Out with the old

Ripping out six raised beds that measured 20' by 5' by 8 inches tall was no easy feat. Some of the wood was so rotted it crumbled in my hands. Some of it was almost as good as new, which presented a major disposal problem. You see, my local trash pick up would not take the lumber I removed from the beds. So, I bought the Bagster. This handy little "Dumpster in a bag" is 8 feet by 4 feet and 3 feet high. The 10 foot boards were too long to fit in the Bagster. In the end, not only did I have to rip out the wood from the ground and transport it to the curb where the Bagster resides, but I had to saw a bunch of the intact boards in half so they would fit. In actuality, I didn't really have to saw them all the way in half. I cut about halfway through the board and then finished the job by stomping on the lumber with my foot. We're not going for precision cuts after all! With that messy job complete I can now focus on the next stage of the project which is to fill the beds with compost. Smithfield Peat delivered ten yards of compost so I've got plenty to last a good long while!

Raised beds

One of the things that I advocate for all gardeners and farmers is to use raised beds. If built properly, they last for years, provide better drainage and allow plants to better establish their root system. Raised beds can also allow easier access without compacting the soil to weed, maintain plants and harvest. Above is a picture of one of the first raised beds I built eight years ago. These beds were made of untreated wood that I nailed together and held into the ground with rebar. The fact that they lasted eight years surprised me. Since the wood is untreated (I recommend untreated wood so that chemicals will not leach into the soil, your plants and your food) it has started to rot. This is especially true where the wood comes into contact with the soil. So, last year I decided to start working on a more permanent solution. I removed the wood from a couple of beds (no easy task) and replaced them with two pallets of cinder blocks. This solution worked fine, but did not create a nice visual. This spring, I came up with a new plan, I would take three raised beds and replace them with one super long bed 70' in length. Red brick will be used where the wood used to be for a nice visual. And by elimating the space between beds, I will create even more growing space. I will repeat this twice more to create three long 70' rows that are five feet wide and use this as some of my main spring growing space. Removing and disposing of wood, moving and installing brick, filling with compost, prepping the bed and planting the bed are the steps we will be taking in this huge project. Check back to follow along.