New Table Tops

Today I ordered 2 elevated garden beds from Home Depot. They are not that expensive and free shipping. Made out of cedar and are easy to put together. I am going to use at least one of them for my strawberries.

I have to move the all the south gardens because the landscape timbers need to come down and we are going to redo the whole thing and get rid of all but the top tier (using retaining wall blocks). Then the rest will be sloped gradually so it will end up level with the driveway.

So, this fall, I am tearing out the 2 large boxes and the small ones that are on the 2nd tier (saving the soil). Not sure yet where I am putting the elevated beds but it will not be on the south side.

Oh goody, I also get to move the compost because it is in the way of the new landscape scheme.  SIGH!!!  Wonder if kids and grandkids would help with this.

Sounds like you have a big project ahead. Hope you get some help with it.

sanderson wrote:Sounds like you have a big project ahead.  Hope you get some help with it.

Well, my children legally own my property now.  (life estate)  So, they had better help.    Seriously, they do help if I ask.  Sometimes I tend to not ask and then get mad because they didn't read my mind.

Two of my children are landscape architects.  They will help to design it and probably do some of the work but the preparation part will be the most time consuming.  I have a friend who is a landscape architect who does have the equipment close by to do the excavating.  Another friend is a mason.  If we put these four heads together we will come up with a plan and coordinate it to make it happen within a short time and hopefully we don't have any gully gushers during that time. 

I am grateful that I did not do it this year.  We have had torrential rains.  Right now I am in an area of the house where I can look out to my rain gauge.  I am up this early because there were lightning strikes at about 3:30 that shook the house - probably lost a couple of trees due to strikes.  After the noise leveled off the rain started and filled up the gauge to about 2 inches within a half hour.  Can't see it close enough to get an accurate amount.  That will have to wait until the storm is totally gone and it is daylight.

Got the first table top put together.  Super easy to do.  No tools.   

I have one quick concern.  The depth of the box is 9 inches.  Should I do 9 inches of MM?  I will be reusing the MM from the boxes that I am taking apart.

Are you planning to mulch?  Even tho they're off the ground, mulch will help conserve moisture.

I'd plan on 2-3" of mulch, so 6-7" of MM.

And congrats on getting it put together!!

Yup, I agree - 6 or 7 " of MM then mulch.
Would you post a photo of you new box please? I'd love to see it.

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:Yup, I agree - 6 or 7 " of MM then mulch.  
Would you post a photo of you new box please?  I'd love to see it.

CC

I will when I have a chance. Have been very busy.

Sounds awesome!

Looking forward to the photos!

Sorry, still no pics.  Have been under the weather and am now on the mend but need some time to catch up with more important things. 

Anyway, a quick question.  The area I am going to place them has grass.  I don't want to have to mow or weed whip under the table.  What would be a good thing to place under that would eliminate the grass and be something that would last?

2 layers of weed fabric (me), carpet (come others), cardboard with wood chips, weed fabric with pavers.

Thanks, sanderson.  I am thinking the pavers or carpet but have to check out where to obtain.

Finally got around to uploading the picture of this table top.  Talk about a long time to get it done.  Notice it was still summer - Sigh!!!  I have two of them and am going to move them and then put weed fabric and pavers.

Great granny, that's beautiful!  I bet you can't wait to start planting in them, if you haven't already.

littlesapphire wrote:Great granny, that's beautiful!  I bet you can't wait to start planting in them, if you haven't already.

Well, I can dream until we are no longer getting frost, snow and anything else.  I won't plant anything until late April when I plant my potatoes, and other cold weather crops.  The rest waits until May and June.  That's okay.  Right now I have projects in the house that need finishing anyway.

Beautiful , love it! Dimensions?

Scorpio Rising wrote:Beautiful ,  love it!  Dimensions?

Thank God I keep my email from orders. 

24 in. x 48 in. x 32 in.

Perfect!

Scorpio Rising wrote:Beautiful ,  love it!  Dimensions?

+1

VERY nice!

Husband has started building my new TT!  First time using a 2'x8' instead of two 2'x4'.

I am taking photos of the stages. Always check wife's plan carefully.  Opps.

Making corrections to lengths of sides.

Screwing the 3/4" plywood bottom to the sides

The 2'x4' under rim installed.  Installing a brace where the 2 plywood remnants meet.

Installing 2 cross braces.  The treated 4"x4" have been notched and pre-drilled for the bolts.  Tomorrow he will buy and stall the bolts to hold the legs to the box.

Great looking TT sanderson. 

WOWOWOWOW 

Thanks for showing the pics. I am thinking about making one or more T T s for my auntie. She is really like my second Mother and loves gardening. She hasn't done many vegetables in the past, but she definitely has a green thumb. A T T or two would be a good option for her given some recent health issues. I may order some pre-fab on line- or make her some from scratch... we'll see how much time and energy I have in the spring!