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briankort_gw

Redwood Raised Beds and related questions

briankort
9 years ago

My son is working on a Boy Scout Garden project for a library in New Jersey and I am helping gather some information. The library will use their enclosed courtyard to teach gardening of vegetables and herbs and use them in cooking lessons, for end-to-end learning.

Planting Beds
Three 4x4x12 redwood garden bed frames will be installed in an enclosed courtyard. I expect planting of seeds for vegatable that grow above ground and below. Should we dig below the surface in the 12 inch planting beds? How deep? Or is only tilling suggested?

Bed Lining
The library noted that across the street is an orchard which may have had soil issues due to their agricutural practices. Our library courtyard is enclosed and is 100+ yards away from the edge of that farmland. If we wanted to line the bottom of our planting beds what material should be used?

Soil
How many bags of soild would you expect to use to fill a 4x4x12 bed? I understand that mulch should be mixed in with the soil.

Irrigation
We are using a raised rain barrel with drip irrigation. The enclosed courtyard will limit the amount of direct/harsh sunlight. Our timer only permits one watering cycle per day. What is the best suggested water time of day? How much water would a 4x4x12 bed typically need in medium sunlight?

Composting
What is the best materials to place in a composter? We are cleaning the courtyard so there will be a lot of natural debris, but we don't want to load the composter with material that is not recommended. We will be clearing old mulch, weeds, branches and leaves. Do you feel any of these materials are good/bad for the composter?

Thanks for your input, it will be for a good cause.

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