University of New Hampshire 2019 - 'Pine needles themselves are acidic but do not have the capacity to appreciably lower the soil pH. As pine needles break down and are incorporated into the soil, decomposing organisms gradually neutralize them. Thus, there is no harm in using pine needles to mulch shrub borders, flower beds and vegetable gardens. Even a 2 to 3 inch layer of pine mulch will not change the soil pH enough to measure.'
@mosart7025 4 years in a barn is different than4 years in the sun. Unless the tree is like 2 ft in diameter or bigger (and even then it might be fine) than all the sap should be gone. All depends on airflow and temperature.
@@DouglasDrake-o8e I live in the same and do the same. I think the rumor comes from the fact that pines like growing in acidic soil to begin with. It's not them that makes the soil acidic, but the the soil that encourages pine growth. Pine logs should be fine. It's soft wood and decomposes quickly. Sap is just part of the tree and has nutrients also.
I personally use a little bit of pine needles too and never had any sort of issue. I feel like I have however noticed more bugs like my beds more since I started using it.
I haven't done a bed like this in about 2 decades. The one thing I did differently was to burn the wood and debris down until it began to charcoal. The one thing I've learned in my 60 years is to find a method that works for you and stick with it. So go with what works and improve where needed.
@@jt.633 The carbon is good for the soil long term, it helps the good microbes survive as it's a food source for them. There is a really good documentary (sorry I do not remember the name) that looked at these man made islands in South America. After decades of research they realized that the structures they found were kilns to make charcoal. As the research went on they found that the majority of the soil was charcoal based. They then found signs that they were used for crops, and testing the soil they found a very high concentration of the "good" microbes. Not sure how they determined this but they said those microbes were a strain that had been colonizing for centuries and matched the dates of the kilns. (sorry for going on an on). There is another documentary called "The Charcoal People", it used to be free online but you now have to buy it unfortunately. It's not specifically about the subject I just talked about but it does touch on it.
For anyone who watches this, dont toss in logs that are fully intact like that. Those logs arent going to properly break down for 20-30 years and will constantly sap the nitrogen levels of this bed. Simply put, they are a detriment to the bed.
If they are not breaking down, it means they are not decomposing, which means they are not sapping the nitrogen from the soil to break down. The whole point of the logs was to take up space saving use of expensive soil to line the bottom of beds.
@@CRAZYCR1T1Cwhy do other raised garden bed experts build them much lower? I’ve seen some that are only a board high. Seems to make more sense than building one 3 boards high and filling it up 2 thirds with debris.
I don't put large chunks of wood in my bins because I have an 83 year old friend who heats his rental with firewood and I feel that is a higher/better use of my large chunks. I use lots of cardboard and brown paper bags. My neighbors are used to me asking for their Amazon boxes. Leaves are also good for filling planting boxes. My neighbors are pleased about me raking them and carrying them off.
I like to put unfinished compost in with my branches and logs so there is plenty of nitrogen to feed the breakdown and then i put my soil mix on top of that
I find so interesting the beams holding together raised bed is typically flush on the bottom but not flush on the top. I made mine flush on the top so I could add a cap to sit on and stand on and eventually a door hinge canopy
The pine needles aren't the issue, if you ask me. What will present an issue, however, is the fresh branches they're attached to. Those branches will take ages to break down, and as they do, they will pull nitrogen from your soil. You did okay adding the old logs, although rotting logs is, technically, the goal for the same reason. If I had to make a prediction, I'd guess that your bed will do alright the first year, but in years to come, their production value is going to taper dramatically, and you'll find yourself needing increasing amounts of fertilizer.
Wood products that arent decomposed actually take Nitrogen to decompose, thus taking nitrogen thats available for the plants, away from them, locking up nutrients until they are thoroughly broken down. Much of what nitrogen that the compost was gonna provide your crop/garden, will now be used elsewhere, and can actually cause a nitrogen deficiency in your desired flora.
I recently heard that if you saturate the logs you are laying down at the bottom of your garden you will barely need to water your garden later if at all. The logs will hold and slowly release the water into your garden. Very cool.
