Spring has finally sprung here at Furry Feathers Farms. It is time to get going on spring planting and spring projects. The late snow storms and cold weather adds the feeling of being behind. So let’s get started.
We have decided to start using raised beds in the garden this summer. You get lots of benefits from raised beds. They allow for better drainage. You get to choose the soil mix. When you need to add amendments to the soil, there is less place you will have to work. Among many other benefits.
We have very heavy soil. It is a very dark, heavy clay. While there is probably a lot of fertility in the soil, it also makes plants trying to root have a hard time getting started. We have had some good success when we have added to the soil to loosen it up. So that is why we are going with all raised beds.
Using our Raised Bed Estimator tool, we figured out that we need about 12 beds. The next step was figuring out how to build and fill the beds. Some of the materials that can be used for the sides of the beds are treated lumber, cedar, pine, rocks, or metal. There is some concern if the treated lumber is 100% save to use and if the lumber will leach into the soil and into your food. Cedar boards are naturally rot resistant, but like treated lumber is an expensive option. Making the sides out of same sheet metal that is used for pole barns is slightly more affordable and durable.
We decided to go with pine boards. These boards are going to rot. There is no getting around that. The question is how long will they last. I am guessing that we will get five years out of them, with the outside chance of getting more. The cost and the expected lifespan makes it the right choice for us.
The beds are made of 1×10 pine boards with doubled up 2x4s in the corners. The beds measure 4’x8′. You don’t want to go any larger than 4ft. This will allow us to reach across the beds and get to the middle from either side. This method gets the beds up quickly.
The next step is how to fill the beds. My brothers deposited all the leaves from their yards last fall at Furry Feathers Farm. Leaves are a great source of compost, but the leaves themselves can also be a good source of fertility. We are filling the beds with a generous layer of leaves at the 
bottom of the beds. That is topped with a mix of our existing soil with a little peat moss to loosen the soil and some compost. If you don’t have your own compost check with your local dump. If they take leaves and grass clippings they will likely have a compost pile. The local dump here the compost is free to take as long as you load it yourself. Since it is composted I would not be concerned with any chemicals that people use on their lawn, but if you are it probably isn’t the best source for you.
At this point, the only thing left is to get planting. Let us know about your experience using raised beds in the comments. We would love to hear about them. 
