Spring is closer than it seems and gardeners all around the Garden State are considering what to plant and where to plant it. Many will be replacing raised beds that have broken down over time, or perhaps installing new ones. The recent super storm has provided everyone with a wealth of materials that can be obtained for next to nothing, and which will last for a very long time.
Trees have been blown over all over the State, if not on your own property then on that of a friend or neighbor. A thirteen foot log 10 to 12 inches in diameter cut from a single straight ash or red oak will provide siding for a raised bed measuring 4 by 8 feet internally. A bed made from ash will last for 5 to 6 years in ground contact; red oak will endure for twice as long. Avoid other varieties of wood, they will not split cleanly and thus are useless.
Once you have found a suitable fallen tree a chain saw, splitting wedge and sledgehammer are the only tools required. If the wood needs to be moved any distance a pickup truck and a helper will be invaluable. All of these tools - and the helper - can usually be easily borrowed; the project takes only an hour or less to complete.
Find a spot where the tree is between 10 and 12 inches in diameter and make one cut. Measure 5 feet towards the top of the tree, and make a second cut. Measure 8 feet further and make the third cut; creating two logs 5 and 8 feet in length.
Drive the splitting wedge directly into the exact center of either cut end of the 5 foot log. Use the center of the growth rings as your mark. Carefully drive the wedge ever deeper until the log begins to split lengthwise. Help this process along by setting either another splitting wedge into the crack formed in the side of the log as it splits, or with simple crude wooden wedges cut from the tree with the chain saw.
The log will split into two 5 foot slabs which will form the end pieces of the bed. Repeat with the longer log to form the 8 foot long side pieces.
Transport these slabs to the garden, set the pieces in place and secure with several stakes on the outside or bark side to hold them in place. A single stake will suffice for the inner, cut surface. The soil inside the bed will prevent the sides from collapsing in inward.
With all four slabs staked securely in place the hopeful gardener is ready to dig, fill and eventually plant an attractive and long lasting raised bed.
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