The Advantages Of Raised Beds
Bob Bauer
> All my beds are raised and lined with Sandstone blocks
> or bricks.
Bob, is there a reason why you chose raised beds? Is it better because
of your climate or soil?
In my mind there are MANY reasons for raised beds. All of them
positive. Frankly, I don't see a down side.
1) Good drainage. No matter how wet your climate, raised beds will
make it so you never have standing water in your Roses. Roses love
good drainage.
2) Garden definition. It sets the pathways apart from the beds, so
you don't have one growing into the other. It also makes your garden
look more 'designed' and interesting.
3) Less bending over. This is a great plus for people who aren't as
young as they used to be. It sticks the roses right into your face.
The better to smell them as well as deadhead and prune them. I also
design my beds to be no wider than I can easily reach across them (if
a border) or halfway across ( if an island) with a hoe while standing
up and not bending over too much. Believe me! This pays off!
4) Since you have to add the soil to the bed instead of using native
soil, you have your chance to start with a decent soil instead of
using the clay or sand that is usually present in most gardens
grounds.
5) Adds vertical dimension to your yard. I don't know about you,
but I don't like yards that are all on the same level. They don't
have nearly as much garden interest as those yards that have different
vertical 'layers'. When the roses grow up to their full 5 or 6 feet
tall, raised beds add the feeling of little areas and enclosed spaces
that are not present in a flat garden.
One more thing. My personal sense of design sez that the less square
lines the better in the garden, so all of my areas are rounded or
snaking. (Except the veggie section).
Whaddaya think?
Bob Bauer
Zone 6 in Salt Lake City
Gail Futoran
news:8r22ptc0ba0e2evt2...@4ax.com...
> Candy asked:
>
> > All my beds are raised and lined with Sandstone blocks
> > or bricks.
>
> Bob, is there a reason why you chose raised beds? Is it
better because
> of your climate or soil?
>
> In my mind there are MANY reasons for raised beds. All of
them
> positive. Frankly, I don't see a down side.
>
> 1) Good drainage. No matter how wet your climate, raised
beds will
> make it so you never have standing water in your Roses.
Roses love
> good drainage.
Yep. We've had several very heavy rains following
two months+ drought, and whereas the water
continued to stand in parts of the yard, the raised
beds did fine. I add a bunch of gypsum in the
bottom on each planting hole, which may also
help the drainage.
> 2) Garden definition. It sets the pathways apart from
the beds, so
> you don't have one growing into the other. It also makes
your garden
> look more 'designed' and interesting.
I'm not much on landscape design, and I agree
with this point because it forced me to make
paths, at least to let the mower through. :)
> 3) Less bending over. This is a great plus for people
who aren't as
> young as they used to be. It sticks the roses right into
your face.
> The better to smell them as well as deadhead and prune
them. I also
> design my beds to be no wider than I can easily reach
across them (if
> a border) or halfway across ( if an island) with a hoe
while standing
> up and not bending over too much. Believe me! This pays
off!
Yep, this is a big one for me, too. Raised beds
are a lot easy to work with.
> 4) Since you have to add the soil to the bed instead of
using native
> soil, you have your chance to start with a decent soil
instead of
> using the clay or sand that is usually present in most
gardens
> grounds.
I excavate the top 2-3" of soil containing weeds,
and amend with "rose soil" (from a local company)
a 24" diameter x 18" deep hole for each rose to
be planted. The rest of the bed gets good soil
just on the top 10" or so. That doesn't seem to
bother the roses any. Once they're big enough,
they just send roots through the clay. And
outside the beds (especially some of my larger
OGRs). :)
> 5) Adds vertical dimension to your yard. I don't know
about you,
> but I don't like yards that are all on the same level.
They don't
> have nearly as much garden interest as those yards that
have different
> vertical 'layers'. When the roses grow up to their full 5
or 6 feet
> tall, raised beds add the feeling of little areas and
enclosed spaces
> that are not present in a flat garden.
Out where I am "flat" is the rule. Adding one
tree is enough to add major interest! I agree
about the definition point, but the main reason
I put in raised beds is I didn't want to have to
dig *down* 18" in heavy clay . 9-10" was
hard enough.
> One more thing. My personal sense of design sez that the
less square
> lines the better in the garden, so all of my areas are
rounded or
> snaking. (Except the veggie section).
I've read in numerous sources that curved
beds look nicer, and I agree with that, but
from a practical point of view it was easier to
do most of our rose beds with straight lines,
especially since we (my husband and I) were
new at designing and constructing flower beds.
