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Buffalo, MN ([email protected])

I’m not in need of a raised bed but for some reason every winter I think about building one in the spring. So I was wondering if any grower has built one. What I was thinking was for one plant, about a 25 ft triangle about 3 feet high with a chair and rail attached. All suggestions and comments are welcome, I’m thinking of it as building it for a handicap friend.
bill foss

12/15/2011 9:29:50 PM

Anchorage Alaska

Bill, I use raised beds it helps warm the soil fastner in the earlier part of the season and improves drainage, less soil compaction . I can,t really think of a negative on having a raisedbed , except its more work initially.But easier doesn't always mean better..lol..

12/15/2011 10:23:44 PM

Omaha, Ne.

I think its a good idea. Last year I use a 18' x 20' triangle raised bed and grown a 300lbs and that was with no experience. A smarter man would of done much better. I would get a Telescopic Pruner

12/15/2011 10:24:24 PM

Eugene,OR

Bill: My patch is raised 18 to 28 inches above the natural grade. It is kind of interesting that both Dale's and my raised planting areas grew crazy big pumpkins this past year. The compost/soil that I added to raise my patch was in its 4th year this past year and has finally broken down really well. I raised mine because I drastically needed to change my soil composition.

12/15/2011 10:46:48 PM

Muddy Waters

My entire patch 80 X 100 is 2 feet of trucked in soil,it sits on 2-3 feet of concrete,asphalt,ceramic tile,cement blocks,which sits on a swamp(wetlands).Its a raised bed but in a low area.I trucked in the dirt when I discovered in 1992 it would be impossible to have a garden.So I started small 20x20 area.Today I can plow the entire raised bed.one man gave me 16 loads of clay soil 25 yds each load.God is Good.

12/16/2011 7:48:06 AM

Deer Park, WI

I use a 36"w x 12" h x 30' L raised bed for peppers, onions and/or tomatoes. I love raised beds and would prefer to garden all my fruits/veggies (including pumpkins) out of them.

12/16/2011 8:38:58 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I grow most of my tomatoes on long narrow raised beds. I just dig a ditch and pile the soil up to the side. Besides having the warmer soil, it makes picking and weeding a lot easier. Not as much bending over. If your friend uses a wheel chair, just make the "ditches" wide enough for him to maneuver.
My long gourds are raised up too, with the area below the trellis dug out for drainage and to allow more room for growth.
My pumpkin patches have ended up somewhat raised too. Drainage ditches around them with the soil that I dug out used to raise them up. The drainage helped eliminate bad root rot problems.

12/17/2011 10:44:13 AM

South Hero, VT

There is a BIG difference in veggies grown in a raised bed compared to those not grown in a raised bed.

My experience over the past 4 years has shown that AGs started in a raised bed outperform those started in a flat plane.

Good luck with your growing.

12/17/2011 8:34:49 PM

Hinckley MN

Bill, does your friend want to grow giant pumpkins in the raised bed or just have a garden?. Container gardening might be easier than a raised bed. I have some stacking containers that I use for strawberries, but can be used for lettuce, green beans, tomatoes or almost anything else, too. lettuce or spinach can be grown in any flower pot. I've grown tomatoes and cucumbers in 5 gallon buckets.

Raised beds over 3 ft wide are hard to maintain without walking on the soil. I've made alot of 4x8 ft beds and the middle is tough to weed. For wheelchair access, it is nice to have 4ft aisles and get the bed up to table height. Any raised bed over 12 inches high tend to dry out fast and should have a watering system.

12/18/2011 11:45:20 AM