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RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
Hey guys, thanks for all the good advice thusfar. I have one more question I feel is quite important.

I am lining the garden with plastic per some advice given here. Do I need to punch some drainage holes? I know for potted plants you need them I am thinking similar concept here.

Thanks much!
James

Hey James!
That was me!
All you need to cover is the sides of your raised beds! Use a heavy gauge plastic. This will prevent leaching of chemicals from the treated wood from entering the soil! Use staples only along the top of the bed to help keep it in place until you fill the bed with soil!
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
That's a good plan, Ron. I was recently over at the high school and I noticed their raised beds were framed by 'pressure treated' lumber. I know they don't use the arsenic compounds any more for the lumber, but you can count on toxic stuff anyway as long as it is supposed to keep bugs away.
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
..I think they use copper sulphide now! ...but, don't quote me on that!
 
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James27576

New Member
Hey...you outed me!


~*pout~*
hey your back! I was beginning to wonder if I had crossed the line with the comment I made on your pepper thread...

I dont have to worry about the chemicals leaching up from the boards constructing the bottom of the bed? I bought enough plastic for the sides and bottom, I was betting on drilling a few holes in the bottom and cutting corresponding holes in the plastic.

to give you guys (and girls, cant forget the "blue girls" :p) an idea of exactly where I am in my progress, the bed is built. I have not added the soil yet. I have the seeds germinating inside right now under plant light, I have peas (two variaties), squash, and cucumbers already poking through the dirt, (after 5 days, yay me!) with some onions, garlic, peppers, beefsteak tomatoes (not for the bed) still on chill mode. The onion cups have little green "hairs" coming up, I think that is the plants.

My son will be with me this weekend, so he will be doing a little to "help" me. depending on the size of the plants that have begun to pop up transplanting outside may be one thing he does.

I will be hitting up a Wally World for the remainder of the soil I need probably tomorrow.

Ya'll have been a big help, this project would probably have gone down in flames without you. Thanks
James.
 

James27576

New Member
from what I have learned in another thread I believe that it would be best to push back the transplanting a couple weeks for frost possibilities and so that I can harden the plants to the outside climate. Thats why I am here, to learn things...
 

Gloria

Super Moderator
Staff member
So you put a bottom on your bed..wow..you've made a nice large container! That's cool..no weeds can grow thru! I'd say you need to line the entire bed with plastic and of course, poke holes in the bottom for drainage. Hope to see pics of your progress as you go.
 

James27576

New Member
Gloria, my bed is standing on legs a little over 3 ft tall. I have some lower back issues that I think would make a traditional ground garden difficult. I will post some pics as soon as I am able to post some green in it.

The germination is going FANTASTIC BTW in six days I have cucumber plants that are almost two inches out of the soil peas that are about an inch tall. I have onions that look like half inch or so green hairs. Tomato and pepper plants are just breaking the soil. In another tray I have squash and honeydew melons that are breaking the soil and some garlic that I see no evidence of. Because of the tightness of the area I am working in (you really would not believe it) the second tray may not have gotten the attention of the first one. I have switched their positions so I can give it a little more love, but still not ignoring the first one.

This is fun, and I have my six year old son excited about it.
 

Gloria

Super Moderator
Staff member
That's a great idea to have built it on legs, James. My hubby has back problems too so I do most of the back work. I guess in time we'll be looking at growing in smaller areas and do what is neccessary to accommodate our needs. You've given me some ideas to look at when it's needed.
You sure have a jump on the plants..we've taken a chance and planted some seeds outside. We're doing an acre right now. We've starting tomato seeds in a make shift green house. I have a few inside that I started in an old aquarium...it makes a great terrarium. They're about an inch tall now.
It's good to teach the young ones about growing food and it's a good way to spend treasured time with them too.
Keep us updated on the progress.
 

gonepostal

New Member
Now--going to ask probably a stupid question---but here goes---------
If you poke holes in the plastic in the bottom of your raised bed--can the toxins from the treated lumber seep up through them into your soil??
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Highly unlikely, GP. Moisture from rain or watering will move down into the soil with very little lateral migration. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Consider yourself being lectured to. LOL
 

gonepostal

New Member
Highly unlikely, GP. Moisture from rain or watering will move down into the soil with very little lateral migration. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Consider yourself being lectured to. LOL

:D Thanks Randy. I think I'm a bit like Curbie-------always full of questions.;):D
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Nothing wrong with that. There are guests that come on here and read these questions and replies all the time, so you can never tell how many actually benefit from the info.
 

MsSweetzzz

New Member
I'm new here and I'm so glad you started this thread. I live in an apt and started growing veggies last year. Some did ok and some...well...RIP. lol I'm trying it again. I got a lot of great info here. Glad I found this forum!

Happy Planting!
 

Randy

Super Moderator
Staff member
We bid you welcome. I haven't seen any new postings from the fellow that started the thread, but feel free to add your own questions if you have any. My peppers are still in the greenhouse. They are doing well, but some of the seeds were very slow in germinating. So I have some of the 4" pots with plants that are about 8" high and maybe in the same pot a plant that has emerged in just the last few days.
 


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