mangle beets? More Raised Bed Questions?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Countrysider's I have read that mangle beets are a good supplement for goats. Where do you purchase mangle beet seeds and do you grow them like regular beets? I have read the the raised bed gardening posts, but I'm still confused. I have to go to raised beds this year. The time to build them is now. What to build them with is the problem. I have read about concrete blocks that sounds great,but the cost doesn't. I have not found a source for seconds. Rail road ties sound the easiest...but I'm afraid of the health risks. ( My husband is ill, all the work will be done by my children and myself.) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Lori ab-ka-lo@ckt.net

-- lori graham (ab-ka-lo@ckt.net), October 20, 2001

Answers

I can't answer your question about the beets, but I'm curious about them, too. I struggled with the raised bed sides, myself. I finally decided on 12" 'logs' from smallish scrub trees (about 3" in diameter) we have on our property. I buried them on end, 6" deep. I know they will rot someday, I will just replace them as they do. My garden is right in my front yard, so I wanted something nice looking, too. Price was right, too! Once the beds are built, you shouldn't have to dig around in them much, and so far, they are pretty sturdy.

-- Amy (kimico@aol.com), October 20, 2001.

mangle beets,, or sugar beets as theya re called here in MIch are used for sugar processing and this time of year,, deer feed/bait. I save some for my rabbits to knaw on thru the winter. Alot of farmers get the seed from Quality Farm and Fleet

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 20, 2001.

the r.h. shumway company sells these seeds, too or did last year. they've got new owners and there's some changes, but hopefully they'll still have them next year

-- leslie in missouri (whomestead@hotmail.com), October 20, 2001.

We built our raised beds from treated 2x6. They are 4'square. There is some question about the treated wood but we have not seen any problems. Don't know what problems to look for anyway. The treated lumber is supposed to last 20-30 years on the ground. Figure by then, I'll be "IN" the ground. Anyway works good for us. Our plan is to add another 4' square on top of that and then it will be 12" high. Then another and another. Figure we will have them wheelchair height by the time we are.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), October 20, 2001.

hi, Lori. Actually, you can build raised beds with no side supports whatsoever. My entire garden is like this. Originally I tilled as deep as I could and then dug paths between the beds, putting the soil from the paths on top of my beds, thereby "raising" them. After that I merely add organic matter and mulch, and I never till again...YAHOO!!! This works great for me. Good luck with your raised beds and remember, more poop is good poop in the garden...

-- gilly (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), October 20, 2001.


Try and see if there is someone nearby with one of those portable sawmills.......my dad has one and we use all of the "slabs" that he would normally throw away. It's basically the side of a tree with the bark and all, but it still works~ we've even used them to build chicken coops with, and it's free lumber! If you could find someone who just throws them away anyway then that would be perfect. Also, if you use untreated wood (which we do) you can paint it with linseed oil to help it not rot so fast. If you use the treated wood, you can paint it with spar varnish to keep the chemicals from leaching into the soil. Hope this helps!

-- Tracey in Alabama (trjlanier@cs.com), October 20, 2001.

I also havemade a raised bed out of sawbill slabs-40x12 feet. I live on top of a hill in NE KY, and topsoil is non-existant. The man who owns the sawmill does not have a bark/mulch grinder, so the slabs are waste to him. He is more than willing to give them away (He even separates out the truly hard woods (Oak, hickory, occasional cherry or maple) from the poplar and other "trash". I am working on filling my 12x16' woodshed with this free fuel to heat this winter!

-- Jim Deweese (jedeweese@earthlink.net), October 21, 2001.

Hi Lori,

We grew mangle beets for our goats and they really loved them. We bought "golden tankard" seed from Shumway's but as someone else mentioned, they're changing hands and hopefully will continue to sell them. We grew them like regular red beets, but they needed drastic thinning because they become huge. I was really amazed at the size. We harvested them in the fall, brushed the dirt off, trimmed the tops and kept them in the root cellar. Every couple of days, I'd cut a few into chunks and mix them with the regular goat feed. Can't tell you how long they lasted in the root cellar because we finished them up! Sorry, I don't know the nutritional content. Good luck!

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), October 21, 2001.


We grew intermediate golden mangels from Seeds of Change one year-- their seed is fairly expensive, but we were happy with the results. The mangels were huge.Germination very good.

-- lori b (ebajalo@cs.com), October 21, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