I don't recommend putting logs, branches. I did it a few years ago and I had a horrific yellowish beige fungus that took over and coated the roots and stems of my perennials. It also attached itself to my new wood borders. I went to the effort of removing the logs, replaced borders planks, contaminated dirt. It all went back to normal. You never know what fungus, diseases you can get.
Armillaria probably. I wouldn't bury food scraps or logs because they will take nitrogen out of the soil in order to decompose. It's better to let it decompose or compost and then add it to your soil.
Have you ever thought of using your food scraps to add to beds? (zero meat/animal products) You will need very little new soil; this soil will eventually become what us garden farmers here call 'black gold.' Due to physical issues we have dozens of raised beds & we use hugelkutur plus lasagne layering methods with compost scraps in there mixed around different layers, plus a lovely slimline compost 'basket' within each of them in the centre(s), the soil under the topsoil is the best there is 😊
@@mahafouad9322 Our ground is pure sand. With a raised bed I can mix potting soil, garden soil, & compost. Some of my pants and veggies do much better that way.
It would take a lot of pine needles to do any harm. I agree with another commenter about a nitrogen booster with the logs and sticks. Biggest concern is the cardboard. A lot of cardboard in the US is treated against pests like cockroaches. Just make sure it's clean and untreated. Also, until it begins to breakdown the cardboard is a bit of a barrier to worms.
FYI though. Logs are just a bunch of straws. Eventually all that space will breakdown. It may take a bit but soil will be added eventually. Especially if wetting and composting under there. Good temp solution I suppose.
Very good video, just one thing, as far as I know, pine trees do not acidify the soil, I think it is a legend since there is no scientific evidence of such a statement.
Have followed and done this kind of hugelkulture, several of them in my garden including papers, leaves, fallen flowers. It makes the garden clean and tidy. I’ve never water the garden during summer.
@@julievarner8273 I use cardboard on the sides too, instead of plastic liners. Hopefully will keep my beds longer. 3 years in, no visible signs of degradation.
That is still a TON of soil, unless you have a really good deal on soil and maybe you get some free manure like I do. But I still like to stretch my free stuff as much as I can. I just filled up two raised beds with logs, dried sod from another project, sticks, leaves, chicken manure/bedding, weeds, grass clippings, and finally a couple inches of aged horse manure plus mulch
I just started gardening this year and have had much success, but there is much left for me to learn. If you have any suggestions for me I'd be interested (?)
I see a lot of people filling their raised beds with cardboard, but most cardboards have a lot of glue (each layer is literally covered with it). That glue is not biodegradable, likely to break down into microplastics. Good that you didn't use that much cardboard, like I saw in other videos.
@@davidevans1723 If you do use biodegradable glue, then I like the company that you are working for 😉. Unfortunately, there are still some companies that use PVA and other polyolefins-/naphtha-based glues. Some of them even in the European Union and I bet also in China, where most of the world's stuff comes from.
@davidevans1723 I wanted to fill my raised garden beds with cardboard as well, until I noticed glue on one of them that looked like acrylic glue. So, I decided to go directly to the wood layer since idk in which cardboard which glue is used. Btw, plantbased does not necessarily mean biodegradable. However, I don't want to start a debate, I just wanted to mention it. 💁♂️
I was praying to the algorithm to remind whether it's ok to put decaying logs in the bottom of a raised bed. I have Christmas tree clippings too. Now I'll go ahead and try all this
Hey there! I just built a bed last weekend and its half full with the cardboard, logs, branches, sticks, bunch of leaves.. Ive heard not to use top soil, and to use "raised gardening bed soil" or "potting soil".. Whats the pros and cons of top soil vs. raised bed soil? I love compost and will be using that mixed in, regardless . :)
Hey! So if I were buying in bags from a store I would opt for raised bed soil since it’s a little higher quality than store bought top soils. The raised bed soil is usually finer & the top soil has larger chunks. But, I am using SO much soil that it makes more sense financially to order in bulk from a landscape company by the dump truck full and they only offer compost & topsoil. So, I’m doing a 50/50 blend and mixing it well. It’ll be just fine! I actually did a mix of raised bed soil & top soil in my beds last year to save money (raised bed soil cost more) and it was just fine!
