For a while now I seem to have had trouble getting in the forum. Crazy busy with gardens and just recently took down most of my summer garden. Tomatoes may have made it a bit longer but my cattle panel gave way on one end and created chaos, so I just said screw it. Cucumbers were still producing but looked like crap, so they went too.

My wooden raised beds were in sad repair and the older ones slap falling apart. Time for some work! We had shells made to fit over the existing beds and added two 4x4 beds. The shells are made of tin and wood on the outside. They look wonderful & we are so pleased with the refurbish. We had a load of top soil delivered and added to all the beds, filled the two new ones about 3/4 of the way and then added 1400 pounds of bagged soil to top them all off. Loamy material for easy planting and seed growth.

I have a late patch of corn in my low bed as well as a winter squash plant. I have just planted rutabagas, spinach and cabbage, all seed. Will plant some greens a bit later. I have some pics I will try to add. Hope you are all staying safe and well. I was saddened to see BhamFred’s news.

First installment of the new shells for the raised beds.






Two new beds







View after dropping the shell over the old bed.


View after adding top soil to and around the old beds in between the shell and topping the beds with bagged soil.

We had bags of soil all over!



Job well done and we are well pleased.

Now we are putting in a 16x16 in ground garden for next year.

Are you adding any type of barrier between the tin and soil?

The tin is attached to the treated wood which is on the ground. Also, the treated wood is fine to use now, since they no longer use arsenic in the treatment. With the new beds we did put down some landscape fabric cloth down.

good lookin Maggie, nice to see you posting

Good to see you post, dear one ! You and your wife are in my prayers!

May I ask why you asked? I ask, because I had an old timer tell me this was a screw up because of the tin.... we had 4x4 beds made this exact same way 5 years ago and they are great! Thanks!

Ms Maggie the tin is gonna rot out pretty quick because of the constant contact with soil and moisture. Pretty fast is a relative term. It might last 10 years.

Relative indeed. We put in two beds on our AL property made just like these about 5-6 years ago and the still look great. I am 62, if they last ten years, they will have served their purpose. From the way our others in AL look, I think they will be just right. Thanks for your input though. Someone else told me me that same thing when we built the others.

Just asking. I may build a few just like that. They would be easy to maintain.

On the relative time thing.....I got about ten years out of my wooden beds, so I am thinking it’s all good.

Great pictures

Looks good

my raised beds are built out of concrete block, faced with 2x12s for looks only. Will out last me.

Hello gang. Been busy as all get out lately. Fall garden all in and going great!! Planted some late butter nut and spaghetti squash that is producing well. Have rutabagas as big as baseballs if not a bit larger. Butter crunch lettuce almost ready for picking, mustards, turnips, collards and cabbage all doing great too. Picked my first batch of greens and cooked them today.....yummy goodness! Hope all of your gardens are doing well and that you are all well and happy.

Maggie, you got it going on.

I planted white egg and purple turnips, top bunch collards, rutabagas, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, spinach. I planted all seed in the ground and they are started pretty well except the spinach didn't really come up too well. I did put up an electric fence for the deer and as a bonus my neighbors big ole yellow lab came thru this morning in the wet grass and it lit his ass up. He's a great dog, but has been stepping on my garden so, I'm glad he got educated.

LOL! I planted spinach and carrots too but they were a bust. Happy gardening!