The Materials for Raised-Bed Vegetable Gardening

Bricks and Concrete

• Bricks are relatively expensive, and as long as the raised bed isn't going to be very large or very high, this can be a great option. Unlike wood, there are no problems with insects or decay when you use bricks. There is no need for chemical treatments such as those used in pressure-treated lumber. A brick-edge raised vegetable garden bed will have to have a concrete footer measuring 6 to 12 inches high and 16 to 18 inches wide. Next, a 3/8-inch reinforcing rod must be threaded into the center of the web concrete for stability. The bricks in these raised beds must be laid with mortar. Cinder blocks are larger and heavier than brick, so there is no need to use mortar between the blocks.

Stone

• When creating a stone wall raised vegetable garden bed, the entire vegetable garden bed must be level before the stones are laid. Each row of stones needs to be laid so the under layer overlaps the new layer. The wall should be wider at the base than it is at the top, and the stones should cant inward for structural stability. If the thickness of the wall exceeds that of one stone, tie stones, or long stones inserted across the width of the wall, will add structural strength. Stone walls that exceed 2 feet in height should be built on a concrete footer and mortared in place there.

Various Wooden Timbers

• Natural wood such as the heartwood of red cedar is fairly resistant to insects and decay. If the natural wood is consistently in contact with wet ground, the wood will deteriorate rapidly. Natural wood is considerably more expensive than pressure-treated or synthetic lumber. Pressure-treated wood is wood that is treated with a chemical preservative and then placed under pressure so the wood can absorb the preservative. Landscape timbers are rounded on the sides and flat at the top and bottom. They are also treated with a wood preservative, but they are not as durable as pressure-treated lumber.

Synthetic Lumber

• Synthetic lumber is a manufactured product that is typically made of 50 to 100 percent recycled material, including plastic milk jugs, plastic bags and sometimes waste wood fibers. The biggest advantage to synthetic lumber is that there is no chemical treatment involved in the manufacturing process. It is more durable and more resistant to insects and decaying. Unlike traditional wood, it doesn't crack or splinter, and it isn't necessary to repaint or re-treat it with water sealers.