No advantage to elevating a container (for drainage) unless water puddles around the bottom of container as it drains. There is increased risk of things like slugs & other soil insects if not elevated though.

Al

Thanks Al! My current 7 gals are warping the little shelf things that they sit on so don't think they can support the 10 or more gal I'm planning for my new tomato seedlings. I'll just be sure to sprinkle Sluggo all around.

Hello all this will be my first post in here hope it goes well. My wife and I are getting to the age where spending a lot of time in our flower gardens bending over to make sure all weeds are removed. And with that thought in mind we are going to install a raised flower bed that will be 23 ft long using building blocks that measure 8x8x16 we plan on stacking them on top of each other twice making the raised bed 16 inches. we plan on putting a 4x8x16 concrete cap across the building blocks for a seat to sit on while weeding. we plan on planting wave petunias that spread and should cascade down the sides. Does any one know the type of soil I should use in this? should I add any fertilizer when creating it. Any help you might send my way should help.

How much rain do you get?

Al

Lion1, we are too--and, i have done the same. i have 2 blocks high, with patio blocks on top. my beds are in no way finished(the soil)i filled them half way with rotted hay, and put purchased bags of soil on top. now-this was just to get me started, planned to build a compost pile in each, for next year.but- i planted anyhow. we're in a drought situation-and the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers in them are doing fine, deep green, and producing like mad. all i can figure is the rotting hay under it all, is soaking up what moisture we have, and roots are tapping into it. i still plan on adding everything i can to it over winter, and i have 9 more beds planned. one for strawberries 100' long.

I love large pots and raised beds (if they are high enough to help my back). The reason I have had to set my large pots up on blocks is tree roots. I have been invaded three times, redbud, elm, and then (of all things) by Virginai Creeper...Parthanosis (sp?). I believe that sow bugs (pill bugs), silver fish, and slugs eat the roots, also. I have lost potted bulbs in storage and found them full of sow bugs. Last year my potted, newly rooted rose cuttings sat on the patio floor and struggled to live...I blamed it on heat, but this year they are on a table in full sun and growing like mad.

I now use pieces of fiberglass window screen wire over the drain holes in all my pots and elevate them at least 4 inches. The virginia creeper found it's way in regardless.

Lion1...we have the same set up inside the greenhouse for growing winter salad greens...only we use 2x6 boards to sit on. While building it, we installed hot water lines about 8 inches deep to warm the soil for an unheated greenhouse. Circulate it with and in-line pump on a timer. Placed the water lines in sand with hardware cloth over the top...and growing soil over that. A floating row cover is all that is needed to protect from frost with the soil at 55-60 degrees. Of course, all this work was done over 10 years ago.

For those containers I felt needed elevation (big cedar square planters with Japanese Maples in them), I set the containers on small rectangular pavers at each corner--kind of like industrial-strength pot feet. I set down the pavers first, then the empty container on that, made sure everything was level and stable, THEN filled with soil and tree.

Thanks everyone for sharing helpful info.

all my non-self watering containers sit on the ground....

but for tomatoes at least they all have wicks, as described in the post in this forum entitled:
Container soils and water in containers (long post)

the wick makes a really big difference!!

Michael

I am somwhat haphazard with other containers, especially small ones, but I always elevate (and wick) my roses on the patio since roses hate wet feet and are so disease-prone anyway. Anything will do to elevate them, even pop-bottle caps.