I've seen some great examples of bogs -- raised, circulating, etc. I'm looking to build (or have built) something a little different:
I prefer to grow my outdoor (greenhouse in the winter) CP in pots, despite all of the advice to the contrary from experienced friends. I don't have a good reason except for preference. I live in USDA Zone 7A, so the plants could easily survive the winter in the ground, but I like them in pots, I like being able to baby them through the winter, I like the portability, and frankly, I like the look (shrug).
When I have been semi-permanent in a locale, I've built long raised rectangular water beds out of 4x4s, filled with topsoil (or whatever) to a reasonable depth, lined with landscape plastic and then topped with 2x4 caps. These have worked reasonably well, but filling and draining have always been a manual process, and I'm sure I have lost plants because of the wildly varying water levels (e.g. too high for too long after a heavy rain when I'm traveling for work). The water also stagnates (and smells).
I'm hopefully permanent again (this time for good, or at least close to it), So this time I would like to do it right. I would like the same raised wooden water beds, at a comfortable height, with a mechanism to keep the water flowing and at a specific depth.
Tap water is not an option for me, so I collect rainwater in two 275-gallon plastic tote containers (can post pictures if anyone is interested in seeing). I would like to pump water from these containers to the water beds when more water is needed.
I also realized that I don't need to fill the raised beds with topsoil (or whatever). I could build a false bottom and have a large reservoir underneath, either for equipment (pump, float valve, etc.) or an extra sun-protected reservoir for water (maybe even with a filter and/or UV setup), or both.
I'm not handy by nature, and I'm planning to hire somebody to build these for me, but I've had difficulty finding someone creative enough to concept what I'm looking for.
Any suggestions -- either for designs and operational details/materials, or even someone (hope against hope) in the Mid-Atlantic US (I live in Virginia near Washington DC) who gets what I'm talking about and can design and/or build it for me -- would be MUCH appreciated.
I prefer to grow my outdoor (greenhouse in the winter) CP in pots, despite all of the advice to the contrary from experienced friends. I don't have a good reason except for preference. I live in USDA Zone 7A, so the plants could easily survive the winter in the ground, but I like them in pots, I like being able to baby them through the winter, I like the portability, and frankly, I like the look (shrug).
When I have been semi-permanent in a locale, I've built long raised rectangular water beds out of 4x4s, filled with topsoil (or whatever) to a reasonable depth, lined with landscape plastic and then topped with 2x4 caps. These have worked reasonably well, but filling and draining have always been a manual process, and I'm sure I have lost plants because of the wildly varying water levels (e.g. too high for too long after a heavy rain when I'm traveling for work). The water also stagnates (and smells).
I'm hopefully permanent again (this time for good, or at least close to it), So this time I would like to do it right. I would like the same raised wooden water beds, at a comfortable height, with a mechanism to keep the water flowing and at a specific depth.
Tap water is not an option for me, so I collect rainwater in two 275-gallon plastic tote containers (can post pictures if anyone is interested in seeing). I would like to pump water from these containers to the water beds when more water is needed.
I also realized that I don't need to fill the raised beds with topsoil (or whatever). I could build a false bottom and have a large reservoir underneath, either for equipment (pump, float valve, etc.) or an extra sun-protected reservoir for water (maybe even with a filter and/or UV setup), or both.
I'm not handy by nature, and I'm planning to hire somebody to build these for me, but I've had difficulty finding someone creative enough to concept what I'm looking for.
Any suggestions -- either for designs and operational details/materials, or even someone (hope against hope) in the Mid-Atlantic US (I live in Virginia near Washington DC) who gets what I'm talking about and can design and/or build it for me -- would be MUCH appreciated.