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DIY Building Methods Garden

DIY Raised Bed Garden: 3 Building Materials for Creating a Successful Raised Garden

raised bed gardens

Why a DIY Raised Bed Garden?

The DIY raised bed garden is often used by amateur and avid gardeners alike. It is preferred because they’re perfect for growing vegetables without bending down every day. They’re attractive additions to any backyard or patio too! Giving you plenty of space to grow flowers on your deck during the summertime months too.

When deciding what material to use for your raised garden bed, you’ll want to take into account durability and cost. Generally speaking, constructing a raised bed garden is best for those who intend to keep it there for a few years. This post will walk you through three different materials that can be used for this type of project: wood, concrete blocks, and metal paneling.

Wood

Wood is a good material for the average home gardener who wants something that is realtively easy to work with. The natural look of wood is one of its main draws as a construction material for raised beds. It may not be durable enough for some people over time. Whereas wood used to be the least expensive option, it increased in cost relative to the other materials on this list. As such, it might not be a good option if you’re looking to save money over the long haul with permanent.

One main downside to wood is that it may not hold up well in areas where there are harsh winters. Especially when exposed to moisture buildup throughout winter. You’ll want to opt for a type of wood that is resistant to rotting and insects. Cedar has the benefit of resisting pests and rotting, while also not leaching harmful chemicals into the soil.

Concrete Blocks

Concrete blocks are another excellent choice for building raised beds! They offer flexibility and durability that can withstand various climates over time without issue. They’re cheaper than wood too, offering an affordable alternative for those who want something durable but don’t have enough cash on hand at one time. Concrete blocks are a little utilitarian looking, but for me, beautiful means lasting a long time without intervention!

Metal Paneling

Metal paneling is growing as a popular material for raised in recent years. It comes with all sorts of benefits depending on what type you choose. For example, some metal panels come pre-painted or designed with attractive finishes that look great even after countless hours outside. This is an advantage over wooden alternatives which may deteriorate quickly over time due to exposure to the elements.

Metal panel raised beds often come pre-fabricated (like the popular “Birdies Raised Metal Garden Beds“), only requiring a few screws to assemble. One downside to metal panel raised beds is that they are the most expensive of the three options. The investment is worth it if you plan on using your garden for years and want something that will last without worry of weathering or pests damaging it over time.

You’ve Decided on a Material: Now What?

After you’ve selected your building materials, you’ll need to decide on the shape and size of your raised bed garden. For those who don’t have a lot of space to work with, the square plan is great for smaller spaces. It’s also easy to add plant containers that can serve as additional planting space at any point in time.

The shape of your raised bed garden should be influenced by the space you have available and what type of plants will grow best in that particular shape. The most common shapes are square (for smaller spaces), rectangular, hexagonal and octagon-shaped beds for larger spaced gardens. Rectangular shaped raised beds work well when trying to maximize growing space while hexagons can create a more orderly feeling with closer planted rows or simply allow for easier access from all sides.

Ready to Go!

The key to building your raised bed garden starts with making sure there are no gaps between either the boards or blocks from which you’re creating your structure. This will ensure precious soil remains inside your containers.

I hope this post has helped you decide which material will work best for your raised bed garden. Just remember that whichever materials you choose to build with should be able to withstand a few seasons of use without any problems or major repairs needed. Happy building!

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DIY Building Methods Fruit Trees Garden Uncategorized

2 Options for Protecting Your Plants From the Harsh Sun

Man standing in front of plant shade frames

Protecting Your Plants from Sun?

The sun is critical for fruit tree and plant growth. The rays of solar energy get absorbed by the leaves, promoting photosynthesis, allowing the plant to thrive and grow. Because we eat plants (or eat animals who eat plants) we’re all considered to be solar powered! There is a downside; Just like too much sun can give us a sunburn and speed up dehydration, too much sun can harm plants.

In this article, I walk through a couple options to keep your plants from getting too much sun. This is especially during the hotter months where plants are already dealing with higher ambient air temperatures.

Man standing in front of trees

Shade Cloth

The easiest method I’ve found to to protect your trees and plants is to use inexpensive shade cloth. Shade cloth is usually made of a UV resistant polymer, and comes rated in percentages of sun protection. For example, a 40% shade cloth will provide 40% shade, while letting through 60% of the sun. Most fruit trees or other plants generally left in the open benefit from a 30-40% shade cloth. That moderate coverage ought to provide enough protection from the sun’s rays. For more fragile plants (veggies and flowers), a higher shade value (60-70%) could be beneficial.