Pine will raise the acidic level but some plants love more acidic soil just don't plant like bluebarry. Or raspberry those like the soil more base. Like 8 to 9 But 🍅 are best in acid soil like 5
I don't have logs and branches, but have compost bins to empty, should I buys logs & what type of wood? Some say seasoned fire wood... Also at which level do I add veggies & all that I want to burry/decompose?
We used logs in our raised beds and the following year had a horrible maggot problem. Or maybe grubs. Either way my husband was sooo mad at me that we can’t use that method again. 😂
I was taught to line the bottom with "hardware cloth" which is a finely gridded metal, to discourage creatures burrowing up from the bottom. Looking good!
I would have used cuttings to make a more airy soil. Pyralidfree dung world be used too. I have rabbits for this. And then soil mixed with ash or chalk or both.
have you done this before ..ii have /we pulled them apart after four years and the rotting logs were in the same state we put them in..most of the smaller branches were still there and mice and rats and a resident snake.
I don't recommended loggs, it remained intact after 11 years. So use only good soils. You can make garden bed hight shorter and build a good soil on the base soil.
I like your ideas of filling the Ed with old logs, but if I'm not mistaking that will attract the dreaded Squash Vine Borers. I have several videos on TH-cam that reveal damages done to my garden by them and the Green Horn Worms at - austinwhitfield2108
How do y'all afford the dirt for these? I have two raised beds about this size. Even after doing the lasagna method, I was not able to afford the dirt. I was quoted $500 for someone to haul some here. and it was going to be like $400 if I bought a pallet of bags....
How could the cardboard block weeds? I think the cardboard just provides bedding material for earthworms. There's no way weeds would grow through what looks like 24 in of soil.
Could have filled those beds with way better stacked and interlocked grass cuttings and plant cuttings and leaves and more layers of cardboard and veg fruit scraps if buried deep enough but not on the edges and twigs and smaller branches and way more green and way more brown materials than you used. Lots of massive air pockets you seemed to make under that new expensive soil on top ….
This structure can not be found naturally except after a huge catastrophic event such as landslide. So for me better to mimic normal casual natural event. Statistically it has more probability to succed than one that occured occassion
Never will understand the need to build a raised bed to this height. Unless it's accessibility which would be hard to fathom at your age. Studies have shown over and over there is no need to go deeper than 6 to 8 inches. It's not about the depth or volume of soil it's about the nutritional value of the soil. My neighbor spent hundreds of dollars on lumber. Double that on having bedding soil delivered for two 4x8x18 inch deep beds. The following season he was planning on repeating this and getting two more beds. He asked my opinion on how to do it and save money time. I told him if it was me I would drop the height of both beds in half and use the 2x10s and soil for two additional beds. He did it and was so thankful. He's told me multiple times he's seen no difference in yields between the different depths of the bed. I asked why he went that high and he told me that he saw it on u tube and the creator claimed it increased health and yields of the crops.
University of New Hampshire 2019 - 'Pine needles themselves are acidic but do not have the capacity to appreciably lower the soil pH. As pine needles break down and are incorporated into the soil, decomposing organisms gradually neutralize them. Thus, there is no harm in using pine needles to mulch shrub borders, flower beds and vegetable gardens. Even a 2 to 3 inch layer of pine mulch will not change the soil pH enough to measure.'
Thanks
I live in a pine woods. My gardens get a lot of needles and they do no harm. They make good mulch.
What about actual pine tree logs? That has been cut for at least 4 years? Is there still sap or resin that will be harmful?
@mosart7025 4 years in a barn is different than4 years in the sun. Unless the tree is like 2 ft in diameter or bigger (and even then it might be fine) than all the sap should be gone. All depends on airflow and temperature.
