I tend to be a Jump the Gun and build something and then go ...hmmm I wonder what anyone else would think

Good, bad, horrible idea, will it last as long as I think, etc?

Beds are comprised of three HardiSoffit boards and one 4x4x8 post (still want to add some middle braces for support)
Soffit boards are about $14 a piece and the 4 x 4 sitting around $7 = $49.00 for a 8L x 4W x 2H raised bed.

If all works as I plan, I want to use @Thomas75 's idea (http://garden.org/ideas/view/T...) between several of these beds at 4-1/2' apart


1' is filled with branches, cut logs from a fallen tree, cut grass and cardboard



Soffit is nice since it will let water drain out and air in to help decompose the logs (or at least that is what I am hoping)

The HardiSoffit panels are made of Portland cement, ground sand, cellulose fiber, select additives and water. They are designed to be applied to the exterior of buildings, to withstand rain. I would worry that they might fail in a ground-contact environment.

Just in case the HardiSoffit does not work out for any reason, I found a trim material that is suitable for ground-contact, AZEK, which is made of PVC.
https://azek.com/products/trim

It will be interesting to watch the garden bed to see what happens. Take plenty of photos.
Good luck and I hope the bed is a success.

Thanks Greene

It does not look like it in the photos but I actually raised the hardi a whooping 1/4 of an inch off the ground just for that reason. I will try and weed eat around the bed to keep it from contact (we will see). Maybe next bed will be 1/2 inch

We have a 4 x 4 x 2 (actually two 4x4x1 stacked) that is made out of a pvc material but the cost is what killed me on those.

Okay, I understand that you raised it a tiny bit off the actual ground...but won't you be filling the bed with soil? and won't the soil in the bed be in contact the the ground soil? And won't you be watering the garden bed? The fibers in the HardiSoffit can absorb water under those conditions. This will be an interesting experiment to watch. Keep us posted.

First box survived huge downpours and heavy wind and rains so we decided to build out three more this past weekend.

Please keep us posted through the summer. I'm anxious to see if they hold up. If they do I'm all in!

Growing has started:

Out of the four, I have had only one bow out but this was my fault due to rushing things and wanting to get something done quicker than I should have. Watching the sides turn dark after a rain worries me, but it soon dissipates and comes back to regular color. I think they dry out quicker due to the tree stumps that we have in the bottoms as well as the drainage holes. Thinking (hope) these will last about two years. I am looking into other possibilities of raised gardens, but have not found the time - maybe concrete legs holding a wood bed?


* notice the right side:


and the rest:

So a little over a year and here are my thoughts:

Does it work? Yes
Does it have issues? Yes
Would I do it again? Maybe - yea I know, I need a yes or no

During a cleanup around our place we came across some extra heavy duty corrugated galvanized steel sheets and decided to re-do at least two of our beds this year.




As time is available we will address our other two (which are still in use with watermelons and cantaloupe)



The sides held up for the most part. My biggest issue is that yes the water penetrates the sides and can become weak. Several times when mowing around the area I hit the boards and made holes. I still figure that the two will last until the fall or winter.

For the price I think it did us well for the amount of space vs cost