How to Use Shade Cloth

Draping

Man standing in front of berry bushes

I deploy shade cloth two main ways: I drape it over a tree or plant, and I use a wooden frame. Draping the shade cloth over plants is a very quick way to get your plants covered. I use garden clips to secure the edges of the shade cloth around branches to keep it in place in wind. It’s possible to also poke a stem or two through the shade cloth if you haven’t got clips available. One downside to draping shade cloth is that it makes contact with the actual plant. Depending on the plant, this added weight may cause some issues or damage.

Shade frame

Man standing in front of shade cloth frames

For a longer term or no-contact method, I created wooden frames out of 1X2’s and a few nuts and bolts. I then stapled on sheets of shade cloth to the frame. Shade frames have a few advantages, especially for smaller trees and plants. They allow a no-contact method which limits smooshing or bending of branches you’d see with the draping method. She frames are easily deployed and allow you to select the angle of protection, as well as the height. The cloth doesn’t need to be clipped to the tree, because it is already clipped to the frame. One nice thing about these frames is that they fold up, allowing you to stack several of them in a small space.

Pro-tip: Weigh the bottom of the frame down with a block or rock, as wind can topple these.

Paint Your Trees!

This might sound like a crazy idea, but it’s important to paint or whitewash your trees in order to prevent sunburn and sunscald. This is a larger topic which I will cover further in another article. In short, whitewashing your tree’s trunk and main branches is an important step to preventing sun damage, much like sunscreen protects damage to your skin. There are two main ways you can whitewash.

Latex Paint

For this method, you’ll want to get white interior latex paint. Mix the paint with water in a 50%-50% solution, and use a paintbrush to apply generously to the trunk and main branches. It’s possible to also put this solution in a spray bottle. Although, I’ve found that this sometimes creates clogs or my hand gets tired from all the spraying. There is a downside to using actual paint for this. While it isn’t dangerous to the tree or fruit, as the trunk expands, more and more paint will make its way into the soil, impacting the quality of the soil over time.

IV Organic 3-in-1 Plant Guard

Like the latex paint, IV Organic (10% Off Code BUSY10) is painted on using a brush or diluted down into a spray bottle. Unlike latex paint, however, IV Organic is an OMRI certified organic whitewash. It contains many things that help guard against sun AND pest damage, such as diatomaceous earth, fragrant oils, etc. A big plus is as the tree trunk expands and bark falls to the ground, the soil gets better.

While it is more expensive, I’ve exclusively switched to using IV Organic because of its additional benefits, without the drawbacks.

Man standing in garden

What’s the point?

Whatever you’re using to protect your plants from excessive sun exposure, you’re essentially trying to take the edge off. Like sunscreen on your own body doesn’t prevent all sun from getting through, these methods serve to reduce the amount of UV rays causing damage on the warmest days. Whichever method you use, ensure that you’re protecting against the direction the sun is actually coming from (in North America, make sure to paint or protect the Southern facing side).

Protect them from excessive sun and heat, and your plants and trees will thank you for giving them a reprieve from the sun, and will reward you with tasty, nutritious fruit and vegetables!

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DIY Building Methods Garden

Creating a More Durable Garden Trellis

man standing in front of trellis

We’re going to be putting in a bunch of vegetables here in our raised bed square foot garden. One of the methods we’re learning to save space is to grow vertically whenever possible. This is great for vining plants. Rather than have them trailing along the ground, having them run up against a trellis is the way to go. What we’ve used before for trellising has been a white nylon netting. While it’s inexpensive and easy to work with (once untangled), a major downside to this netting is that it eventually breaks down in the sun, and begins falling apart. NOT what you want when it comes to suspending your precious cucumbers, melons, peas, etc. in the air!

man standing in front of trellis

Welded Wire Fencing

I used metal conduit to create the frames, fastening them to the back of the grow beds using wood screws. Wanting something that could support some weight, and wouldn’t break down in the elements, I bought a roll of 4×50 foot galvanized welded wire fencing. This has worked so well against our wood fence keeping the kids and dogs in, that I used the extra I had for my garden trellis.

Fastening the Panels

I cut my panels to size, and fastened them to the conduit frame using UV resistant outdoor zip ties. You could also use galvanized wire or some other more durable fastener, but these have held up for me. One plus of using the wire fencing for your trellis is that the bulk of the weight is on the fencing itself and not the fasteners. Another advantage of this fencing is that if a weld separates, the wire is still intact, and you can use a zip tie or wire to hold it together.

man standing in front of trellis

Something to consider as you cut the panels is that each cut will leave some sort of jagged edge. I rounded these off by bending the edges back with pliers. No more snags! All in all, both trellis materials work. I strongly prefer the metal panel, but if you’re just getting started, or want something more temporary, the nylon net will work great for 2-3 years even in plenty of sun.