@@DouglasDrake-o8e I live in the same and do the same. I think the rumor comes from the fact that pines like growing in acidic soil to begin with. It's not them that makes the soil acidic, but the the soil that encourages pine growth.
Pine logs should be fine. It's soft wood and decomposes quickly. Sap is just part of the tree and has nutrients also.
I personally use a little bit of pine needles too and never had any sort of issue. I feel like I have however noticed more bugs like my beds more since I started using it.
And dont forget the rocks at the bottom, for healthy drainage. And cardboard really breaks down well in a raised bed.
Don't need rocks, just takes up space.
I have the same . Best regards from POLAND 🇵🇱 ❤
I haven't done a bed like this in about 2 decades. The one thing I did differently was to burn the wood and debris down until it began to charcoal. The one thing I've learned in my 60 years is to find a method that works for you and stick with it. So go with what works and improve where needed.
whats the benefit of charcoal vs wood? just wondering
@@jt.633 The carbon is good for the soil long term, it helps the good microbes survive as it's a food source for them. There is a really good documentary (sorry I do not remember the name) that looked at these man made islands in South America. After decades of research they realized that the structures they found were kilns to make charcoal. As the research went on they found that the majority of the soil was charcoal based. They then found signs that they were used for crops, and testing the soil they found a very high concentration of the "good" microbes. Not sure how they determined this but they said those microbes were a strain that had been colonizing for centuries and matched the dates of the kilns. (sorry for going on an on). There is another documentary called "The Charcoal People", it used to be free online but you now have to buy it unfortunately. It's not specifically about the subject I just talked about but it does touch on it.
@@jt.633maybe the wood ash?
I would probably cover the logs with grass clippings til its a flat layer. Nitrogen would help the wood break down a bit faster
That can cause a soil stomach ache
And some mushrooms. ❤
Definitely another green organic layer would be great
Leaves make an awesome base
You need to use crushed LEAVES to save money. The leaves will turn to soil in just a few months.
That's what I did for my last bed. Turned out great. 🙂
For anyone who watches this, dont toss in logs that are fully intact like that. Those logs arent going to properly break down for 20-30 years and will constantly sap the nitrogen levels of this bed. Simply put, they are a detriment to the bed.
If they are not breaking down, it means they are not decomposing, which means they are not sapping the nitrogen from the soil to break down.
The whole point of the logs was to take up space saving use of expensive soil to line the bottom of beds.
@@CRAZYCR1T1Cnow that makes more sense than any comment in this video. Thank you!
@@CRAZYCR1T1Cwhy do other raised garden bed experts build them much lower? I’ve seen some that are only a board high. Seems to make more sense than building one 3 boards high and filling it up 2 thirds with debris.
@@CRAZYCR1T1Cthen why not just build a lower bed?, what you said makes zero sense.
@@davidbooher5559I have black walnut trees surrounding my property so I have to build mine higher like this because the trees poison the soil.
You demonstrated this perfectly
I don't put large chunks of wood in my bins because I have an 83 year old friend who heats his rental with firewood and I feel that is a higher/better use of my large chunks. I use lots of cardboard and brown paper bags. My neighbors are used to me asking for their Amazon boxes. Leaves are also good for filling planting boxes. My neighbors are pleased about me raking them and carrying them off.
I like to put unfinished compost in with my branches and logs so there is plenty of nitrogen to feed the breakdown and then i put my soil mix on top of that
Looks great I am sure all will work out perfectly. You can test soil after awhile and if to acidic then just neutralize.
I find so interesting the beams holding together raised bed is typically flush on the bottom but not flush on the top. I made mine flush on the top so I could add a cap to sit on and stand on and eventually a door hinge canopy
The pine needles aren't the issue, if you ask me. What will present an issue, however, is the fresh branches they're attached to. Those branches will take ages to break down, and as they do, they will pull nitrogen from your soil. You did okay adding the old logs, although rotting logs is, technically, the goal for the same reason. If I had to make a prediction, I'd guess that your bed will do alright the first year, but in years to come, their production value is going to taper dramatically, and you'll find yourself needing increasing amounts of fertilizer.
