We have recycled tomato/potato/ grape crates bought from a local winery. We have made them into wicking beds and have greatly reduced our watering and worry. A win also on the rabbit count - too high to get in.
That's fantastic! Are they timber or plastic? The timber crates are usually constructed from Baltic pine and are not very durable. Good quality soil will quickly rot the timber. The wicking bed liner will prolong their lifespan by preventing the soil from coming into contact with the timber. Setting up the crates so they are not sitting directly on soil will also help them last longer.
I’m constructing our raised vegetable beds out of cypress. Have you had any experience with applying Ecowood treatment to extend the life of the cypress? I’ve bought some from Canada and I’m planning to give it a go. It seems very highly rated online and the organic designation really appeals. Any thoughts?
I’ve never used Ecowood treatment. I know that in some timber yeards that you can by pine pre-treated with Ecowood. Regardless of the treatment you apply, the effectiveness comes down to the quality of soil up against it. The previous owners of our property installed some raised beds and compost bays made with treated pine. Not ideal, but in a few short years they have decomposed due to the healthy soil food web in my garden and compost. It’s time to replace them.
Going forward I’ll be using recycled bricks as I don’t want to be rebuilding garden beds every five or so years.
I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with the Ecowood treatment.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm always happy to have my work challenged.
I'm not sure which aspect of 'ecological footprint' you take issue with (I don't use the phrase 'carbon emissions')? Is it that you don't believe the materials choices have much of an impact on ecological footprint? Or are you denying that an ecological footprint has any impact on the climate?
In any case, I've made it clear that materials are a personal choice. Some folks are concerned about the ecological footprint of their choice. Others, such as yourself, may be more price driven or base your choice on aesthetics. I've just spelt out the pros and cons to enable everyone to make a decision based on their personal values. It's a shame that a balanced view point has "wrecked the whole thing" for you. I hope that you enjoy the rest of the Vegetable Patch From Scratch series.
You wrote the words "carbon emissions". Read the part about Cypress. "the carbon emissions associated with its transport are relatively low".
We hear this stuff Everywhere and it is political. Man made climate change is a theory, not a fact. Cost is not my concern, natural balance is my concern, local materials and good gardening is my concern.
I get that most people have the current tropes going about in their heads 24/7 but for those of us who just want a natural lifestyle and simply love the natural environment, we don't want to hear pseudo religious stuff. It's like every time you watch a nature documentary and they go on and on about evolution, when it's just a theory; I just want to see the animals, not hear about how we were all monkeys and now we are wrecking the world.
Being simple keeps you different from other websites but when you mention carbon emissions it just puts you in a box with all the others and really, it's about eco morality, subtly or not, and that alienates people who want more carbon. I really value what you do and have been recommending you to everyone I know who gardens. Sorry if I came across as irate but it's just disappointing to see UN talking points on a local garden site. Obviously pretty much everyone who reads your stuff is respectful and clean in their dealings with nature.
Ah... indeed I did. Thanks for pointing that out. I usually avoid carbon emissions in favour of ecological footprint as it is far more encompassing. I'm not sure how it snuck into the final edit.
For many people (but not all), environmental concerns rate highly when deciding what materials to build their beds from. Therefore it needs to be included in this topic. I didn't draw a link directly between materials choice and a changing climate. I just mentioned which materials have a higher ecological footprint/carbon emission. Folks can make their own choices from there.
I use a lot of science (pseudo or otherwise) to help people understand underlying principles of gardening. The theory of evolution is critical to understanding plant genetics and how genetics can impact seed selection and seed saving. You therefore might want to skip parts 22 and 31 when they are sent out. I'll be mentioning evolution, natural and artificial selection in those topics.
Thanks for the great feedback and for sharing your thoughts.
I just want to grow good food and certainly know it is not critical to believe in an unproven theory to select good seed and have successful crops so, so long.
i ticked corrugated iron as my preferred option because - for me - it was free and fully recycled. i am using the cut down bases of defunct water tanks. They are 3m long by 1 m wide by 1m high. A perfect size. They were light enough to fully manouvre until i started filling them, so I was able to try out different configurations before using them. The filling of them wasn't free but was made cheaper by me providing all the labour. The older I get, the more I appreciate what I went through to achieve them. Spinach and Tulips, anyone?
thanks for sharing your experience with us. Great upcycling of an otherwise wasted product. Corrugated iron beds are certainly light weight and easy to move around.
