New kitchen garden to replace lottie!

[Protea]

Not been on here for a while, been so busy with work and buying a house (well - getting our offer accepted anyway!). I mustn't get too overexcited but will hopefully (fingers crossed) have a massive new garden to turn into a veg plot come Xmas!

We've still got our allotment but it is such a pain having to drive to it that we'd rather have it at home, the garlic, leeks and brassicas will stay there until harvested next year but we will need to get the ground prepared ASAP in Jan for 2008 crops.

We were thinking raised beds but there's going to be wireworm and leatherjackets everywhere - any advice on what material to make raised beds from (Mr Protea suggested railway sleepers but i thiuguth they might be a tad expensive?) and what to fill the beds with? (where do you get top soil from?)

cheers

[Snadger]

I think the general consesus is that scaffolding boards are the best and a reasonably cheap option.
If you strip the top off the turf, mark out your bed positions, fasten the chosen bed surrounds in position and then dig only inside the beds, I think you will find that by relieving compaction and allowing air into the syrface the the finished height will be a lot higher than original soil level.
Then its just a case of adding FYM or compost annually and the beds will soon be full!

[Protea]

Cheers Snadger, i had a feeling scaffolding boards were the way to go (although admittedlt not the prettiest!). I was also a bit concerned about any preservatives in the railway sleepers leaching into the soil, do they preserve them/what with???

[NSB]

I have used old scaffold boards for my larger beds and old floor boards or skirting boards, otherwise if there are some joinery workshops near you they have wood they get rid of. Otherwise depending on size, pallets from places like Wickes and B&Q that they throw out.

[andrewo]

You could also just go for another system and mound up the beds, you can get the same depth of soil but it means you can change beds each year or configuration.

[nick the grief]

Cheers Snadger, i had a feeling scaffolding boards were the way to go (although admittedlt not the prettiest!). I was also a bit concerned about any preservatives in the railway sleepers leaching into the soil, do they preserve them/what with???

Old ones were pickled in Creosote - V. Nasty stuff. if you buy new ones they are untreated or tanalised with a water based preservative these days I think. As to the scaffold boards - you can always paint them with fenceguard or the like to make them look nice.

If you strip the turf off stack it up some where alternating Layers of turf & FYM . Cover it over and if it looks dry water it - it will make some super stuff in a couple of years to put back on your beds.

[bubblewrap]

Yes railway sleepers are a tad? expensive if you need them in quanty the site below may help you decide
http://www.railwaysleeper.com/KFrailwaysleepers.htm