Raised Beds Made Of Rock

[katlupe]

These are the beds we built from rock on our property. When we moved here the woods came right up to the back of the house and to the driveway. We had to clear it for a backyard and the barn and horses' paddock. Plus the fact that NY is practically all rock. So that is what these beds are made from and it didn't cost any money just manual labor. They are great for gardening because they stay warm from the day time sun through the night.

 

[Sentry18]

Looks wonderful and very natural. I like it!

 

[Meerkat]

These are the beds we built from rock on our property. When we moved here the woods came right up to the back of the house and to the driveway. We had to clear it for a backyard and the barn and horses' paddock. Plus the fact that NY is practically all rock. So that is what these beds are made from and it didn't cost any money just manual labor. They are great for gardening because they stay warm from the day time sun through the night.

BEAUTIFUL! No rocks here except limerock. We first moved here I was looking for a rock to throw at hardheaded dogs[ not hurt them just get attention] and not a rock to be found.
I grew up on the largest rock in the world Stone Mountain even Atlanta had rocks!
Rocks rock.

 

[Dani]

Love the natural look of your raised rocks. Pretty ingenious too with your cool nights .

 

[COSunflower]

I love rock garden beds!!!! I have one big one, a couple feet tall, that we made years ago and once I got goats could never use it as THEY used it for playing. Now that I no longer have goats I plan to use it for planting regional plants to attract bees and butterflies.

 

[joel]

Those are too nice to plant, the plant will get in the way of all the beautiful stones.
So get some old ugly concrete blocks, then it will be okay to cover them up with nice big vegetable plants.
I would love to have a few dump truck loads of those stones to line my asparagus beds.
Spot a few ever bearing strawberry plants in the nooks around the edge of the stone.
So the berries would never touch the ground & be easy to find.

 

[The Innkeeper]

Lovely beds. Make mine (2x12 recycled lumber) look pretty tacky

 

[COSunflower]

I doubt if they look tacky BOB - I made my first 4 raised beds from old 4 ft. cedar fence boards that a friend was throwing out. I like the weathered look of recycled wood. Goes good with rocks.

 

[Weedygarden]

The rock probably holds heat. Those raised beds will last much longer than any wooden beds.

Are you familiar with Scott and Helen Nearing? They had a homestead in New England with rocky soil. They wrote books and built all kinds of stuff from the rock on their property--buildings, fences. They wrote at least one book, which I have. I believe they are deceased now. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805209700/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20,
http://goodlife.org/

 

[Homesteader33]

Very nice beds, I intend on doing the same thing at my place this spring, I have pallets of rocks that we collected from around the property. However I will say that your rocks are good looking rocks, ours is just ugly rocks from east TN mainly sand stone.

 

[joel]

Very nice beds, I intend on doing the same thing at my place this spring, I have pallets of rocks that we collected from around the property. However I will say that your rocks are good looking rocks, ours is just ugly rocks from east TN mainly sand stone.

There are no ugly rocks, show us photos, let us judge for our self.

 

[buildit]

If I had more stones I'd love that but I have used wood for most of mine.

 

[COSunflower]

Very nice buildit!!! Mine don't look as nice as yours.

 

[buildit]

Very nice buildit!!! Mine don't look as nice as yours.

It's not hard and I often get access to scrap wood I can use. Key is to use a piece of 2X4 in each corner to make the square and then use a flat concrete floor to complete construction the move the box into place and fill it with soil. A piece of weed mat under it helps keep grass from intruding up into the bed but allows water to escape or use the empty soil bags as the bed liner to help retain more soil moisture.

 

[Weedygarden]

It's not hard and I often get access to scrap wood I can use. Key is to use a piece of 2X4 in each corner to make the square and then use a flat concrete floor to complete construction the move the box into place and fill it with soil. A piece of weed mat under it helps keep grass from intruding up into the bed but allows water to escape or use the empty soil bags as the bed liner to help retain more soil moisture.

I have built my raised beds out of wood. I like to use cedar posts from when people replace them in their fences. It is a great way to repurpose that wood.

 

[COSunflower]

That's what I used weedy, old fence boards and I used scrap 2x2s or 4x4s in the corners and lined them with weed barrier.

 

[Weedygarden]

That's what I used weedy, old fence boards and I used scrap 2x2s or 4x4s in the corners and lined them with weed barrier.

I am very careful not to use treated wood for a garden. I prefer cedar.

 

[COSunflower]

Me too. Cedar lasts longer too.

 

[The Innkeeper]

I doubt if they look tacky BOB - I made my first 4 raised beds from old 4 ft. cedar fence boards that a friend was throwing out. I like the weathered look of recycled wood. Goes good with rocks.

Okay how about “functional”

 

[COSunflower]

BOB, they have been very functional!!!! 4 ft x 4 ft is just the right size square for me so that I can reach into the middle for harvesting. I had enough boards for 4 raised beds and use them for cucumbers, greens, walking onions and zucchini.

 

[The Innkeeper]

BOB, they have been very functional!!!! 4 ft x 4 ft is just the right size square for me so that I can reach into the middle for harvesting. I had enough boards for 4 raised beds and use them for cucumbers, greens, walking onions and zucchini.

Actually, the beds we inherited when we bought two years ago are all odd sizes and all too big. I am reworking them all to be 4x4 with better walking paths between.

 

[COSunflower]

I have a long bed that I made from scrap 1 x 12s that a neighbor gave me that I only made 3 feet wide for easier harvesting.

 

[The Lazy L]

Wife has a bit of a problem kneeling so I built her garden beds up higher. Bottom row is 2' above ground and the back row 3' from the ground. Overall dimension is 4' x 20'. I had to clear some trees (we live in a woods) to allow the sunlight in. I used treated lumber lined with polyethylene. SS cable from front to back keeps the dirt pressure from bowing the front and back out. I was surprised how fast the lumber dried out, it is now is painted gray. And the manure from my chicken ranch helps immensely.

Katlupe's rock lined raised garden is much prettier. Katlupe is you would bring some of your surplus rocks over my way...