Hello and a few questions about a new project!

[Viciousandy]

Good morning, all

My name is Andrew and I've just joined so I can ask a few questions about a new vegetable patch I'm planning. Not sure if I should start a new thread, but hoping to get some advice fast, so here goes!

We have a reasonably large pond (around four cubic meters) which we have drained and will be using as a raised bed to grow vegetables. It's constructed of breeze blocks, is sunken into the ground and is about one metre in depth, which is way too deep (and the topsoil required to fill it entirely is going to cost silly money!). The current height is perfect for easy gardening, so I don't really want to lower it.

So, I am looking to fill the bottom half of it with something environmentally-friendly, lightweight and cheap, with the view to being able to use half as much top soil. It'll still provide a depth of 50cm which should be ample for growing vegetables.

The question is, what to use?! There are a few breeze blocks at the bottom already, as this is what they placed the aquatic plants on, so should I just get a load more of these?

Alternatively, I was thinking of getting a load of polystyrene packaging from supermarkets - cheap, lightweight, but is it safe to use underneath a bed?

Any other ideas for how to raise the bottom of my old pond?

Thank you in advance!

Andrew

[phil the shed]

please dont fill it with polystyrene you will regret it later i promise you.


you could build your own hugelkultur bed up in levels it will be great for the long term and provide moisture protection for your plants.

you start with big logs
then smaller branches
then chipped wood
then soil
long term it all breaks down
look it up it may save you a bob or two.

look it up on tinterwebnet

[Viciousandy]

please dont fill it with polystyrene you will regret it later i promise you.


you could build your own hugelkultur bed up in levels it will be great for the long term and provide moisture protection for your plants.

you start with big logs
then smaller branches
then chipped wood
then soil
long term it all breaks down
look it up it may save you a bob or two.

look it up on tinterwebnet

Great idea, I hadn't thought of using wood TBH. Thanks!

[Viciousandy]

Does it matter what kind of wood? Would broken-up pallets be ok along with small branches?

[ButternutSquash]

What happens when you get heavy rain? What is to stop it flooding? Presumably you have broken up the base enough to allow drainage.

Regarding filling with wood, maybe some neighbours are wanting to get rid of a tree, or have one trimmed? In which case ask if you can have the waste wood. Mind you, there may be a queue of log burner owners.

Also, I found my garden was full of large flints. So when I needed to fill two old septic tanks, I filled them with flints recovered when I dug the garden. One flint was well over a foot across.

[Kirk]

You will need drainage in it of some sort otherwise it will waterlog and things will die.

I would just add chipped bark, gravel and some cheap compost as the base then start putting soil+compost+manure on as a top layer, then every year add more to it in one form or another.

It will build up quicker then you expect, whenever you see a good deal on something buy it - B&Q had very large bags of their compost at the start of the year. If they repeat next year (or now) a couple of those added during the dormant season just adds material. Whatever you get can sit at the sit of the bed until convenient to add.

I have a bed into which I have added anything, for the last couple of years I have grown potato's in large tubs and when done the old material from these gets put on the bed. May not seem a lot but have had to raise the bed twice. The bed is 1.5x2.5 mtr so I guess a similar area.

If feasible now 1/3 as base layer, 1/3 to get growing in the add the other 1/3 of height over the next few years.

If you really did not want a meter depth then I think you would have to add to the whole base a layer of blocks, breeze or the air blocks to bring the base up. By the time you did this I would think that you would have spent a similar amount to just buying material for a bottom layer.

Have a search for bulk material, cheaper to get a large bag delivered the buy many small ones. Councils often have recycling depots for this these days.

[Viciousandy]

What happens when you get heavy rain? What is to stop it flooding? Presumably you have broken up the base enough to allow drainage.

Regarding filling with wood, maybe some neighbours are wanting to get rid of a tree, or have one trimmed? In which case ask if you can have the waste wood. Mind you, there may be a queue of log burner owners.

Also, I found my garden was full of large flints. So when I needed to fill two old septic tanks, I filled them with flints recovered when I dug the garden. One flint was well over a foot across.

Yes, I've stabbed the thick plastic lining with a - I don't actually know what it's called, a three-pronged trowel with a long handle?! - so that water drains away very quickly.

I think there's a load of old wood down the side of the garage. It's all rather wet, so we'd not considered chopping it up to use in the log-burner, so had effectively forgotten about it.

I've been reading up on Hugelkultur and it looks like a fantastic answer.

[Viciousandy]

You will need drainage in it of some sort otherwise it will waterlog and things will die.

I would just add chipped bark, gravel and some cheap compost as the base then start putting soil+compost+manure on as a top layer, then every year add more to it in one form or another.

It will build up quicker then you expect, whenever you see a good deal on something buy it - B&Q had very large bags of their compost at the start of the year. If they repeat next year (or now) a couple of those added during the dormant season just adds material. Whatever you get can sit at the sit of the bed until convenient to add.

I have a bed into which I have added anything, for the last couple of years I have grown potato's in large tubs and when done the old material from these gets put on the bed. May not seem a lot but have had to raise the bed twice. The bed is 1.5x2.5 mtr so I guess a similar area.

If feasible now 1/3 as base layer, 1/3 to get growing in the add the other 1/3 of height over the next few years.

If you really did not want a meter depth then I think you would have to add to the whole base a layer of blocks, breeze or the air blocks to bring the base up. By the time you did this I would think that you would have spent a similar amount to just buying material for a bottom layer.

Have a search for bulk material, cheaper to get a large bag delivered the buy many small ones. Councils often have recycling depots for this these days.

There appears to be pretty good drainage following me stabbing the old pond liner to drain the pond. Whenever it's rained recently, all the rain water disappears very quickly. The pond in sunk into the ground by around 1.5ft, but we are situated at the highest part of Newbury, around 125m above sea level.

Unfortunately, I need to get the soil right up to the top right from the word go as the sides of the pond would cause too much shade if I didn't.

Two cubic metres of breeze blocks is around half the price of two cubic metres of decent top soil, but I really like the idea of using discarded wood instead. Much cheaper, better for the environment and easier to get hold of too.

[veggiechicken]

Does it matter what kind of wood? Would broken-up pallets be ok along with small branches?

Hi Andy and welcome to the Grapevine
I'd use tree branches/twigs in preference to pallets as you can't be certain whether they've been treated with summat.
How about filling it with horse manure - there must be plenty in Newbury!
Maybe turn the pond into a Hotbed with the extra heat that the manure would generate. More at http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eds_78693.html

[chris]

As the plants grow, and with the sun being over head during summer half the depth casting a shadow would really be an issue, most crops would be around that tall anyway.

Can you not take the whole liner out? Perfect hiding place for slugs..


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[Two_Sheds]

Presumably you have broken up the base enough to allow drainage.

yes, you must have drainage, otherwise everything will die