I want to build some raised garden beds. I have close to 80 some telephone pole pieces and for my purposes a nearly inexhaustible amount of manure and old hay.

I know most raised beds are 11 inches tall, which seems to low to comfortably work in for me. What is the ideal height and width for a raised bed, when materials and soil aren't an issue?

Will perennials winter ok in a raised bed?

How much more often do you need to water a raised bed?

Keith

In hot dry weather an early morning watering is essential each day. We have low beds at 2x10 lumber height. I wish they were 3' off the ground, though! We have strawberries in one bed, blueberry bushes in another and then seasonally plant the other two. The perennials overwinter well in our beds. Max bed width is 4' which allows for working from both sides without having to stand in them or strain to reach!

Chris

Your agricultural extension service may have some well thought out plans for raised beds. If they don't, I'm pretty sure that UT Extension Service does. You can find them online. Once at a field day, I saw beds with a built-in bench to allow you to sit and work instead of stooping or getting on your hands and knees.

My raised beds have no walls, I dug a shovel width in a trench, put dirt up on bed.
Beds are 35' by 30"

Here's mine, built out of logs. The strawberries overwinter just fine it it. I just cover with grass and flop on a piece of plywood and they are still green in the spring.
I just got it planted a couple weeks ago, got sprouts coming up now. Asparagus popping up too.

Took the picture at 11:30 this evening.

Long days now huh

We used 2x12s, 5'x12'x2' high. Made it so I don't have to get down on my knee's.

You could go the hugakulture route with your telephone phones and other logs to build a peaked bead instead of a container style bed.

If you use your hay as a pretty thick mulch layer, you won't hardly have to water until we get into a drought

So what is the advantage of a raised bed??

Keeps the Rabbits out and allows the roots to grow deep. With this method you can square foot garden and increase your harvest with less space. I build mine 8x4 using 2x8 & 2x10s.

I used this method : https://www.momontimeout.com/diy-garden-planter-box/

I added 2x6 on the outside to act as a shelf to place plants and other tools while planting and harvesting.

Leave a space between beds big enough to get a wheelbarrow through... And build a bench that will span that. You won't have to kneel, you can sit and tend them.

Mike

I just built these for my wife. She loves them and is going to plant veggies in them this weekend. They are 4x8x2 and it took a lot of dirt to fill them up.......the 3 of these took 7 yards. That's a lot of shoveling. But as they say, "Happy wife, happy life".

She wanted something elevated to make working in them easier. Its 6' between each one so that she can drive the riding mower with a dump cart in between them.

Here is a picture of my raised bed verticle grow experiment this year.
In the construction stage, yet.
They are setting on 18-20" of compost and buildup .
They are probably 12"- 14" of raised blocks.
Hope to trellis melons and cukes.
You can see my drip irrigation idea at the back.
I have lowered it to about a third of the height and gas well system goes in mid of june.
To the left of it is several dark shaded panels leaned up against the fence.
They will become my sunblockers for the drought season.
Limited experience but daily water in the hottest season is a must.
Raised bed can get steaming hot.
I live nextdoor to a landscape facility.
I have access to skids and skids of this type of blocks.
(overages)
First year trying this but the ground warm up allow easy 4-6 weeks of early spring gardening,
Just have frost control plans
So daily watering . pest control , and soil maintenance.
Planting / Gardening will be far easier the next few seasons for sure.

Mine are made out of cement blocks. 2 blocks high = 16 inches. 3 1/2 blocks wide = 42 in wide. Mixed some sand in with the dirt and peat moss. Add a couple of inches of chopped leaves every year. Really like them. Can work them even with all the rain we have had this year. Can sit on the block and work the beds. Plant some flowers in the holes in the blocks..

Thanks everyone. You have given me some good ideas and good information.

Keith

I saw a dandy 30+ foot long tank from a semi trailer for sale on Craig's List last year. It was 6' in diameter and I wanted it bad. I got ahold of my All Purpose Boy to see if he could haul it home on his car-hauler type heavy trailer. "Why" he asked. When I told him I intended to cut it into 3' sections to use as 3' tall raised beds he wanted to know how it was going to be cut up. I had hoped he'd do it with his torches or what ever. Nope. He mutinied on me. I figured it to be perfect for what I was thinking.......3' tall so this older fat guy didn't have to bend over so far, and 6' across so I could easily reach the middle. Dangit. I'd have been famous among raised bedders.

My raised beds don't flood as bad as a flat garden, raised beds dry faster, sometimes need more water, best thing probably is I don't walk on the raised bed, soil is real soft , also full of compost