raised beds or not?

[vegboi]

Well I have had a busy day on the allotment clearing away the over grown weeds from the beds, a fellow lotto who helped me is a traditionalist and another fellow allotter has raised beds, I loved both lots. but I was drawn to the raised beds as they look more neater and had structure. Now I am in a quandary about what to do. HELP

[WendyC]

Plenty of discussion on this topic already if you have a search. My only thought is I wouldn't rush into them as you don't really know yet how you are going to use the space on your plot. Raised beds would be harder to redesign, and potentially expensive if you change your mind. I think a lot of people talk about raised beds when what they actually mean are edged beds.

[Alison]

I have edged beds and find them very easy to manage as the fact that they have a low frame round the outside of each bed means that I can concentrate on that area and finish what I want to do and it's obvious what I've achieved. I worked out where I wanted them and marked out the edges with string in my first year. I then double dug that area and OH made me low frames. I've never felt the need to move any of them as I planned it well to start with but as they don't really support any soil then they could just be picked up and placed where I wanted them for a different plan. The corners are held together with a piece of wood which is the same depth as the frame so nothing goes far into the ground. You can't really see easily on the pictures but hopefully it helps. The pictures are actually from one of my first years on the plot and I've since got a load of bark on the paths and the edges help keep that and the soil separate.

[Bill HH]

I have raised beds and I love them, several reasons, the edges are defined, no grass creeping into the bed, no edge to maintain. The raised part (mine are about 10 inches high, makes weeding easier less back ache etc. I have made mine from second hand decking boards, simple frames screwed at the corners, no attachment to the ground. one frame on top of the other with a timber batten connecting them and stopping the top one sliding off. Placing nets or poly over them is easier. I still have some soil beds but I think their days are numbered.

[WPG]

I guess there's pros and cons with either choices Vegboi. I use deep beds (at least, I think that's what they're called, they're like raised beds but without the wooden sides) and it suits the layout of my narrow plot very well. I just put decking boards between the beds as temporary paths. As well as being relatively cheap, it also means I can change the layout very easily. For example I like to grow potatoes in a large block, so can just remove the temporary paths and rake the soil into one big bed.

I can see that the edged beds are probably handier, and generally look tidier. As WendyC has suggested though, I wouldn't rush into making too many edged beds at the start. I guess the first thing is to think about your overall design, eg. where to put your shed, compost pile, whether you want to grow perennials like soft fruit, a comfrey patch etc.

[Shadylane]

I have long un-edged beds, with a path in between. The beds are about 4 foot wide, with the length being the width of the plot, without a path cutting them in half like most raised/edged beds. This means I save on space, but also means I have to walk all the way around, or jump over...If you do beds then you have to decide on what you're going to do with your paths - bark, grass, mowed weeds, trampled soil, bricks, paving slabs, straw...but it also means that you shouldn't have to stand on the soil and therefore no digging. It's a no brainer for me but everyone has their own ways and prefs.

[Vince G]

Hi vegboi, welcome to the vine. My lottie has wooden boards all the way round the perimeter so I can clearly see the boundary, but apart from a few slab paths (soon), that's it. Alison's beds look beautiful but she looks to have a lot of space. If you have similar space, I'd defo copy what she's done. If you've not got so much space, I'd just cultivate the lot and use boards to get from A to B, i.e. not compacting the soil.

As regards genuine raised beds, I'm considering some at home. The lottie has fab soil and is both moisture retentive and drains well, but at home we have clay. So the idea with the raised beds would be to have 5 or 6 inch boards set on the surface and filled with compost, but to gradually work this into the clay to loosen it up a bit.

Depends what your soil is like IMHO but others will be along to coment soon I'm sure.

[Bigmallly]

I had raised beds VB & loved them. I like the tidyness of them, not having to walk on the soil. It's a personal choice really, some folks like them others don't.