Living near the coast in SE Western Australia, I find raised beds are easier as the soil is very poor and although I use compost and goodies in the soil, it is a slower process for growing vegetables.
And finding more suitable items for constructing beds is not easy. So steel beds are easier. I like that I can plonk them anywhere and use different heights. Fortunately our summer are not constantly baking and therefore I have success with my plantings. Enjoy the emails immensely and this current series is fabulous
We have similar sandy soil. So I understand the challenges of the very slow improvement of soil with compost. Importing quality soil to fill raised beds certainly can make it easier.
I'm glad that you are enjoying the series thus far. It seems to be resonating with many of my readers. Thanks for sharing your experience and the great feedback.
As a renter I’ve had great success with straw bale beds
They allow me to produce several seasons of crops, work out which area was the best for light and access, and gave ample premium compost at the end of their planting life
Another benefit is startup cost, and not having to abandon investment, or disassemble when moving
Some great insight and fantastic advice. I love the flexibility of your approach. It's great. Just make sure the straw hasn't come from a crop that has been sprayed with broad leaf herbicide. The herbicide is persistent and may end up impacting your crops.
We've recently established a Kids Garden at our Community Garden using a couple of different raised bed options. We received a grant to purchase four Biofilta Food cube wicking beds to help with Summer watering. We then added a 4m x 4m plot, 4 No-dig Beds beds three at 500mm high and one at 700mm high to our garden space before putting borders of Cypress, a locally sourced product and cost effective for our needs at this time. Budget certainly played a role in establishing parts of our garden as with most volunteer groups we often rely on grants to built good long term infrastructure.
We have recycled tomato/potato/ grape crates bought from a local winery. We have made them into wicking beds and have greatly reduced our watering and worry. A win also on the rabbit count - too high to get in.
That's fantastic! Are they timber or plastic? The timber crates are usually constructed from Baltic pine and are not very durable. Good quality soil will quickly rot the timber. The wicking bed liner will prolong their lifespan by preventing the soil from coming into contact with the timber. Setting up the crates so they are not sitting directly on soil will also help them last longer.
Happy gardening!
I’m constructing our raised vegetable beds out of cypress. Have you had any experience with applying Ecowood treatment to extend the life of the cypress? I’ve bought some from Canada and I’m planning to give it a go. It seems very highly rated online and the organic designation really appeals. Any thoughts?
Hi Lawrence,
I’ve never used Ecowood treatment. I know that in some timber yeards that you can by pine pre-treated with Ecowood. Regardless of the treatment you apply, the effectiveness comes down to the quality of soil up against it. The previous owners of our property installed some raised beds and compost bays made with treated pine. Not ideal, but in a few short years they have decomposed due to the healthy soil food web in my garden and compost. It’s time to replace them.
Going forward I’ll be using recycled bricks as I don’t want to be rebuilding garden beds every five or so years.
I’ll be interested to hear how you get on with the Ecowood treatment.
Happy gardening
Duncan
Oh please, carbon emissions?? Just grow your garden and do what you are good at, don't bring fake science into it and wreck the whole thing.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm always happy to have my work challenged.
I'm not sure which aspect of 'ecological footprint' you take issue with (I don't use the phrase 'carbon emissions')? Is it that you don't believe the materials choices have much of an impact on ecological footprint? Or are you denying that an ecological footprint has any impact on the climate?
In any case, I've made it clear that materials are a personal choice. Some folks are concerned about the ecological footprint of their choice. Others, such as yourself, may be more price driven or base your choice on aesthetics. I've just spelt out the pros and cons to enable everyone to make a decision based on their personal values. It's a shame that a balanced view point has "wrecked the whole thing" for you. I hope that you enjoy the rest of the Vegetable Patch From Scratch series.
Happy Gardening!
Duncan
You wrote the words "carbon emissions". Read the part about Cypress. "the carbon emissions associated with its transport are relatively low".
We hear this stuff Everywhere and it is political. Man made climate change is a theory, not a fact. Cost is not my concern, natural balance is my concern, local materials and good gardening is my concern.
