Most experienced local gardeners will tell you that the preferred way to begin a garden here is to construct a raised bed planter. You should be gardening in imported soil, and the easiest way to get into farming is to build a raised bed.
Where Should It Go In My Yard?
Your going to want a spot that gives you 4-6 hours of sunlight each day. Besides the soil, the placement of your raised bed will be your most important item of preparation. Look at your yard at different times during the day and see where your sunny and shady spots are. Remember that the sun fall angle is different in the summer than the winter. You might consider removing some non productive ornamentals to put your garden in the ideal spot of your yard. Those shrubs in the best part of your yard sure look nice, but you can't eat them.
What Should I Build It Out Of?
The two things to consider are materials and size.
Materials - pine boards are the most economical option. They will last about 7-10 years and are just fine for lots of people. Red wood boards are more costly but will last half again as long as pine. Bricks will not deteriorate, are more expensive and will have a nice finished look. PVC lumber is a material growing in popularity. It comes in white or wood grain, lasts forever and insulates the soil better than the others.
Size - Your bed should be narrow enough to reach into the middle from both sides, the typical width is 4 feet, and as long as you think is appropriate for your space. Avoid a square bed that requires you to walk on the soil to get to the center. How high you build it depends on the soil that you use. The better the soil the shorter the walls. If you are going to use the tomato soil profiled above, then you only need 6-8 inches of soil. You will need 16" for any other type of soil.
Lets Look At Three Options.
A simplest and quick method of building your bed is to order a bracket kit. You'll assemble the walls with your own boards, screw everything together and your done. The mail order brackets are
$85.00 + shipping, and the pine for a 4'x8' bed should be about $125.00
The plans for this bed are easy to follow. For a 4'x8' bed 10" high expect to spend $15.00 for the hardware, $150.00 for pine, or $250.00 for redwood.
The plans for this bed are easy to follow. For a 4'x8' bed 10" high expect to spend $15.00 for the hardware, $150.00 for pine, or $250.00 for redwood.
This last one is vinyl lumber. The material can be white or wood grain. I can build you one of these and have it delivered with the irrigation system installed in the bed. A 4'x8' 10" is about $180.00
Other Ideas
A Few Videos On Building A Raised Bed
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPrMvItUIuQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGcGNa5LnZo
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