If I were to redesign our rose garden now, I
would make a number of design changes,
probably including fewer straight lines.
Gail
San Antonio TX Zone 8
Bob Bauer
>... what's wrong with the veggie section?
Dazzlebutt!!!! You're alive! Long time no hear. What have you
been up to? Spill it.
Do you have a cyber life? Where do you hang out?
Oh and about the veggie section...... do I have to say it. It is
pretty rectangular and organized...... very German. Lots of little
plants marching around in little rows. The veggie section you see
takes up an awful lot of full sun area. ......you know...... area
that could be better 'utilized' if you know what I mean. I could
plant......say............ roses or something. ya know?
Howz yer roses? Whadday like? etc. etc.
Bob Bauer
Bob Bauer
>If I were to redesign our rose garden now, I
>would make a number of design changes,
>probably including fewer straight lines.
It's never over Gail. Get out there and start redesigning. Pronto!
That's the great thing about a garden. It is always changing and is
never finished. If you think of a better way, change it.
(as if you need more work to do..... <g>)
You know whenever I question whether I'm making the right decision in
the garden I say to myself "why worry?" I can always fix it later.
It seems like every time I stress over something and worry too much it
isn't as good as if I just jump in and go for it.
Have fun,
Bob Bauer
sunflower
> positive. Frankly, I don't see a down side.
All of the reasons you listed are good ones for those in non scalding hot
conditions, but raised beds have the advantage/disadvantage of warming more
quickly, and to higher temperatures than the surrounding soil. Great if you
are in a climate with a long cold winter and you want to encourage blooms as
quickly in spring as you can, but if you live somewhere that temps are 90°
in April and who knows for the rest of the summer, that additional degree or
two of warmth on the roots can be the difference between heat stressed roses
and cooked roses. Raised beds also have greater moisture loss through
evaporation, and perhaps if you are on an automated irrigation system with
cheap water, that might not be as much of a problem to you as someone in
drought conditions on a well who waters with a hose--when and if they are
allowed to water. In those conditions, *sunken* beds are sometimes actually
better. I've had two straight years of water restrictions here, and
thankfully, this year I'm finally without them. At least I have clay based
soil, and that really did help to hold what moisture I could give them. Of
course, the April rains keep things a bit waterlogged, but I've amended
enough to not have that be too serious a problem.
Two sides to everything, and twelve sides (at least) to any rose growing
issue. <G>
Sunflower
MS 7b
Bob Bauer
>>Dazzlebutt!!!! You're alive! Long time no hear. What have you
>>been up to? Spill it.
>... sitting by the phone waiting for you to call
Haven't you figured out yet that I'm the typical male. I NEVER call.
I just show up unexpectedly. Usually hungry. Besides, the number
you gave me was bogus. .....heh
>>Do you have a cyber life? Where do you hang out?
>... I'm not quite sure...
You mean you are not quite sure that you hang out? or not quite sure
that you have a cyber life? or neither
>>Howz yer roses? Whadday like? etc. etc.
>... well, actually... I saw The Garden the other day... roses are popping out...
>of three-to-four-foot high weeds... but the raised beds ARE draining well.
So...... seeing as you do not have custody of The Garden, weren't you
going to grow a few in pots in your newer digs?
OR...... have you missed an entire rose growing season. This is not
good. We are going to have to punish you.
Bob B.
Candy
"Bob Bauer" suggests:
>
> It's never over Gail. Get out there and start redesigning. Pronto!
>
> That's the great thing about a garden. It is always changing and is
> never finished. If you think of a better way, change it.
>
space, I'm now putting more energy into improvement of existing conditions.
Though raised beds are not practical in my little sand dune, I have tested,
at Alan's suggestion on his website, using more mulch. I purchased that
black plastic edging raising the bed line about four inches. I then fill it
with bark. The roses love this.
Candy
> Bob Bauer
Gail Futoran
news:Abfk7.3502$pg.21...@typhoon.midsouth.rr.com...
Sunflower makes a really good point. The rose
soil I use in my raised beds is light compared to the
surrounding clay, and until roses get established
they need a lot more water. I probably also don't
use as much mulch as I should, and next year plan
to pile it on a lot thicker.
Luckily we didn't have water conservation this year
(and won't, thanks to lots of rain recently), so I
could water as much as I wanted, any day I wanted
to, as long as I did it during certain hours. I also
collect rainwater and use that once a month or so
to give the roses a treat. In case of water restrictions,
I can use the rainwater whenever I want to.
Gail