Can fade to a weathered grey over the years which some find attractive. Redwood Durable Janka rating of 3, lbf. Readily available. Naturally rot resistant. Have been known no last up to 20 years. Not treated with chemicals More expensive than other alternatives.
Requires sealing to prevent cracking. Pine Durable Janka rating of 1, lbf Highly versatile. Resists shrinking and swelling Attractive grain options Pressure treated pine contains chemicals to preserve the wood.
Susceptible to scratches and dents Iroko Durable Janka rating of 1, lbf Rot and insect resistant Heat moderation qualities Moisture-resistant Renowned aesthetic appeal Hard to find Higher cost Higher maintenance requirements Looking for a Wooden Planter Box? Wooden Vegetable Window Box. Share Post. Previous Elevating your Garden with a Fibreglass Planter. Related posts Wooden Planters. Read more. Continue reading. Container Gardening. Over time the soil will settle an inch or two more.
To learn more about developing the ideal soil, read our articles:. It helps when pathways between beds are wide enough for a small wheelbarrow.
For grass pathways, make sure they are at least wide enough for a weedeater or a small mower. This will not be visible because the mulch will cover it. When buying mulch, ask the seller if they have had any complaints about weed seeds in the mulch. Some weeds will still appear on your pathways regardless of the mulch. Wait until it rains before pulling them out or you might rip the landscape cloth.
The weeds will come out easily if the ground is wet. Many beautiful raised bed installations are set on concrete surfaces, but there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.
Typically, patio and driveway surfaces are not level. This is intentional so water can drain away from the main house structure. Raised beds, however, should be built to level, the same as if being constructed on soil. This means the bottoms of the beds will need to be blocked up on the low end just enough to facilitate and direct drainage.
One of the benefits of raised bed gardening is drainage, but this feature also makes the soil requirements of your garden box a little different. The following explores both options.
This last combination above will help eliminate weeds, but the real key to these combinations is the compost.
No matter how great your topsoil is, your beds will fail dismally without compost, which will need to be added again every year. The goal of any irrigation system is to make sure every plant gets enough water to thrive. With each method of irrigation there is a different strategy to meet this goal: for dripping and soaking, hoses must be placed in the right locations to fully water the desired plants.
When spraying, whether with a sprinkler or by hand, you must also consider duration. Adding an automatic timer to your watering system will help remove the guesswork. Even better, a raised garden bed makes irrigating your crops simpler because drip tape and soaker hoses can be mounted to the side of the box to keep them immobile.
The most common mistake when irrigating is leaving gaps. Be sure to measure the reach of your hose against the size of your box and install enough lines to thoroughly soak the soil. Raised beds need to be watered a little more often than traditional, in-ground beds because they drain faster and tend to encourage rapid plant growth, which requires more water. In the summer, this might mean watering multiple times per day depending on the stage of plant growth and the type of crop. Automation works best with a drip line or soaker hose system.
Automating your system also allows you to time watering for the cool of the evening or the middle of the night when the evaporation rate is lowest. You can take this a little further by mulching on top of the hoses around your plants to further reduce evaporation. Routine maintenance of your system should also include checking for leaks, which are often caused by creatures looking for water or errant pitchforks. You can prevent leaks at joints by making sure there is proper water pressure for the system you are using, and that all joints are sealed.
The edges of the bed will dry out a little faster than the middle, so pay special attention to the location of your plants. If you are sprinkling or spraying, put a mug in your garden to see how many inches of water you are using. You can also place a container beneath one of the holes in your drip line to gauge how much water your system is delivering to each plant.
See Drip Irrigation vs. Elevated garden beds, planters, garden decks and outdoor wood furniture can be protected against both water and fungal-borne decay with new mineral-based formulations which are non-toxic, and safe to use with food crops. The best ingredient to put in your garden is your own compost. The best composters are sealed units tumblers that convert kitchen, yard and garden waste into compost in just a few weeks.
These compost tumblers are ideal for urban gardens and homes with small yards. Use an elevated cedar planter to grow vegetables or flowers on patios, balconies and restricted spaces. These rot-resistant, portable planters can be moved indoors in winter.
Stop weeds before they sprout with corn gluten or kill mature weeds with our non-toxic Burnout spray. Remove weeds easily with the Cobrahead precision weeder and cultivator. Start seedlings earlier in the spring in a controlled environment and extend crops later in fall. Our clear and translucent greenhouses protect your plants from unseasonal weather. Choose from over 20 models!
Our recycled rubber hoses are made in the U. Additionally, our high quality soaker hoses, rain barrels, sprayers, and other products will help you conserve water.
Protect seedlings from the elements, extend the growing season, keep moisture in and pests out. You can build this cloche yourself. Simplify raised bed construction by purchasing a complete, rodent-proof kit available in redwood and cedar, and in different sizes and configurations. You can make a wooden planter in a day, using treated timber.
Simply work out how big an area you need, cut the wood to size and follow our steps to putting the planter together. However, if positioning your planter in full sun, you may consider lining the inside of the planter with pieces of old compost bag, to keep the compost moist and reduce the need for regular watering. Mark and cut all the pieces of timber to the correct lengths, cutting the ends as squarely as possible for a smooth finish.
Using a 3mm drill bit, make a hole around 2. Lay out two cm, 60cm and 40cm lengths to form the frame. Butt one end of each length up to the next with the drilled holes on the side.
Check the angles with the try square before fitting a screwdriver attachment and fixing the frame together with 7. Cut treated gravel board to the appropriate lengths for the planter bottom. Place the bottom boards on the frame. Pre-drill the bottom boards, check the frame is square again, then attach the boards to the frame using 5cm screws.
Flip the frame over onto the other side so the bottom boards sit on the ground. Cypress planters complement almost any exterior style, and they require very little maintenance to continue looking their best. To maintain the honey color of the wood, seal it at least once a year with a product labeled for use on outdoor cypress furniture.
Pressure-treated pine is also commonly used to build planters, but it has some drawbacks that natural woods do not. Pressure-treated lumber is treated with chemical preservatives to make it rot, insect and weather resistant, but these are not ideal for planters that contain edible plants such as vegetables or herbs. Pressure-treated wood also tends to shrink over time and it doesn't take stain or paint well unless the wood has dried out. Natural, untreated pine can also be used to build planters, but it must be sealed to make it resistant to weathering, rot and fungus.
Pine is also soft, which makes it vulnerable to nicks, gouges and other damage. Renee Miller began writing professionally in , contributing to websites and the "Community Press" newspaper.
She is co-founder of On Fiction Writing, a website for writers.
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