Lean to over raised bed

[Selymbria]

Hi fellow forum members,

I am a newbie gardener, have just finished building a raised bed, it is south facing against a wall and fence but self contained. Below is the pic. It is 4ft by 9ft giving me 36 square foot for square foot gardening.

I am wondering if I should do a lean to frame around it because

- I am hearing that I need to protect veggies from bugs etc and need to put a fleece over them
- I think I can get extended season sowing earlier and ripening in autumn
- regularise the watering in case too much rain fall.

Do you think this is necessary or am I thinking too much? Shall I just leave it as it is and see this year how it works?

Many thanks
Sel

[nickdub]

It depends really I think on a couple of things a) what you intend to grow b) what materials you can scavenge or get cheaply (not worth spending a load of money - save that for a greenhouse)

So if you were planning on growing salad stuff, onions, cabbage ie hardy veg then a bit of cover would be useful particularly for extending the season but not vital. But if you want to grow cucumbers. melons or tomatoes ie tender veg, then most years you need some sort of cover to be successful.

On the materials front, if you can get some poly-carbonate sheet or clear corrugated pvc then that would be ideal (someone taking down an old conservatory or porch can be a good source for re-usable stuff). BTW best to make the top extend at least 6" beyond the sides of your bed- the driear you can keep it the longer it will last.

[Selymbria]

Thank you for your reply.

I intend to grow:

- onions
- lettuce
- carrots
- cucumber
- tomato
- pepper
- radish
- courgette
- broad beans
- corn

My worry is watering, if I cover the top, I will not use the free rain water so I want a clear plastic cover I can remove with ease.
Unfortunately I dont have space for a greenhouse, so another idea I have is to buy a second hand green house that covers the bed and give me enough room for shelves for propagation.
I have left overs from the bed I can use to do the frame around it, just need post spikes to make it sturdy.

[nickdub]

You'll find I think that unless we get an unusually wet year you'll need to do a lot of watering anyway to grow veg whether you cover the bed or not. Places against a house wall are notoriously dry because you get a "rain shadow" effect and the reflected heat from the bricks also makes the soil surface warmer leading to higher levels of evaporation.

You'll also have to be a bit judicious about the planting you can do - you don't have enough room to grow everything on your list simultaneously . Things like salad crops eg lettuce, radish, spring onions and carrots are a bit flexible in that you can sow them where you have a bit of space and with luck have them big enough to eat before other larger plants take over. Other veg say broad beans or leeks can be either over wintered or sown early to make use of the ground when not much else is there. But of the other things you mention I really doubt you could squeeze in more than two other veg from your list - obviously what you like best comes in to the question, as well as what is easiest - I'd say tomatoes and courgettes would be a reasonable choice.

Obviously if you fancied growing some of the others in pots elsewhere such as peepers, that would also be an option.

Happy Gardening :-)

[veggiechicken]

Hi Sel and welcome.
My only thoughts are - make sure you can plant and pick crops from the squares at the back against the wall - as, ideally, you should be able to reach across the bed without needing to stand on it or damaging the plants in front.

Also, if you put a fixed "roof" over the bed, keep in mind the head room you will need for access.

[Jungle Jane]

Hello & welcome I wouldn’t worry so much,I grow all that outside no need for a cover,you’ve got the wall there as a nice sheltered spot,cucumbers like good air flow miniature varieties grow well outside,corn grows a bit tall for that cover & needs to be grown in a block it will take at least 6 plants & a minimum 10”apart,but you can sow a few lettuce seeds in the gaps. Some pests like protection undercover & if it’s all open sparrows etc can pop in there & have a look for dinner. Add a couple of marigolds in the corners to help keep whitefly away from your tomato,slugs like eating marigolds,if you go out with a torch at night it’s usually the marigolds that are being eaten rather than the beans etc. Good luck with your lovely new bed

[Selymbria]

Nd, Vc, Jj, thank you for the warm welcome! 🙂

The bricks are facing south and they get warm when there is direct sunlight. The bed gets direct light between 9am until sunset, the fence on east prevents early sunlight.

4ft is quite a reach so I plan to grow climbing and tall plants on wall and fence side, cucumber, courgette, tomatoes in the middle and green/root veg on near sides.

We get a lot of birds and about 10 different species so I need to protect the crops. We have woods not so far (10 houses) from us and then open fields.

This will be my trial year as if I succeed in devoting time/effort, I have the opportunity to rent an allotment about 5 mins walking distance from my home.

The idea is really to get my young kids pick their own tomatoes, touch the ground, get a break from digital world, and love nature as much as I do.

A roof/cover I can retract when I want is best, will think about this and if not feasable leave it open and cover when needed with small tunnels etc.

Cheers

[Baldy]

Welcome along...

From your list of plants I'd suggest that sweetcorn isn't really likely to work as you need a block of plants rather than a row. Broad beans could be problematic too. Courgette likes to ramble too so might need more space than you think.
I'd suggest a few big pots as well as the raised bed. In the pots you could try the lettuce - just a pinch of seed and a light cover of compost - and maybe a courgette plant to a plot, obviously depends what else is going on in your garden space. Good luck.

[nickdub]

Nd, Vc, Jj, thank you for the warm welcome! ��



The idea is really to get my young kids pick their own tomatoes, touch the ground, get a break from digital world, and love nature as much as I do.

A roof/cover I can retract when I want is best, will think about this and if not feasable leave it open and cover when needed with small tunnels etc.

Cheers

Sounds like an excellent plan and you've made a tidy start with what you've done so far. I agree with Baldy's comments on the crops, probably one courgette plant would be fine. I think I'd give the sweetcorn a miss if I were you - they really benefit from being grown in blocks of 30 or so and you just don't have the space. Kids tend to like things which grow quickly and which they can eat as salads.

One other thought - If you want a cheap on/off roof, would be to get a bit of horticultural grade plastic of the sort the sell for poly-tunnels, fix one end to the wall and nail the other end to some batten, then roll/unroll it as convenient - or have it half open by tying it with some string.

[veggiechicken]

How about growing some peas and strawberries. They're good to pick and eat fresh - if you want to encourage your children.
I think you should take up the allotment offer ASAP - even if its just to grow sweetcorn and potatoes and the other things you won't have room for. Go on, I know you can do it.

[Bluenowhere]

Take up the allotment as soon as you can. It might not be available in a year from now and you will kick yourself.

You can grow potatoes, squash, courgettes, pumpkins and sweetcorn on the allotment as take up a lot of room for this year and grow the quick harvesting salad, toms, peas etc at home. Then next year you can expand your range of crops.

[Selymbria]

Well, I am late, the allotment space is taken up and I am now in waiting list. Honestly, I am not sure if I can devote the time but with support I have seen so far in the forum, I should be able to pull it off.

[bikermike]

good luck with it all!
Allotments aren't too time consuming - the key things are (IMO)
cover surfaces (grass or plastic sheeting covered with woodchip would be my recommendations) where you aren't growing
remember you don't need to make it all perfect in year one. (check you rules, but generally if you are using it and not letting it get overrun, you should be OK)


with your lean-to, if you are worried about water, do you have access to the downpipes from the house - a waterbut will be a good source of free water.

my little one is very keen on rasberries and blackberries. sweet stuff you can eat off the plant.

[Selymbria]

Latest state of my raised bed, I will join the posts to the wall and cover it with net/fleece when I need it

[nickdub]

Looking very good - what sort of a plan did you decide on with the watering ?