Depths for Raised Bed Veggie Gardens

[Stevie B]

is there a Max or Min depth for raised veggie beds?

i realize that certain veggies will have deeper root systems but i was wondering if anyone had information to how deep you need to make your bed...

and a premature Thank You to all that answer...i am an extreme newbie to the gardening life and really am thankful for all the nice people on this site :)

[Linika]

Hi Steve

I have had good success with raised beds...usually make them 18 inches deep depending on what is going in. My husband put a shallow ledge around the edge so makes for easy weeding etc. I add organic matter every year and turn them well at the end of the season. I have everything from root veggies to herbs and vine plants. Good luck with that!

[DaveSoMD]

Mine vary from 8 -12 inches and I grow all the standards from tomatoes and peppers to beets and carrots with no problem.

I built two into the slope of the hill in my back yard and those are 12 inches on one side and 36" on the other. I plant my potatoes in these.

I add compost and manure yearly to the beds and rotate what I plant in the beds.

[CharlieD]

It depends on the type of the soil you will have undernise (how do you spell that?).
I have clay and have to raise it higher. Or you can dig the soil out and fill in with good black dirt + fertilizer of your choice.

[Stevie B]

thanks for the replies :)
as far as original soil, i would say it is just basic soil, not rocky or full of clay.
Chances are i will be using 1x8 untreated pine wood unless someone pops in and highly recommends not using that type of wood.
The project is something that will be used for maybe 5 years at the most, so i don't really wanna spend allot of cash to build it out of cedar or any other highly priced material. It is basically going to be a nice medium sized starter bed until i get the hang of what i need to do in order to produce a good quality product...like i said i am a newbie to all this so i'm trying to avoid jumping in over my head.

i am open to any more suggestions you folks have...

[DaveSoMD]

I used plain pine for mine and they have lasted for 6 years. Some need replacing and some just need a new board or two and some are still fine. You should be fine if you are looking for only about 5 years. FYI - I painted the outside of my beds.

[Stevie B]

Originally Posted by DaveSoMD

I used plain pine for mine and they have lasted for 6 years. Some need replacing and some just need a new board or two and some are still fine. You should be fine if you are looking for only about 5 years. FYI - I painted the outside of my beds.

by chance did you do any research on painting them and the effects on vegetables?

i only ask cus it would be nice to put an artistic touch on the outside, maybe even give the outsides of the boards a nice stain but i don't want to compromise my safety for looks.

[DaveSoMD]

No. I just used an exterior latex paint on the outsides of the boards and the top edge. I left the inside where the dirt is plain pine.

[Robert Barnett]

I use 2x4x4 foot stock tanks (the metal ones) they being 4 foot deep are deep enough for everything, plus I don't have to bend over to weed, plant, harvest, etc. I have 14 of them this year, they cost about $99 each, I bought them over 2 years. This year I added a drip irrigation system for easy and water efficient watering.

Robert

[Dawgluver]

Originally Posted by Robert Barnett

I use 2x4x4 foot stock tanks (the metal ones) they being 4 foot deep are deep enough for everything, plus I don't have to bend over to weed, plant, harvest, etc. I have 14 of them this year, they cost about $99 each, I bought them over 2 years. This year I added a drip irrigation system for easy and water efficient watering.

Robert

What a cool idea, Robert!

I use big plastic self-watering containers from Gardeners Supply.