I want to make a raised flower bed, not too expensively. Any tips or tricks?
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Years ago I recycled old railroad ties into a raised garden. It gave a great rustic look for only $20 apiece! I've seen some people use huge tires as well, but that's not a look I enjoy. I like the other tip given too, but be careful, some wood will warp and rot under gardening conditions so use cedar or redwood.
can use rocks as a border...or landscape timbers which are inexpensive.add some dirt and there ya go
Outline with timbers or rocks of whatever size you find eye-appeling for your landscaping design, then save all old plant trimming material in a pile for a while and this will provide good hearty soil that you can throw into the bed and mix with other forms of soil that you may want to purchase. Collect old eggshells and mix that in too.
Should help.
made mine from old bricks of a house being Tore down just make sure u ask to take a few I laid newspaper in the bottom great for weed control an no harm to the environment The other thing I seen was a pile of large rocks stacked in a pile sorta u shaped filed the spaces it between the rocks with dirt an planted flower seeds looks like a flowering rock garden
concrete blocks
Please use concrete blocks, bricks, or stone. Railroad ties have creosote in them which is a possible human carcinogen and has no EPA-approved residential uses. Old pieces of treated wood pine decking, etc. usually have arsenic (chromated copper arsenate) in them. These chemicals were put in the wood under pressure to prevent decay from water and insects, and they leach out of the wood over a very long period of time. Stick with masonry products for your edging.
After forming the bed, line the bottom thickly with newspaper, then use it as a compost bin for six months, throwing in kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, leaves, and grass clippings. Gradually mix in some good topsoil, and some dry molasses (or just plain old sugar if you can't find dry molasses) to stimulate biological activity in the soil. The longer you can keep putting in compostables, the less soil you will have to buy.
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