While watching my Saturday shows, I saw this on a gardening show: And I was reminded of an article I read about building raised beds with concrete block. And it just so happens I have one bed that needs to be rebuilt and another that might last this coming season and that's it. The cost of a pallet of 8x8x16 block is still a lot cheaper than the lumber to get the bed height I want. Stay tuned.
@walt How's the wild flower project going? We're thinking of doing something similar next year in the backyard of the new place. Any pointers?
The first year was a smashing success. I purchased the same amount as last year and will be planting almost as big an area as last year ( my plans are a few posts back. ) My number one tip would be don’t skimp on the seed. Last year my Dad planted an area but bought the wildflower seed at Walmart I think. He ended up having to replant using the same mix I bought from American Meadows. It ain’t cheap, but the results were got spoke for themselves. American Meadows is a company I saw on the PBS show “Growing A Greener World.” You can check their site out here and it is loaded with information. Basically I ran a set of drags over the ground repeatedly to loosen the soil, pretty much preparing the ground like you would a garden. As recommended I mixed the seed with play sand which helps disperse the seed evenly as well as show you where you spread it already. Then walk away and hope for rain. They’re native wildflowers, they know what to do. If you or anyone has specific question I’m happy to try and answer them but the truth is I’m generally making things up as I go along.
I tried to do something similar a couple of years ago but didn't prep the seeds properly... and it totally failed. Did some research (read the instructions?) and realized I needed to soak and prep the seeds for a few weeks before planting. Yeah... no... I didn't do that. Looking to retry this year in the small section of my back yard.
Ah yes. Depending on what species and where the seeds come from that may be necessary. Milkweed is a good example. It needs to be kept in freezing temps to replicate being on the ground over winter in the wild. American Meadows does all of that where needed. But honestly all I had to do was spread the seed and walk away from it. I was going to get a pump and run a line from the nearby creek for irrigation but decided it was too much expense for such a large area. So I let Nature do its thing.