I get that most people have the current tropes going about in their heads 24/7 but for those of us who just want a natural lifestyle and simply love the natural environment, we don't want to hear pseudo religious stuff. It's like every time you watch a nature documentary and they go on and on about evolution, when it's just a theory; I just want to see the animals, not hear about how we were all monkeys and now we are wrecking the world.
Being simple keeps you different from other websites but when you mention carbon emissions it just puts you in a box with all the others and really, it's about eco morality, subtly or not, and that alienates people who want more carbon. I really value what you do and have been recommending you to everyone I know who gardens. Sorry if I came across as irate but it's just disappointing to see UN talking points on a local garden site. Obviously pretty much everyone who reads your stuff is respectful and clean in their dealings with nature.
Cheers.
Ah... indeed I did. Thanks for pointing that out. I usually avoid carbon emissions in favour of ecological footprint as it is far more encompassing. I'm not sure how it snuck into the final edit.
For many people (but not all), environmental concerns rate highly when deciding what materials to build their beds from. Therefore it needs to be included in this topic. I didn't draw a link directly between materials choice and a changing climate. I just mentioned which materials have a higher ecological footprint/carbon emission. Folks can make their own choices from there.
I use a lot of science (pseudo or otherwise) to help people understand underlying principles of gardening. The theory of evolution is critical to understanding plant genetics and how genetics can impact seed selection and seed saving. You therefore might want to skip parts 22 and 31 when they are sent out. I'll be mentioning evolution, natural and artificial selection in those topics.
Thanks for the great feedback and for sharing your thoughts.
Duncan
I just want to grow good food and certainly know it is not critical to believe in an unproven theory to select good seed and have successful crops so, so long.
i ticked corrugated iron as my preferred option because - for me - it was free and fully recycled. i am using the cut down bases of defunct water tanks. They are 3m long by 1 m wide by 1m high. A perfect size. They were light enough to fully manouvre until i started filling them, so I was able to try out different configurations before using them. The filling of them wasn't free but was made cheaper by me providing all the labour. The older I get, the more I appreciate what I went through to achieve them. Spinach and Tulips, anyone?
Hi LYNC,
thanks for sharing your experience with us. Great upcycling of an otherwise wasted product. Corrugated iron beds are certainly light weight and easy to move around.
I'm glad you found a system that works for you.
Happy Gardening
Duncan
Living near the coast in SE Western Australia, I find raised beds are easier as the soil is very poor and although I use compost and goodies in the soil, it is a slower process for growing vegetables.
And finding more suitable items for constructing beds is not easy. So steel beds are easier. I like that I can plonk them anywhere and use different heights. Fortunately our summer are not constantly baking and therefore I have success with my plantings. Enjoy the emails immensely and this current series is fabulous
Hi Marina,
We have similar sandy soil. So I understand the challenges of the very slow improvement of soil with compost. Importing quality soil to fill raised beds certainly can make it easier.
I'm glad that you are enjoying the series thus far. It seems to be resonating with many of my readers. Thanks for sharing your experience and the great feedback.
Happy Gardening
Duncan
As a renter I’ve had great success with straw bale beds
They allow me to produce several seasons of crops, work out which area was the best for light and access, and gave ample premium compost at the end of their planting life
Another benefit is startup cost, and not having to abandon investment, or disassemble when moving
Some great insight and fantastic advice. I love the flexibility of your approach. It's great. Just make sure the straw hasn't come from a crop that has been sprayed with broad leaf herbicide. The herbicide is persistent and may end up impacting your crops.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Duncan
Great information, I am thinking of getting a raised garden bed, corrugated iron.
Made in Geelong. Hopefully the iron is made in Oz. too.
Thanks.
Good luck with the project Ria!
We've recently established a Kids Garden at our Community Garden using a couple of different raised bed options. We received a grant to purchase four Biofilta Food cube wicking beds to help with Summer watering. We then added a 4m x 4m plot, 4 No-dig Beds beds three at 500mm high and one at 700mm high to our garden space before putting borders of Cypress, a locally sourced product and cost effective for our needs at this time. Budget certainly played a role in establishing parts of our garden as with most volunteer groups we often rely on grants to built good long term infrastructure.
Sounds like you are having lots of fun. Great work on the Kids Garden.
Budget is always a challenge for community gardens. Glad you have found some solutions that suit your situation.
Happy Gardening!