Dead or fallen pine needles are fine. The acidity is highest when they are green.
Wood products that arent decomposed actually take Nitrogen to decompose, thus taking nitrogen thats available for the plants, away from them, locking up nutrients until they are thoroughly broken down. Much of what nitrogen that the compost was gonna provide your crop/garden, will now be used elsewhere, and can actually cause a nitrogen deficiency in your desired flora.
Yum. This was very satisfying ❤
I recently heard that if you saturate the logs you are laying down at the bottom of your garden you will barely need to water your garden later if at all. The logs will hold and slowly release the water into your garden. Very cool.
I don't recommend putting logs, branches. I did it a few years ago and I had a horrific yellowish beige fungus that took over and coated the roots and stems of my perennials. It also attached itself to my new wood borders. I went to the effort of removing the logs, replaced borders planks, contaminated dirt. It all went back to normal. You never know what fungus, diseases you can get.
Armillaria probably. I wouldn't bury food scraps or logs because they will take nitrogen out of the soil in order to decompose. It's better to let it decompose or compost and then add it to your soil.
They have done testing that proves the acidity of pine needles is negligible. The same for fir needles.
Have you ever thought of using your food scraps to add to beds? (zero meat/animal products) You will need very little new soil; this soil will eventually become what us garden farmers here call 'black gold.'
Due to physical issues we have dozens of raised beds & we use hugelkutur plus lasagne layering methods with compost scraps in there mixed around different layers, plus a lovely slimline compost 'basket' within each of them in the centre(s), the soil under the topsoil is the best there is 😊
I used a 50/50 mix of soil & compost. Some of the compost is our own from food scraps, yard waste, etc. & some was purchased.
@@MorethanGardening may i ask, why don't you plant directly in the soil ,,what is the need for raised beds?
@@mahafouad9322 Our ground is pure sand. With a raised bed I can mix potting soil, garden soil, & compost. Some of my pants and veggies do much better that way.
@@mahafouad9322 easier to manage. less weeds, less back pain to bend over, total control over the soil.
It would take a lot of pine needles to do any harm. I agree with another commenter about a nitrogen booster with the logs and sticks. Biggest concern is the cardboard. A lot of cardboard in the US is treated against pests like cockroaches. Just make sure it's clean and untreated. Also, until it begins to breakdown the cardboard is a bit of a barrier to worms.
Great beds
FYI though. Logs are just a bunch of straws. Eventually all that space will breakdown. It may take a bit but soil will be added eventually. Especially if wetting and composting under there. Good temp solution I suppose.
Seems pretty good
We do the same even on our big pots and so far it’s quite a success!❤️🤗
Very good video, just one thing, as far as I know, pine trees do not acidify the soil, I think it is a legend since there is no scientific evidence of such a statement.
Thank you for this 🥰🥰🥰
Have followed and done this kind of hugelkulture, several of them in my garden including papers, leaves, fallen flowers. It makes the garden clean and tidy. I’ve never water the garden during summer.
Mulch, leaves or a mix of both after the logs.
I did that in a couple other beds. I ran out though 😅
The beds will break down long before those logs ever will unless lined with plastic. I know from experience.
I would never put plastic in an organic garden bed
@@julievarner8273 I use cardboard on the sides too, instead of plastic liners. Hopefully will keep my beds longer. 3 years in, no visible signs of degradation.
That is still a TON of soil, unless you have a really good deal on soil and maybe you get some free manure like I do. But I still like to stretch my free stuff as much as I can. I just filled up two raised beds with logs, dried sod from another project, sticks, leaves, chicken manure/bedding, weeds, grass clippings, and finally a couple inches of aged horse manure plus mulch
For those wondering. The acidity level is negligible. You’re fine.
Good ideas
I just started gardening this year and have had much success, but there is much left for me to learn.
If you have any suggestions for me I'd be interested (?)
You're doing just fine.
I see a lot of people filling their raised beds with cardboard, but most cardboards have a lot of glue (each layer is literally covered with it). That glue is not biodegradable, likely to break down into microplastics. Good that you didn't use that much cardboard, like I saw in other videos.
