[metmom]

OK, more questions.

I was out in the garden at the new place and parts of it are very swampy.

I’m thinking a slightly raised bed in parts of the garden would work nicely, just enough for decent drainage, but the roots could go deeper to get the moisture.

What is good rot proof or rot resistant material for the sides that wouldn’t break the bank?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Cedar is beautiful and will outlive you, if you can afford it. ;)

Beau has used treated pine boards for our raised beds. Yes, they are food-safe! They don’t use arsenic in treating the wood, anymore.

We have one bed that is about 4 years old and one corner has come apart and will be fixed this week. Other than that, even the oldest bed he has that he put in probably 10 year ago, (of treated pine) is still going strong.

My other suggestion would be to use cinder blocks if you’re strong enough to lug them around and stack them. We had fun at the garden center designing cinder block gardens during the slow winter months, then assembling them for the growing season, then take them apart and we’d do something different the next year.

https://blog.gardenloversclub.com/structures/garden-cinder-blocks/

[Pollard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuSBwFkCiAw&list=PLZIMIDEiQu3IwuRHd8teRV0VFOT5ldHK2

Concrete but you or someone would have to be pretty handy. He makes them out of regular concrete first and then starts experimenting with lightweight versions ending with something called aircrete. Some people use pressure treated wood or even railroad ties but some people, myself included, prefer not to put chemicals against food growing soil.

[Black Agnes]

We use regular old cinder blocks, 3 rounds. We stagger them to be more sturdy. has worked very well for us for 10 years or so. And you can use the ‘divots’ to plant more stuff like tiny tim tomatoes or marigolds or one lettuce plant..etc.

[Augie]

I’m thinking a slightly raised bed in parts of the garden would work nicely, just enough for decent drainage, but the roots could go deeper to get the moisture.

What is good rot proof or rot resistant material for the sides that wouldn’t break the bank?

You don't necessarily have to contain your raised beds.

You could start off by just hilling the soil up into a terrace and planting on top of that. Doing that you can prove/disprove your concept without spending any $$$ just some elbow grease.

[Ellendra]

What is good rot proof or rot resistant material for the sides that wouldn’t break the bank?

I wish I could find the name of it, but someone on another forum mentioned something that looked promising. It's intended for use on concrete, but he painted it on cheap lumber, and it sealed the lumber so well it would last for decades. When I do a search for concrete treatments it keeps coming up with polyurethane, but this was definitely not polyurethane. It looked more like a cross between plaster and cement.

I've been trying to find that forum post for 2 days. Any chance anyone here knows what I'm talking about?

[Ellendra]

Found it, it’s called UGL Dryloc, and it’s a latex water sealant intended for use on concrete.