood to waterproof and bug proof it. Maybe calling your local home improvement store to compare prices and techniques would be a good idea. Good luck!!!

HI J.,
Yes we have had them. If you want something semi "cost-effective" & long lasting you can use Trex. Turned up on end & then staked or screwed.

But truth be told just doug fir or pine will last a LONG time. It takes quite awile for it to break down & by then you will probably want to change it. Not to mention it is way cheaper. I hope this helps. G.~wife of a Timberframer/carpenter (lol, couldn't you guess?)

Hi J.,
I have had many raised beds in my life and with any wood it will start to break down. Some faster than others. The best advice I got is from the U of I agriculture extension office. There should be something like this in CO. They are the experts and can help with any kind of question you may have. I have switched to concrete blocks that I have salvaged from building sites, found in friends back alleys, or at thrift/salvage stores. I can make any size I want and change it every year if I feel the need. The thing I love about them is they were cheap/free and they last forever! Oh, and the ones with the holes you can plant little things like strawberries, chives, flowers, etc. I find it easier for my dd to "garden" the small openings rather than the whole garden. She loves that it is her "garden". Have a wonderful growing season!

I recommend trex or one of those maintenence free deck products. The wood will warp and rot, but trex is forever.

We just built our boxes. We built two, 4x12 feet, and because I wanted them tall we used 4-2x10x12's and 2-2x10x8's and made two boxes then stacked one on top of the other, and did that twice. (so it is a really long rectangle, 20 inches high) We also got a post and cut it into fourths and tacked it using a bracket to the middle of the inside of the box so the wood doesnt bow. We used pressure treated wood but we had to seal it so that the chemicals dont leach into the soil. The total for the two planters was $200. We seriously thought about the trex decking material, but the pieces that were as tall as we wanted them were $40 each (they are the deck facing boards)and they are extremely flexable, and in my opinon would not stand up to the amount of dirt and planting we wanted to do, which is why we chose something else. We didnt go with the cedar because it was more expensive and it would rot faster, especially here in CO. If you have any more questions you can message me and I will send you some pictures so you can see what we did. Good luck!

I have the raised beds for vegetables, and they are made out of pine or redwood (sorry mom brain). Yes, water can beat them up, but all you have to do is stain them along with your fence, and they look great. I have always used wood since that is what my parents used when I was growing up, and I don't remember those ever "going bad". My parents had quite an extensive garden, and it was always solid enough to sit on the boards or even walk on them. They are cheaper and more adaptable to the space. Plus, if it gets damaged in some way, it is easy to replace a board.

Wall block is what I believe the best, it adds real beauty, and I love to put cascading spreaders or vines of any sort that drape down over them.
When using wood, it not only rots over time, but it just doesn't give the professionalism of the way rock looks. Plus you have many different types of rock or wall block to choose from.
I love landscaping, it's one of my many passions! (when I have the money to do it!)

We used pine, I think, and I have to admit that just three lyears later, it's ready for an overhaul as it has decayd quite a bit and no longer looks fresh and nice. f I could do it again, I'd use the pre-fab vinyl boxes I've seen at teh Sqaure Foot Gardening site. They're not the cheapest and I'm not always a fan of plastic stuff, but I think they'd look nice longer and be functional.
If you're set on wood, it may be worth it to cough up a bit more for something that will be more durable. I think it was the automatic sprinklers for the lawn that contributed to the decay of my wood--perhaps if the water were set to not hit anything but the garden or the lawn (and not the panels) it would stay OK. Good luck! I can't wait for spring, either!

Thanksgiving point uses that white vinyl and does different heights. It looks great!! I have wood and it doesn't look so great now after a few years. (You are talking about square foot gardening type thing right, or are you talking about around your lawn?) Rock wall looks good around the lawn, but beware if you are putting it by trees, the roots will make the rock move up....if they are big roots.
Good luck!

I too would like to find out more on this. can't wait to see your responses.