Growing tomatoes in brick raised beds

[Farmette]

I have had great success growing in traditional wood raised beds. But, now I am thinking of incorporating one into my backyard landscape beds. I would prefer to use landscape bricks or stones as this bed will be next to my patio and pool. I thought the brick would look a little nicer than wood as wood ages and discolors shortly. Please let me know if you have any experience with using brick or stone and if there were any positives or negatives, such as the bed holding too much heat from the brick or stone. Thanks much!

[SIP Gro-Tubs]

Originally Posted by Farmette

Please let me know if you have any experience with using brick or stone and if there were any positives or negatives, such as the bed holding too much heat from the brick or stone. Thanks much!

It seems to be a very big concern on this forum, that black, or dark colors, produce massive of amounts of transferred heat from the sun.

It's just not TRUE.

Commercial container nurserymen use black pots for the last 50 years, they don't worry about the heat killing their plant roots, or even having a detrimental effects to the plants root system and they are grown in a open field. Even the ground cover is black.

Your in a cold state, you want the sun to warm your soils. Warm soils are healthy soils, the microbes, and other members of the soil community are more robust in warmed soils.

Think of it as if you were part of that community underground would you want your feet in a warm, or a cold enviroment.

If you are still worried, get a compost thermometer with at least a probe 24" long, travel around your area, and take tempetures as deep as you can next to the inside of any retaining wall that facing the sun. You will be surprised as to how cool that soil is.

Terry Layman

[tomatoguy]

My raised bed is made from very large ornamental concrete blocks that form a circle 16' across. Here are my suggestions, from my personal experience.

Line the inside with plastic, to prevent the brick from wicking moisture from the soil.

Lay down a soaker hose, before you fill the bed with soil mix, if it is going to be very large or deep. Mine is 24" deep. I ran the hose up through one of the blocks so now I have a handy little stub to hook the garden hose into.

Use a good soil mix. I ordered 10 cubic yards of landscape mix; 60% topsoil, 20% compost and 20% coarse sand. Make sure it is from a very reputable source. I got mine from a local arborist who is very green/organic oriented.

mater

[Worth1]

It is common knowledge that a black motor will dissipate heat faster.
This is why my motlrcyle motor is flat black not shiny.

Another thing is I stained my raised bed boards a lovely red wood color.

Right before it starts to rot I will use the boards as a form and lay lime stone rocks around the beds.

But this is in the future.

I think the stone or brick thing is tbe bomb for raised beds.

Worth

[peebee]

4 of my 5 raised veggie beds are made from those concrete stones that you can stack; they have a lip on the back. I am not a very big female but I am able to fairly easily construct or dismantle beds w/ these types of landscape bricks. And you can stack them to whatever height you want; I like to use at least 4 layers so that you can sit on the top too, whether it's to plant or harvest while sitting or just to enjoy a cup of coffee in the sun. Another plus is that they last forever, unlike the wood I used to have.

After I make any bed I throw in compostable material on the bottom--coffee grounds, fruit/vegetable peels, eggshells, shredded leaves, grass. After a while I add the soil and amendments. The worms will have found the food and stay around.

So, I highly recommend them. It's just the initial cost might be high for some but I found mine on clearance yrs ago. On sale, maybe 3 for $5? I've found them also on craigslist and once someone just had them on the curb for the taking. Of course, I did the taking!

[Redbaron]

Terry is right. Brick and/or stone holding heat is a good thing. Helps moderate temps. You would be incorporating passive solar heating into your beds. Absorbs heat in the day and slowly dissipates heat at night for a good moderating effect. Sepp Holzer has written quite a lot about the benefits of using stone creatively to make micro-climates.

[tlintx]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Right before it starts to rot I will use the boards as a form and lay lime stone rocks around the beds.

But this is in the future.

I think the stone or brick thing is tbe bomb for raised beds.

Worth

Texas limestone? That stuff is gorgeous!

My only advice for the OP is to REALLY be certain you like the placing and facing before you start building.


Tl

[Farmette]

Thanks for all the feed back. You guys are the bomb! I feel so much better about doing it, now all that is left is getting the materials and building it.