The glue is biodegradable I worked at a corrugation company
@@davidevans1723
If you do use biodegradable glue, then I like the company that you are working for 😉.
Unfortunately, there are still some companies that use PVA and other polyolefins-/naphtha-based glues. Some of them even in the European Union and I bet also in China, where most of the world's stuff comes from.
@@michaelliebel2503 oh well I didn't realize we were so hoity toity lmao
@@michaelliebel2503 it does seem like the standard is plant based tho
@davidevans1723
I wanted to fill my raised garden beds with cardboard as well, until I noticed glue on one of them that looked like acrylic glue. So, I decided to go directly to the wood layer since idk in which cardboard which glue is used.
Btw, plantbased does not necessarily mean biodegradable. However, I don't want to start a debate, I just wanted to mention it. 💁♂️
So long as you're not trying to grow anything that prefers alkaline soil, pine needles are fine.
Should have added a cross bar in the middle with a metal pipe. As that soil gets compacted down it might make the middle of your bed bulge outward
Cool❤ leaves help too. Just throw all ur leaves on top during fall and uncover in spring
What kind if wood is the bed, is it treated with chemicals.
Good deal. I do the same.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks sharing video
I would not use cardboard. But a tight mesh ...multi layer netting instead..... Smaller tree limbs maybe too.
What type of wood did you used to built the raise bed???
If you're worried about acidity, you can always toss on some wood ash
I was praying to the algorithm to remind whether it's ok to put decaying logs in the bottom of a raised bed. I have Christmas tree clippings too. Now I'll go ahead and try all this
Hey there!
I just built a bed last weekend and its half full with the cardboard, logs, branches, sticks, bunch of leaves..
Ive heard not to use top soil, and to use "raised gardening bed soil" or "potting soil"..
Whats the pros and cons of top soil vs. raised bed soil?
I love compost and will be using that mixed in, regardless . :)
Hey! So if I were buying in bags from a store I would opt for raised bed soil since it’s a little higher quality than store bought top soils. The raised bed soil is usually finer & the top soil has larger chunks. But, I am using SO much soil that it makes more sense financially to order in bulk from a landscape company by the dump truck full and they only offer compost & topsoil. So, I’m doing a 50/50 blend and mixing it well. It’ll be just fine! I actually did a mix of raised bed soil & top soil in my beds last year to save money (raised bed soil cost more) and it was just fine!
Cheaper, that's all.
Pine will raise the acidic level but some plants love more acidic soil just don't plant like bluebarry. Or raspberry those like the soil more base. Like 8 to 9
But 🍅 are best in acid soil like 5
At some point you learned wrong. Blueberries love acidic soil.
Those nearby trees will put their roots into those beds, sucking all moisture away….a layer of black plastic under the cardboard is needed
Plastic? In an organic garden bed? 😢
After you finish this are you ready to plant right away or do you need to wait and let things break down a bit first?
Compost is organic material that has already broken down
The card board comes last. Not first. no weed seed is going to grow thought 20cm to 20 cm of wood and soil.
I don't have logs and branches, but have compost bins to empty, should I buys logs & what type of wood? Some say seasoned fire wood... Also at which level do I add veggies & all that I want to burry/decompose?
What will you plant?
Charles Dowding says pine needles are no longer acidic after they turn brown.
I think those planks need to be on the inside of the post to account for continued soil pressure/ gravity over time??
We used logs in our raised beds and the following year had a horrible maggot problem. Or maybe grubs. Either way my husband was sooo mad at me that we can’t use that method again. 😂
Great job. Glad you down the chicken wire to stop nyrrowing critters.
I was taught to line the bottom with "hardware cloth" which is a finely gridded metal, to discourage creatures burrowing up from the bottom. Looking good!
We have 1/4” hardware cloth on the bottom of every raised bed 🤠 it’s working great!
How long to be compos?
years
I would have used cuttings to make a more airy soil. Pyralidfree dung world be used too. I have rabbits for this. And then soil mixed with ash or chalk or both.
