If your closets are full and the drawers are bursting but you still need somewhere to store your belongings, then under bed storage boxes are for you. These hidden storage boxes can easily make even the messiest room look instantly tidy. Storage boxes that fit under the bed are perfect for hiding those unworn summer or winter clothes, extra bedding, towels and even children's toys.
Under bed storage boxes can be made from many different materials, this includes; plastic, wood and even canvas. Many wooden storage boxes that are required to fit under a bed have wheels or runners on the bottom of them to make it easier for you to access your goods. The canvas and plastic varieties tend to be easy to clean as the plastic can be wiped over and some canvas storage boxes can be stripped so that the canvas can be machine washed.
Plastic storage boxes will generally come in set block colors, which means that you will have to find one that matches the rooms color scheme or go for the clear transparent boxes. For a greater choice in style you might to choose the wood or canvas boxes, because although they might arrive in the standard wooden tones or beige canvas, it isn't too difficult to paint or dye them so that they blend into your room when pushed under the bed.
How good are you at assembling flat pack furniture? This could prove to be very important if you have decided to have wooden or canvas under bed boxes as many will require the use of a screw driver and hammer before they can be used, although there are some suppliers that will provide them already set up. If you don't fancy doing even a tiny bit of DIY then you should probably choose the plastic boxes.
The size of under bed boxes will largely depend on what materials are used and how many boxes you want. Some beds come with pre-installed boxes or drawers underneath them, whilst many do not. In general you can hope to fit between 2-4 large, low oblong shaped boxes under a bed. However, depending on the many varied sizes you could use more.
Do your shopping online! This is because it's quick, simple and very easy. You can choose from a greater list of suppliers, have your under bed units delivered straight to your door, and quite often there are discounts on the internet that cannot be found in high street shops, which means you could actually save some money.
Under bed storage boxes are just great, because they provide a very easy and more importantly; economical way to store your belongings. There might be a teeny bit of DIY involved, but you won't even care and you'll definitely benefit from having them.
Widths narrower than 18" put some plants too close together when planting two rows. They also crowd the roots in some larger crop varieties. Also, there's less available water, which can lead to water stress, and boxes can dry out faster in hot weather.
Widths wider than 18" make watering and feeding more difficult and less efficient. For example, placing fertilizers down the center of a box or bed that's 22" wide will leave young plants hungry, because their roots haven't spread far enough to find the food. Applying two bands of fertilizer doubles the work and may still not solve the problem, depending on how well the watering system dissolves and distributes the fertilizers. Also, the water will not reach young plants' roots as well, and they will suffer from lack of moisture.
Even the size for the 4'-wide boxes has been worked out for maximum yield and efficiency. This size allows for planting 4 rows of most plants, and two rows of vertically-grown varieties. Some folks mistakenly think they can get by with a 3'-wide box, and they pay heavily in lost yield. The reason is that most crop varieties need
the 2 feet of space between the inside rows for light and air.
The 5'-wide boxes demonstrated in Jacob's first book Grow-Box Gardens are no longer recommended for several reasons. First, it's difficult to reach into the center of the box. Second, efficient planting requires it be done across - rather than lengthwise - and then watering becomes a problem. Watering must be done by hand, since the automated watering system doesn't work well for planting across the here width of a 5'-wide bed, unless 3 watering lines are used for each bed.
Remember also that aisle widths are important! We recommend 3 1/2' widths - especially for soil-beds. You can do alright with 3'-wide aisles if you prune diligently and regularly. Aisles less than 3' usually do not provide sufficient light and air for large crop varieties, and thus reduce yields. It's also difficult to get equipment down narrower aisles.
The box depth of 8" works very well - especially if plants can send their roots down into the native soil
For a patio planter with a bottom - or if planting on cement, etc. a deeper box can be good to give more room for root growth and to avoid overheating in warm weather. However, a deeper box takes more material to fill, which adds to the expense. It also requires more water, and keeping the soil mixture moist is critical to success. And finally, the fertilizers are distributed throughout a greater volume of soil-mix, so young roots have to search for them.
Benefits to having a deeper box include aesthetics, if you're using your Grow-Boxes in a landscaping scheme. It also makes it easier for people who have difficulty bending over to work near the ground. Some people have successfully used Grow-Boxes between 2 and 3' deep.
Once again, remember that the 8" depth is most efficient for watering and feeding, and govern yourselves accordingly.