Raised beds for Ohio?

[MamaHawk]

Hi all,

My husband has taken an interest in raised beds, and we're thinking of using them as a sort of fence to hedge off our corner lot from the sidewalk. The beds would be in almost total sun, safely from 10-6 at least, and on a hill, meaning (theoretically) they'd not retain water (good and bad). My question is, A: would it be better to do in-ground beds and just fence them off there? B: if we do raised beds, what kind of material (wood, metal, plastic) would you recommend for that kind of exposure?

Thanks!
Hawk

 

[Oliver Buckle]

What sort of soil do you have? If there is decent soil things will probably do better in the ground, if it is rubbish you can fill a raised bed with something decent and it will probably do better.
The main difference between being in the ground or being in a raised bed is one of constancy. A wall made of wood is permeable to water, so the bed may dry out. One made of metal won't lose water, but will heat when the sun is full on it and lose heat at night, I guess plastic depends which it is and how thick. Most plants though like constancy.
A good compromise is a layer of paper or cardboard and a bed that is not raised very high. That should stop weeds, but allow the roots to penetrate to the soil, depending what you plant, and not separate the ground from the bed too much so moisture and temperature remain more constant, a few inches should provide a psycholigical barrier that would stop people stepping up onto the bed.
Moisture retention is as much to do with the nature of the soil as the slope in my experience, unless it is extreme. Plenty of organic material helps, and that also goes fo a thick layer of cardboard, I put wood in the bottom myself, with good results, avoid anything treated, and am gradually replacing walls with banks of clay sub soil.