Its fall, theres trees all around you. Rake the leafs and use that
Pressure treated wood is A no go in My opinion...Not sure if that's what You used or not...
have you done this before ..ii have /we pulled them apart after four years and the rotting logs were in the same state we put them in..most of the smaller branches were still there and mice and rats and a resident snake.
If your growing blueberries throw pine bark from dead trees in there, they thrive, makes more acidic
I hv a qs, why don't you grow from the ground not the garden bed?
I don't recommended loggs, it remained intact after 11 years. So use only good soils. You can make garden bed hight shorter and build a good soil on the base soil.
Note… some plants like acidic soil… blueberries being one of them.
Your husband is blessed to have a Green thumb partner !
You don't need inside protection for the wood? Like layer of plastic or pain? Won't it degrade with time?
Cardboard is a great idea, but if it's treated with anything it hinders plant growth
I like your ideas of filling the Ed with old logs, but if I'm not mistaking that will attract the dreaded Squash Vine Borers. I have several videos on TH-cam that reveal damages done to my garden by them and the Green Horn Worms at -
austinwhitfield2108
What logs did you use? Spruce?
After the pine limbs I put straw and then soil on top.
If the logs are breaking down then the wood the bed is made out of will probably be broken down too
Thank you
Should have put pine tree trimmings on the bottom
Curious, why did you put mesh at the bottom of your bed?
To keep critters from digging up into it
is this all necessary? I just filled the beds with soil...
Not everyone can afford to fill with soil, nor have good soil already available.
How do y'all afford the dirt for these? I have two raised beds about this size. Even after doing the lasagna method, I was not able to afford the dirt. I was quoted $500 for someone to haul some here. and it was going to be like $400 if I bought a pallet of bags....
How is "watering in" different from watering
How could the cardboard block weeds? I think the cardboard just provides bedding material for earthworms. There's no way weeds would grow through what looks like 24 in of soil.
Dont get me going about those rowdy Acidic pineneedle debates, those mass debates always get out of hand at the end.
What about leaves? Do they do harm?
Could have filled those beds with way better stacked and interlocked grass cuttings and plant cuttings and leaves and more layers of cardboard and veg fruit scraps if buried deep enough but not on the edges and twigs and smaller branches and way more green and way more brown materials than you used. Lots of massive air pockets you seemed to make under that new expensive soil on top ….
you prob should break those branches up just a bit lol
Should have charred the inside of planter to prolong life
If you watch self sufficient me you can turn your raised garden beds into self watering wicking beds
This structure can not be found naturally except after a huge catastrophic event such as landslide. So for me better to mimic normal casual natural event. Statistically it has more probability to succed than one that occured occassion
do not use soil logs as thet take at least 10 years to break down. grass for mulching , not at bottom.😢
Why not make a shorter raised bed planter?
I did this 4 years ago no I've got two beds but give me asparagus
I'm still wondering why have such deep raised beds?
Easier to tend too. Also I have total control of the soil this way.
YES!!!!!!😂❤
This technology is from old school 🇩🇪Germany and it does work …
Not sure why you're building the bed so deep. There's already Earth underneath there too.
Never will understand the need to build a raised bed to this height. Unless it's accessibility which would be hard to fathom at your age. Studies have shown over and over there is no need to go deeper than 6 to 8 inches. It's not about the depth or volume of soil it's about the nutritional value of the soil. My neighbor spent hundreds of dollars on lumber. Double that on having bedding soil delivered for two 4x8x18 inch deep beds. The following season he was planning on repeating this and getting two more beds. He asked my opinion on how to do it and save money time. I told him if it was me I would drop the height of both beds in half and use the 2x10s and soil for two additional beds. He did it and was so thankful. He's told me multiple times he's seen no difference in yields between the different depths of the bed. I asked why he went that high and he told me that he saw it on u tube and the creator claimed it increased health and yields of the crops.
yeah pine needles WILL NOT make the ground acidic.
Big logs arnt recommended in soil beds. You'll end up having nitrogen trapped in your soil, plants won't grow as well