Best book about gardening in raised beds?

[WildOlive]

I want to try raised beds this year but I have to be able to convince DH it's worth the time and cost of getting set up. We don't own a tiller, and it seems the raised beds would be easier to keep weed free. I could lay down some mulch in between for paths. Plus, I think they're pretty.

He knows an older man who uses cut off totes (totes are like big plastic drums that hold liquid, kind of like a barrel, but square... some of our stuff on the farm comes in them) but I don't want to grow our food in plastic :sick these would be free, versus getting wood and building them, so I *know* he's going to try to get me to use the totes. So I have to make the wood really appealing, and find the cheapest way to get it done easily.

There are several books about raised beds, Square Foot Gardening, One Magic Square, etc. Which one should I spend my money on? Any recommendations?

[Serafine]

I really liked square foot gardening, but I haven't read the other one(s).

[gpsings]

We did a rased bed this year. It cost a total of about $12.00 in supplies to build it. We just used 1x12s cut to size and screwed together. For soil we just went to a nearby landscaping supply company and bought a yard of soil. I think the soil cost 14.00.
It worked out well, but I made the mistake of planting watermelons which took over. :bag
Anyway, I want to do square foot gardening next year, and possibly another raised bed. :)
Oh, one other thing....I have to do something to keep our dumb dogs out! :haha

[Can'tTurnLeft]

I also like square food gardening

[Macky]

Hmmm... square food gardening sounds cool. ;) You've seen those square watermelons, right?

I'm with your DH on this one, though... not the plastic totes (ick), but not being worth the effort if you can plant right in the soil where you live. :duck

[euromom]

:popcorn as I so want to do a raised bed garden this year :)

[Punkie]

Another vote for Square Foot Gardening, and you should be able to make the beds for very little or for free. If there are building sites around you, then you may be able to get enough scrap wood to make them. Just make sure it is untreated :) You can also use stones, if you have them around. It depends on your region...

[Punkie]

Also, you can check craigslist or similar sites for paver bricks. Sometimes people want to get rid of a bunch of them, and brick raised beds look really pretty. My mom told me to "haunt" Home Depot and Lowes, because they clearance out their pavers fairly regularly. We were able to get some really beautiful curved ones for my front raised bed.

[Damselfly]

This is a little different so it may not be what you're looking for but I love this book (http://www.amazon.com/Lasagna-Gardening-Layering-Bountiful-Gardens/dp/0875969623). I simplify it even more and just layer straw and veggie scraps and let it set over the winter. Once I have the soil built up a ways I usually edge it with bricks or rounded boards (the ones that look like logs only smaller.) It's half way in between raised beds and just planting in regular soil. :)

I wouldn't want to grow in plastic either. :hug

[Ajani]

And another vote for Square Foot Gardening. It's simple and VERY effective. And the vertical trellises are wonderful. We used them for tomatoes and cucumbers last year.

[greengirl19]

This may not be the cheapest way to do things, but we're considering it this year if we can get our hands on some hand-me-down concrete blocks. http://gardeningrevolution.com/index.html

[iheartsam]

This may not be the cheapest way to do things, but we're considering it this year if we can get our hands on some hand-me-down concrete blocks. http://gardeningrevolution.com/index.html

Is the basic premise of this a layered garden? If so, I second the lasagna gardening book and the layered gardening idea. I have a black thumb :giggle seriously, :shifty and we were able to grow our own veggies! :yes

[Forsynthianicki]

If you have easy access to a library, don't buy any gardening books. Most librarys have large gardening sections. If you find a book you love and will referene often then make the investment. I loved lasagna gardening too.

[krysmh]

Square Foot Gardening is awesome and effective.

[Punkie]

Oh, and just ignore the fact that Mel is his own #1 fan :P~ The book still has good info if you ignore all of the Mel-isms ;)

[WildOlive]

I requested it through ILL... they didn't have the other one.

I want raised beds not because we don't have good soil (we do), but b/c I think they'll be easier to weed/tend, and b/c the people I know locally with raised beds are able to harvest about 2 weeks earlier, b/c the raised beds warm up quicker in the spring.

[Daylyjoymom]

Don't have any suggestions on books, but love to garden and I have found some great gardening deals on Craigslist.