Comments on: HOW I BECAME A GARDENER’S SUPPLY COMPANY, RAISED CEDAR BED FANBOY https://gardern.co.za/2016/08/how-i-became-gardeners-supply-company/ Horticulturist Matt Mattus shares gardening expertise, research and science from his home garden and greenhouse. Thu, 13 Aug 2020 21:28:55 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 By: Tracy https://gardern.co.za/2016/08/how-i-became-gardeners-supply-company/#comment-597 Wed, 24 Aug 2016 00:56:59 +0000 #comment-597 I have used these Garden's Supply raised beds (the 2' X 8' ones, like yours') for two years now. I like them, as well. I also have the cold frame covers, for both. I don't use a soiless mix, I use a highly nutritious raised bed soil, amended with manure, compost and other organic additives. I've grown just about everything in them, and am on my third succession crops now. In April, I used them, outfitted with the cold frame tops to start many veg, ornamental perennial, and annual seedlings and to harden off hundreds of seeds started under Gardener's Supply three level grow light set up (also excellent). I just laid the trays of seedlings on top of the soil and potted them on and grew them up a bit before planting out into beds for the season. Started with bush sugar snaps, bush french harticort verts, tons of tumbling tom tomatoes, a quite large and very tasty planting of carrots, quite a few different types of lettuces, and more.

I have two complaints with the product, or rather, the cold frames built for it: to use the cold frame, one has to put it together and leave it on because it is unstable when removed due to the metal 'legs' –the cold frame can't just sit on the ground without torquing the boards. So one has to dismantle it, and this will compromise the screw holes, etc. I live in the northeast and I don't plan to use the beds from October through about April, due to snow load. And I wish they sold a fitted cover, large enough to protect all of the cedar wood boards and fitted with some arched hoops built in to keep snow/water from accumulating on top.

I'd be very interested in hearing your ideas for less conventional uses for these raised beds.

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