Now that the space has been cleared and the decomposed granite installed, leveled and gently patted down, we are ready to install the three raised beds. I preassembled the first level out on the driveway before the project began. They were heavy so I decided to install the second level, once they are in place in the garden. They crew moved them into place one a time.
Having the 16 inch 2 x 3 already attached made it easy to add the second level.
We cut out the Lumite® Weed Barrier so the beds would drain freely. I did not want them holding water after a heavy rain (still praying for that rain). The pea gravel made a nice base.
Each of the beds were filled with the Vegetable Garden Mix one wheelbarrow at a time from the mound in front of the house.
We finished assembling the beds while two of the crew hauled in the stone for the seating area. Checking with my tape measure to be sure I have enough room for the stock tank. I’ll need 6 feet plus clearance to walk around it.
Next we installed some of the flagstone that was removed from the old space into the back corner under the Pecan tree. This will make a lovely seating area for the teak benches and table.
The beds are finished!
Next Step: Step 5: Check the Soil and Prepare the Beds
The raised beds look wonderful. Gorgeous level floor, too. We just built our first raised beds this summer, and yours are even taller than mine — I love having deeper boxes than the traditional raised beds. We added trellises to two of ours, which has been wonderful for vining plants. I look forward to seeing what plants you grown in your new lovely space.
Thank you for visiting. I really enjoyed visiting your blog.
The idea of the higher beds was two fold. Firstly, less bending for me and secondly – be able to grow carrots and other root vegetables and have enough room for them to grow. I plan to install a vertical mesh to one end for growing beans. Should have things in there in a week of so. We have such a long fall garden season here in Houston, and last year it was still growing in December.
Hi Jacqueline,
Thank you so much for your comment on my site. I’m glad you found it and pointed your site out to me. I’ve been looking for other people with vegetable gardening blogs in the area, but most other gardeners are vegetable.
I’ve been planning on making my beds with bricks/stone, although yours look gorgeous. Looks like we’ll be starting our first crops at the same time…in the next couple weeks. What are you planning on planting?
Thank you for visiting my site. I am still in the planning stages for planting, but cool crops will be high on the list. Lettuces, Broccoli, Spinach. Also tomatoes, beans and zucchini. It should be warm enough I hope. You never know in Houston.
Wow, those are some heavy duty boxes! They are wonderful, just like a clean canvas, ready fill with beauty and life.
Very interesting….I want to build a box behind my garage..What do we plant this time of year..Oct, Nov, and December…flowers?
For me, it is lots of leafy veggies. Salads, spinach and broccoli. Our winters are mild here in Houston and my beds should produce for most of the season.
What type of wood was used on these raised beds?
I used untreated pine. It was inexpensive. It is an experiment to see how long it will last in the Houston climate.
Is the pine still holding up?
The pine has not held up as well as I had hoped for. August 2012 will be 3 full years and based on how they look now, it appears I will have to replace several of the boards already. Looks like 3-4 years is the max for untreated pine here in Houston.
That’s longer than I would have guessed, but still no fun to have to replace. Did you ever find anything out on treating solutions–either MCA or post-purchase treated with some sort of a stain? Supposedly the newer MCA (micronized copper azole or something?) is harmless, but then again, they thought the same thing about DDT 60 years ago.
I did not find anything I was willing to use to treat the wood. I however had another idea – lining the inside of the pine with cedar fence pickets trimmed to be level with the height of the bed.
All in all, solid cinder blocks is probably the best way to go, like the ones in the background of this page.
https://www.urbanharvest.org/advice/basics/raised_beds.html