Raised Beds

[Maf]

I'm thinking of constructing some temporary raised beds from old scaffold boards.

Now when I say 'raised', I don't mean the type used to increase the depth of soil you have to work with. They're to go on a gravel drive base so the the depth of the boards will be the depth of the soil (does that make sense)

As my garden is currently a building site, these beds would be temporary (no rotation issues, I'll remove the soil and use elsewhere each year)

So I plan (in depth order!)

a salad bed,
a brassica bed,
a curbit bed,
and a root bed,

What depth of soil would you recommend for each given the price of topsoil and this scarey website

ROOT DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETABLE CROPS

Maf

[chuffa]

Hi Maf, at the weekend i started to fill up my raised beds with topsoil that was going on my lottie. My beds are 4ft x 10ft and loaded these with 14 barrow loads. They still were half full. Over the years, adding compost will fill them so dont worry about the depth. Every year i will be using two of the beds for spuds on a no dig method. 2inch of well rotted manure, plant my spuds on these, cover with 2 inch of straw, more compost then more straw. Water in well. Crop rotation will soon fill up the beds. I hope this is of help. Sometimes local councils recycling department have topsoil for sale at good prices, but shop around.