I'm laying out a "four-square" garden at my place in central Maine. I'd like to use some kind of precast concrete planks to create the rectangular raised beds, but I haven't found much.
Anyone have any sources for concrete raised beds? I'd like to stick with long planks if possible so I don't have to do as much fussing and adjusting as they heave in the ground.
Thanks for any advice.
Plain old concrete blocks do just fine. YOu can parge the exterior for a fancier look and put in slate or paving slabs on top for a seat.
I made a couple of 18 x 4 foot beds from concrete pavers. The pavers are 12in x 24in x2in. I trapped them in some surplus steel channel such that the blocks form 2 in thick walls 12 inches high. They seem to be working pretty well. I have enough scrap to build two more after the weather cools a bit in the fall.
Do you get sectional concrete garages in US? The sections can be used for loads of things if you can find them. I know where there are some going begging in UK, but I'm not Fedex-ing them. :~))
Steve
That's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for.
Hmm . . .
My wife is going to be at Cambridge this summer. Maybe I can convince her to bring some back with her.
;-)
in my experience the pavers heave a lot more than cinder blocks. Cinder blocks, buried 3 inches at the bottom, are the best choice in cold areas. In all cases (blocks or pavers) the soil around them will be limed for at least one foot.
Hm, I did not know that when I built my flower bed. I have not seen sign about the PH changes yet. Do I need to add something acidic? Soil here (Urbana, IL) is acidic to start with I believe.
Dong
Fortunately that is not much of a problem in Central Texas. I am not sure how they would work in a freezing climate. It would seem to me that the continuous steel channel would damp some of the heaving, but I don't know. So far I have seen very little evidence of leaching, certainly not out a foot from a 2 inch thick slab. Since our soil is pretty alkaline to begin, perhaps more things are adapted to the "lime" or the compost in the bed is buffering it.
I bet you need to do nothing. I figured it out myself when pH tests near the driveway came out about 1 to 2 units above those away from the driveway. Now that driveway has been there a long time, in MI it rains more than in IL, and certainly the concrete is more degraded than in a brand new paver (increasing the surface area). It is also possible that the base of the driveway has been filled with slag (broken concrete), which is cheaper than gravel.
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