[Snadger]

Mix and match. Create a few raised beds at a time while growing traditionally on the rest of the plot. That way you get to assess both methods and can build extra beds as the areas become available, if you decide this is the way forward.

[kathyd]

^^ Wot he said . I've got 'proper' raised beds, plus some edged ones which are in permanent positions so will probably grow into raised ones as I get hold of more soil/compost, but won't be as high as the proper ones. The proper ones are on rubbish stoney soil, based on top of landscaping fabric, and are about a foot deep and filled to around 10inches. The others are half that depth but based on normal soil. The advantages of raised beds are: neater, easier to maintain, good if your soil's naff or you want them on a solid surface, good if you have problems bending, good if you want special soil conditions and don't need to rotate your crop. If none of those applies to you, then it's a matter of personal preference as others have said. Do what Snadger suggests and try one or two before you commit yourself .

[wbmkk]

I just got my allotment last month, so I am still busy with clearing / digging and planning.

I think I like the idea of 'raised' or 'edged' beds just to separate the various sections, as well as, of course the idea of not walking on the soil. I suppose I could do what Percy used to do, all those years ago and walk on a plank.

Even if I don't actually raise the depth of the soil, I think a high side, perhaps 2 x 150mm would help with keeping wind off young seedlings as well as making covering with a net very easy. A rectangular section of net, or even plastic sheeting is much easier than trying to drape it over canes. It might even keep rabbits out, although I don't know yet whether we have a rabbit problem on the site yet.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

VB, we were at the same stage as you January 2011, after a 3 year wait for a Lottie, and knew we had a lot of "Blood, sweat n tears" to come in the first year! So to help us not to get too disheartened, I concentrated on clearing a section of ground to set up 3 small raised beds, n get a few stuff in to act as a reward n return for our hard work! And I'll tell ya what, them few cabbage, swede, broccoli and the fact we had our own "Home Grown" sprouts for Christmas dinner paid dividends! Not to mention they knocked the "Socks Off" supermarket produce!

Now back to your question!

After it was all cleared, we set about getting a plan together and came up with the same conclusion as Snadger! n have a bit of a mix n match!





This was our first real year at planting out the new allotment, and what a belter it has been!

And the other real benefit I found with the raised beds were, because the soil in raised beds tends to warm quicker! The over wintering crops I put in such as the onions, garlic, shallots n broad beans got of to a flying start come spring time!



Wishing you all the very best of luck with your new plot! Whatever you choose to do with it!

Deano

[vegboi]

VB, we were at the same stage as you January 2011, after a 3 year wait for a Lottie, and knew we had a lot of "Blood, sweat n tears" to come in the first year! So to help us not to get too disheartened, I concentrated on clearing a section of ground to set up 3 small raised beds, n get a few stuff in to act as a reward n return for our hard work! And I'll tell ya what, them few cabbage, swede, broccoli and the fact we had our own "Home Grown" sprouts for Christmas dinner paid dividends! Not to mention they knocked the "Socks Off" supermarket produce!

Now back to your question!

After it was all cleared, we set about getting a plan together and came up with the same conclusion as Snadger! n have a bit of a mix n match!

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This was our first real year at planting out the new allotment, and what a belter it has been!

And the other real benefit I found with the raised beds were, because the soil in raised beds tends to warm quicker! The over wintering crops I put in such as the onions, garlic, shallots n broad beans got of to a flying start come spring time!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]40393[/ATTACH]

Wishing you all the very best of luck with your new plot! Whatever you choose to do with it!

Deano

Hi Deano


Thanks very much think I will do dome raised beds and some left traditional . Love your plot v envious


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[Dorothy rouse]

Oh my, this looks too good to be true! Not a weed in sight, wish you could see mine ,the weeds grow whilst I'm there! Well done!

DottyR

[vegboi]

Oh my, this looks too good to be true! Not a weed in sight, wish you could see mine ,the weeds grow whilst I'm there! Well done!

DottyR

Thanks Dorothy but there are lots more weeds lol


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