Raised bed question.

[Luci]

Hi,

Having got an allotment, i'm not sure what to do next.
What would you all suggest?
Do i go for raised beds, or the "traditional" way of rows of veggies?
At the moment, my plot is quite grassy/weedy, with the usual mares tail dotted around.
I do have one area which is usable (growing broad beans in there at the moment),
but other than that, i guess, it's being wasted, which i don't want.

HELP!!

[Raskusdrotti]

Sounds familiar to my plot!

I'm going for raised beds - this will allow me to cover all the other areas with mulch and stop all the blimmin weeds! It also means that I don't have to dig over the whole allotment, just the beds that I put in.

I also tried the other way last year, but couldn't keep up with it all at once, so this year am putting in the beds and covering them as well until I can dig them over.

Just my thoughts.

[janeyo]

I have raised beds at home and find they are really good for extra protection for slugs as they find it harder, I think, to climb the rough wooden planks! Also I think they look 'neater'. I still have rows of veg, they are just contained in the raised bed!

janeyo

[Snadger]

My beds are 4 foot wide by 12 foot long. As each bed is prepared or planted it gives me a sense of achievement!
As you will have guessed, for me it's beds, but there's nowt wrong with traditional methods.

Try a mixture to start with and take it from there!

[Alice]

I grow in my own garden Luci and use a bed system. I find it much easier to manage and there's no digging to do. Suits me.

[coomber]

I have a veggy patch in my garden, I tried the traditional method last year and ended up with loads of weeds and hardly any produce This year I put in 12 raised beds using link-a-bord and have had much better results and its so much easier to keep weed free

[Mrs Dobby]

Last year was our first year of growing, with a full plot and a half plot. The full plot had 3 paths running front to back, but the beds were between 12" and 40" long, so maximised crops, but did lead to problems for us in terms of getting around the plot and planting without stepping onto the beds. The half plot we set up with beds 14" by 4 1/2", with grass paths, which meant getting around was much easier (however the grass paths were a major pain, as trying to keep them weed free and manageable took a lot of effort). Although we did get a good crop from everything we planted, we found that keeping on top of the weeds was a major hassle, together with a lot of digging requirred where we'd stood on the beds. This year we've given up the half plot, taken on a full plot which has a proper bed layout and have almost finished adding more 'cross' paths to the original plot to make it as easy as the new plot to keep on top of. All our paths are lined with plastic (old compost bags are good for this) and then topped with bark chippings, which we are fortunate enough to get free at the site. This year its been much easier so far to keep on top of the weeds, and with the use of cardboard mulches for planting through, the beds themselves have been much less weed infested too!

In the last analysis its up to you how you lay your plot out, but the bed system and no dig methods seem far easier to maintain and stay on top of to ourselves. Good luck whatever you decide!

[bramble]

Susanne, you must be so proud of all you've achieved/. You and Lee have worked so hard. It all looks great. Hope you get a bumper crop of everything this year.

[Mrs Dobby]

Susanne, you must be so proud of all you've achieved/. You and Lee have worked so hard. It all looks great. Hope you get a bumper crop of everything this year.

Thank you for the kind words Bramble, they mean a lot to us both!

Yep, we're happy with where the plots are at currently, tho there's still some hard work ahead of us both, but if it wasn't for Mr D's great rota (allowing him almost 4 full days a week on the plot), then we wouldnt be anywhere near where we are now, so its mainly thanks to his hard work and thanks to Tesco's for his current rota for allowing him the time! Me, I enjoy it on the plots, but working my rota only get 4 days every 2 weeks on the plot plus the occasional evening, so I do my best and do my bit, but Lee is the one who deserves the plaudits!

We too are hoping for bumper crops, as I'm sure is everyone here! One other thing we are hoping is that with the increased cultivation of the beds this year that next year the weeds will be even weaker than this year (as they do seem much less rampant than last year), making it easier to keep on top of as time goes by, something we hope that we'll all find with time!

[zazen999]

Hi Luci
i would also go for beds; not necessarily raised as it costs money to get the wood!. I have the soil slightly raised on mine as when we have dug out each bed it ends up slightly more in volume as you've added air into the soil.

Plus, if they are raised then they have to travel deeper for water; which we don't have any of on our plot, so mine have to root deep to get any.

When you do have to weed, you can weed one bed at a time, and because you don't have to leave any walking space, you can plant things closer together.

I think if I had a plot with traditional beds, I'd get so disheartened as you have to weed it all; and then dig it all once the crops are out; and everything has to be done in a regimented order; whereas I am much more random and haphazard and plant stuff I have left over all over the place.

[Luci]

Hi,

Thanks for all your replies. So, the raised bed system it is then!
Going to attack the plot at the w/e with a rotorvator, to get started on the grassy areas, and slowly build my beds.
A friend has offed his help over the w/e with the rotorvator.
At least it will look like we are doing something, and not get a letter from the allotment committee!
You see its got to be easy for me, as i'm 6 months pregnant, and with a husband with a broken arm!
I've got plenty of weed suppressent material, and can get hold of some woodchippings,
so should be able to create something useable and manageable.

Luce

[Gwyndy]

Luci - why install raised beds (which you will have to fill with compost, soil, etc.) if the ground that you have is usable? The woman on the allotment plot next to mine has built some low raised beds and then has bought bags and bags of multipurpose compost to fill them. The soil on her allotment is fine so I don't see the point. I have three small raised beds at the front of my allotment where the soil is non-existent - it is mainly rubble.

Raised beds have a use but don't use them as an excuse for not digging out all the nasty weed and preparing your growing areas properly.

Oops sorry!! Just re-read your last post and noticed the bit about your pregnancy and hubbie with broken arm. (Can you get friend with rotovator to do a bit of digging afterwards?)

Good luck!!

[Snadger]

Hi Luci
i would also go for beds; not necessarily raised as it costs money to get the wood!. I have the soil slightly raised on mine as when we have dug out each bed it ends up slightly more in volume as you've added air into the soil.

Plus, if they are raised then they have to travel deeper for water; which we don't have any of on our plot, so mine have to root deep to get any.

When you do have to weed, you can weed one bed at a time, and because you don't have to leave any walking space, you can plant things closer together.

I think if I had a plot with traditional beds, I'd get so disheartened as you have to weed it all; and then dig it all once the crops are out; and everything has to be done in a regimented order; whereas I am much more random and haphazard and plant stuff I have left over all over the place.

Wot u said!

You can always add sides to the beds 'as and when' if you like!

[Mrs Dobby]

Our beds are edged with salvaged wood, but not raised more than a few inches, so athough it defines the growing area and allows you to cover the paths (to prevent / suppress weed growth), it doesnt involve adding masses of extra soil and compost, the fact that they have been dug over and thus aerated means they seem fuller than the surrounding more compressed areas, so perhaps this is a low cost / low workload option that could be used here?