Monday, May 21, 2012

Fun Garden Beds

I have a tremendous amount of amusement creating fun and new decorative garden beds in our garden.  Today, I wanted to share a simple "How-To" of building a very cool flower/garden bed.

We obtained a great supply of old, heavy fencing that is weathered and worn.  This lumber made the perfect material for one of my favorite garden beds.  I started by cutting the fence posts into varying sizes from 6" to 14" in length.


I then started digging a design in the yard in the shape I wanted my garden bed.  



Once the garden border has been completed, it is time to lay a layer of newspapers... not too thick.  You want enough that it helps with weed control but not too much so that it decomposes and allows the plant roots to grow below.  I put about three to four sheets thick.  I have read on other blog sites and internet sites that some people put the newspaper as thick as 8 sheets thick.








It's important to water the newspaper thouroughly... making sure the newspaper is good and wet!














It's then time to put down the gardening soil.  We usually put in our own home grown compost, but had run out.  We bought some good Vegetable/garden soil at Lowe's.  Be sure to put a thick amount of soil to allow for root growth.  We put 6-8 inches.









The garden bed is now ready for planting.  We planted cauliflower, cilantro, spinach, and broccoli in this garden bed













Copyright © 2012 Life's Casual Observer blog, Lauren Espinoza

24 comments:

  1. This turned out really nice. I like the newspaper in the bottom idea.

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  2. did this last year to my whole front yard, used up to 10 sheets of news paper then when i ran out i used cardboard then covered it with the soil then a layer of mulch. worked really well, i now have a huge flower garden!

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    1. That's awesome, Nicky. I'm so glad you've had such fun with your flower garden. I would love to see photos.

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  3. I had to go to the website to learn what your pin was about. All I saw was a funky raised bed with newspaper in it. Since it was next to a dry creek bed but didn't match the bed, I couldn't figure out what you meant. "I put cardboard in the bottom" doesn't help(that must have been written by a pinner). Once at the website, it made sense.

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    1. Linda, I'm glad it finally made sense. The us of cardboard must have been what another person tried in their flower bed. The reason I use newspaper is so the roots of plants can grow further down (through the newspaper). The newspaper definitely helps keep the weeds under control.

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    2. Linda, I'm glad it finally made sense. The us of cardboard must have been what another person tried in their flower bed. The reason I use newspaper is so the roots of plants can grow further down (through the newspaper). The newspaper definitely helps keep the weeds under control.

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  4. How'd it look with plants? Final pic missing!

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    1. Great question. We moved from that location before the plants had time to really grow. I think I have a photo somewhere of the young plants. I will try and find it and add it to the blog post.

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    2. Great question. We moved from that location before the plants had time to really grow. I think I have a photo somewhere of the young plants. I will try and find it and add it to the blog post.

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  5. your project gave me inspiration for a path from our home to the garden- hubby wants it not "straight" and with pavers and using your idea for the design will be fun! thanks

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  6. With the inks and chemicals in the paper is it a good idea to usd the need paper? The ink is my bigest concern as it won't break down. It is not a biodegradable ink.

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  7. That was my concern as well. For flowers ok, but I don't think I would eat veggies grown near newspaper inks. Not sure how much of the chemicals get absorbed into the food. Are there any studies regarding uptake into the plants?

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  8. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-11-11/news/0111110385_1_flint-ink-color-ink-soybean-oil

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  9. I have grown in conventional wooden raised beds with straight sides and cinderblock beds for years. I've found them very useful, especially for root crops. I don't see the advantage of growing in this bed since the roots are basically in the existing, un-amended soil. How does the soil keep from washing out the cracks in a heavy rain? How hard is it to keep lawn grass from growing into the bed? Do you use a string trimmer?

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  10. How deep did you dig down to put int he edging? Grass roots grow anywhere from 2 to 6 inches deep. I have found over time the roots grow under the edging into the garden bed.

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  11. Ink from newspapers is very toxic. If you plant vegetables use a different (natural) material :)

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    1. Nope. Newspaper ink is made with soybean oil & is biodegradable. Perfectly safe! Just don't use any "glossy"paper. Newspaper with newsprint is safe & non-toxic.

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  12. This will be my first garden. With this method is it direct seeding or seedling transplant or both?

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. It works! I tried this last year and got great results. Maybe you would like to make the newspaper covering thicker --if you already have well established lawn grass below. Cover the area with mulch or organic material to keep moisture in. You will not have to water as often because it will keep the soil moist and allow for more micro-organisms to grow and benefit from the decomposing mulch. if you would like to increase the height of the bed you can cover the first 1-2 feet with dead branches and other compostable material then apply the soil and mulch on top. This technique will save you soil and $$!

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  15. Не чернила, а типографская краска на газетах, конечно вредные вещества есть, но если просушить газету, чтобы краска высохла совсем, то можно класть, а свежую газету не надо.

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