I plan on making some new beds for some raspberries and strawberries this weekend. Does anyone have any photos of their beds? I'd like to get some ideas
I'm also not sure how big to make them. What do you guys think is a decent size for both?

My mom gave me an idea for a vertical strawberry bed. Not sure where she got the idea from... but basically you'd use some sort of mesh - chickenwire, etc... maybe 1inch openings at most I'd think. Build a "wall" out of it (using some lumber to frame it up, I'd guess) and fill the mesh area with leaves, compost, soil, etc., using peat or other planting moss to hold the soil in (or you could use paper, cardboard, more leaves, etc. Plant the strawberries, or it apparently works well for other vine-type things like squash. They overtake it and you don't have to worry about pulling the runners out of unwanted areas! AND... the best part... you don't have to kneel down to pick strawberries!

Sorry if I didn't explain that very well. If it's unclear... ask for clarification. My brain is not functioning very well today.

I've seen something like that--I think on this site--or maybe in one of the garden books--and it makes sense, Jen--really a box made to turn up on its side with chicken wire or 1" fencing--like square foot gardening on the slant!
ericah, I don't have raspberries, but I've seen 4' raised beds set up with the length decided as to how long--maybe on this site or Mother Earth, or even on Utube--not sure where but I bet you can google it and find lots of info.
Strawberries and raspberries have major differences as to soil type, condition, sun exposure, but there should be lots of info available.

I love that idea Jen – do you think it will keep the chipmunks from raiding all my unripe strawberries?

Matt--the berries would still be available since the wire is a solid top with the plants sticking out--but it would be easy to put another wire barrier a few inches above the plants--like a cage within a cage.

I did a google on "vertical gardening strawberries", and came across several - the one Wiley mentioned too, I think. This one looks cool! I wonder how potatos would do in the black ones, that were filled with all loose loam compost?

I've been sitting here browsing the site, on how to use these, and it even has ideas to HANG them! Wonder if that would foil your chipmunks matt?

http://www.growpots.com/

I never even thought of googling it! Good idea. Yes, the basic way of making the vertical bed won't foil squirrels or chipmunks (or anything else that can climb or fly), but it WOULD be easy to do the "cage in a cage" thing like was mentioned above. That's a great point. I think it WOULD save the berries from slugs in most cases - though the lower ones might still get hit... but the slugs would probably be too lazy to climb very high.

I have my raspberries planted in various locations... as individual or small groupings of plants, rather than a big bed. I tried to incorporate edibles into as much of my landscape as possible... so I've got blueberries where my azaleas would be, etc. My raspberries are in certain areas along fences and walls, for support.

Strawberries thrive in acidic soil. Mine were doing NOTHING in their original location, in the garden. I moved them to my more shaded, VERY mossy, front yard and BOOM! They absolutely exploded! I can barely keep them contained now!

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