I have back and hip issues, so I intend to use raised beds on legs so I don’t need to do the bending and kneeling. Do you have any suggestions for planting, tools, harvesting, soil, etc.?
I’ve seen trellising done from the end of one raised bed, in an arch, over and down into another raised bed. It creates a fun looking tunnel or archway. I would think this would be a way to trellis and still be accessible. Gardeners.com sells these types of trellises, but I’m sure there’s a way to make it cheaper.
Hi Tina!
I am struggling with your same issues and I have built a garden of raised beds in hope to raise food and beautiful flowers. I am able to spend all day in the garden without realizing I am out there as long.
I purchased a tall u-shaped garden raised bed which comes to my waist. I divided them into squares with screws and twine. There are 7 squares which form the u-shape with 9-12 inch square in each
which for the u-shape bed. Altogether 63 squares. I follow The Square foot gardening protocol for spacing my plants. My husband helped me mix that square foot recommends: 1/3 Vermiculite,1/3 Sphagman Peat Moss, and 1/3 Compost which includes 5 different kinds of manure sources. They recommend one source being mushroom, but the rest come from farm animals. This part is important because this creates a soil that you only need you gloved hand to run through and each time you start a new crop in each square. you only add compost to the top. My other raised beds are on the ground, 12 inches deep, but I either use those with cattle panel trellis so I can stand and I purchased tractor scoot that I can scoot from bed to bed and plant, This soil doesn’t need a lot of weeding. Very light!
4 Comments
Patricia Leazer
July 12, 2021We bought cattle panels and attached them to metal stakes. We trellis all our vining veggies on those. Works great.
Tina Machia
April 11, 2022I have back and hip issues, so I intend to use raised beds on legs so I don’t need to do the bending and kneeling. Do you have any suggestions for planting, tools, harvesting, soil, etc.?
Melanie
April 14, 2023I’ve seen trellising done from the end of one raised bed, in an arch, over and down into another raised bed. It creates a fun looking tunnel or archway. I would think this would be a way to trellis and still be accessible. Gardeners.com sells these types of trellises, but I’m sure there’s a way to make it cheaper.
Janice Mechan
March 15, 2023Hi Tina!
I am struggling with your same issues and I have built a garden of raised beds in hope to raise food and beautiful flowers. I am able to spend all day in the garden without realizing I am out there as long.
I purchased a tall u-shaped garden raised bed which comes to my waist. I divided them into squares with screws and twine. There are 7 squares which form the u-shape with 9-12 inch square in each
which for the u-shape bed. Altogether 63 squares. I follow The Square foot gardening protocol for spacing my plants. My husband helped me mix that square foot recommends: 1/3 Vermiculite,1/3 Sphagman Peat Moss, and 1/3 Compost which includes 5 different kinds of manure sources. They recommend one source being mushroom, but the rest come from farm animals. This part is important because this creates a soil that you only need you gloved hand to run through and each time you start a new crop in each square. you only add compost to the top. My other raised beds are on the ground, 12 inches deep, but I either use those with cattle panel trellis so I can stand and I purchased tractor scoot that I can scoot from bed to bed and plant, This soil doesn’t need a lot of weeding. Very light!