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Post by nathan125 on Feb 16, 2020 4:11:50 GMT -5
I building more raised beds and reconfigure the garden layout. I want to build some 2 foot high beds... for sake of much labor and such, could I build the beds over an old pathway in the garden? the pathway is layered plywood, plastic sheeting covered in wood chips... the bed would have 2 feet of soil and after that no where to go down. Would this be an issue for vegetable gardening?
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Post by Mumsey on Feb 16, 2020 7:54:41 GMT -5
nathan125, Welcome! Many here grow in raised beds, you will get lots of good info. I would think if you remove the plastic sheeting, drainage would be better in your raised beds. Otherwise, it would work great. If you post your general location in your sig line, people from your vicinity could give you more detailed info.
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Post by tom π on Feb 16, 2020 9:21:40 GMT -5
the bed would have 2 feet of soil Welcome nathan125. In my opinion, two feed deep soil is plenty for most vegetables. People build raised beds on concrete. if burrowing animals or spreading tree roots are a problem, then the solid bottom under the raised bed could be an advantage.
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Post by desertwoman on Feb 16, 2020 10:00:14 GMT -5
Welcome! nathan125 , if it was me I would remove the plastic and plywood or build the bed elsewhere. Drainage is important so you need to deal with the plastic. If it's too hard to remove then perhaps you could drill quite a few holes through the plastic to help the drainage? And my other thought is about the plywood and the toxic materials (most notably, formaldehyde) that will leach from it. Some veggies roots are shallow (like lettuce, greens, onions) so they might be safe. But other veggies are medium/deep rooted and will go down 20- 36 inches depending on the plant. (tomatoes, summer squash, to name a couple). Personally, I wouldn't want my veggies growing where plywood is. Also, check out our thread on raised beds. There might be some useful info there for you! organicgroup.freeforums.net/thread/3384/raised-beds-building-tending
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Post by binnylou on Feb 16, 2020 11:13:00 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum, nathan125. Concerning the wood chips...do you know what kind of tree they came from? I avoid using anything walnut in my garden, even between the raised beds. Considering how long your beds might last, Iβd probably rip out the plywood and plastic.
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Post by James on Feb 16, 2020 11:14:47 GMT -5
Soil 2 feet deep? Your veggies will do fine! Plant and enjoy!
About wood chips. Wood chips may do OK as a mulch. They do not make a growing medium.
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Post by tom π on Feb 16, 2020 11:21:17 GMT -5
I avoid using anything walnut in my garden, even between the raised beds. If I had walnut wastes, I would use it in walks between tires. As it is, I use magnolia leaves. Magnolia has the same anti growth effect as walnut.
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Post by nathan125 on Feb 16, 2020 20:26:18 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses. The wood chips are a mix from an area wood lot. Could be anything. I use wood chips for the walk way because it looks nice enough and I can go barefoot. The plywood and plastic underneath is used to keep weeds away and it has done wonderful. I am not lazy but it's a much bigger undertaking to remove the the three materials. I think 2 feet should be ok, I would use that area for melons, sweet corn and determinate tomatoes
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Post by deckman22 on Feb 16, 2020 20:59:41 GMT -5
Those will need to be big beds if you plan on growing corn.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 16, 2020 21:40:03 GMT -5
deckman22, by βbigβ, do you mean a large area or deep for the corn roots? i keep thinking about trying sweet corn again...just a 4 x 4 area...then I come to my senses and realize I canβt figure the pollination timing when there is GMO growing across the road.
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Post by desertwoman on Feb 16, 2020 22:40:22 GMT -5
I would use that area for melons, sweet corn and determinate tomatoes That's a full mix of root depths! Corn is considered shallow rooted at about 12-18 inches, melons are medium rooted at about 20- 24 inches. It's the tomatoes you need to think about. They are deep rooted and will go 24-36 or more inches.
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Post by nathan125 on Feb 16, 2020 23:22:50 GMT -5
I am making a 4x16 bed and a 5x16 bed. I have done three rows of corn at 16 feet long and spaced them every 10-12 inches and I came away with much corn. One corn season using that method was awful but I attribute that to the variety used. I have other beds that have soil contact so i can definately put tomatoes elsewhere. I will have five beds at 4x16 and two beds 5x16. Also a 3x35 bed. I like my pathways to be around 3.5-4 ft wide. I dont like feeling cramped even though I am not a large person.
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Post by Mumsey on Feb 17, 2020 4:59:41 GMT -5
And then there's the deer and raccoons who will come for dinner!
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Post by martywny on Feb 17, 2020 6:58:22 GMT -5
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Post by Mumsey on Feb 17, 2020 7:32:38 GMT -5
martywny, Nice! Seems pricy though for 50 seeds!
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