Newbie starting first raised bed allotments

[rpflancer]

Hi guys,

I have taken a keen interest in self sufficiency and organic growing for a long time and I am now teetering on taking the plunge, albeit very nervously.

I am planning to lay two beds on my roof terrace, i have ear barked these,

https://www.greenfingers.com/p5981/t...ised_beds.aspx

I'm looking to companion plant and as such, eared marked the following plants and vegetables (from Marshalls Online) for one bed,

Tall Tomato plants
French Merrygolds
Carrots
Peppers
Basil
Borage
Parsely
Garlic

As I am growing tomato plants, is it necessary to use compost pre-treated for tomato growing or can fertilizer be added pre/post planting? If I were to use pre-treated compost would it affect the growth of the plants above or should I separate a patch specifically for the tomatoes and peppers (as i have read they would benefit from tomato fertilizer).

In the second bed, I am hoping to grow the following vegetables,

Runner Bean Firestorm and Stardust plants
Sweetcorn
Courgette
Broccoli Apollo
Mini Cucumbers
Radish
Emerald Ice Kale
Garlic Chive
Brassica Collars

I would also like to grow butternut squash but I'm sure I'll need another box/pot for these.

I am wondering if I am maybe trying squeezing too many into each beds or if there are plants which would not grow harmoniously together in the selected beds or any additional plants/herbs which would help the crop/fend against bugs ect.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

[veggiechicken]

Hi and welcome to the Forum and the wonderful world of growing your own food.

Just some general answers from me!

These are the planters you've earmarked.
W174 x D90 x H30cm



Are you going to buy one of these twin planters or 2 twin planters?

Is your roof terrace strong enough to take the weight of the compost you will need to fill these and have you easy access to bring the compost to the roof?

Outdoor tomatoes are prone to blight so you may want to grow a variety with some resistance.

Tall plants like beans and tomatoes need supports to grow on. Is it windy on your terrace?

You could grow your herbs in pots as some of them are perennials and will be easier to keep for next year if separate.

[rpflancer]

Hi there!

Many thanks for your response.

I was planning on buy two twin planters. The terrace is quite large and robust so I do not believe the weight will be an issue but it is worth considering.

The terrace can get a little windy depending on the direction but there are areas that are protected. I would therefore plant the taller plants nearest to the wall.

[bikermike]

Gosh! That sounds a lot of plants in each bed (depending on size of bed). How much compost are you planning?

I'd plant tomatoes to make best use of conditions- the ideal would be to grow them against an unshaded south-facing wall, as they'll get sun all day and warmth overnight.

No need to use pre-treated compost - tomatoes and peppers will like a weekly splash of feed as they start to fruit, and maybe even daily if they are doing a lot of fruiting.

[Urban]

Hi guys,

I have taken a keen interest in self sufficiency and organic growing for a long time and I am now teetering on taking the plunge, albeit very nervously.

I am planning to lay two beds on my roof terrace, i have ear barked these,

https://www.greenfingers.com/p5981/t...ised_beds.aspx

I'm looking to companion plant and as such, eared marked the following plants and vegetables (from Marshalls Online) for one bed,

Tall Tomato plants
French Merrygolds
Carrots
Peppers
Basil
Borage
Parsely
Garlic

As I am growing tomato plants, is it necessary to use compost pre-treated for tomato growing or can fertilizer be added pre/post planting? If I were to use pre-treated compost would it affect the growth of the plants above or should I separate a patch specifically for the tomatoes and peppers (as i have read they would benefit from tomato fertilizer).

In the second bed, I am hoping to grow the following vegetables,

Runner Bean Firestorm and Stardust plants
Sweetcorn
Courgette
Broccoli Apollo
Mini Cucumbers
Radish
Emerald Ice Kale
Garlic Chive
Brassica Collars

I would also like to grow butternut squash but I'm sure I'll need another box/pot for these.

I am wondering if I am maybe trying squeezing too many into each beds or if there are plants which would not grow harmoniously together in the selected beds or any additional plants/herbs which would help the crop/fend against bugs ect.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

for the first bed multipurpose compost, home made compost or even topsoil will be fine, maybe you have weight limits so mixing in a lot of perlite will make it a lot lighter, and provide good drainage and airation

for fertilizer I just use maxicrop seaweed feed until first truss of tomato's has set, then move onto something like tomorite to help with fruiting, and every now and again use a bit of maxicrop to keep things nice and green, seems to work ok, I always grow marigolds with my toms, basil is supposed to be good with toms as well

on your second bed, runner beans, sweetcorn, and courgettes should go perfect together, look up the three sisters method of growing them

you wont go far wrong looking up charles dowding on youtube, he explains a lot about raised beds and no dig gardening

also some of the plants you are growing can get quite big, what size are these beds going to be?

[Squingy]

If the beds are the size you earmarked may be too small to physically fit everything in. Courgettes alone like to spread and the leaves of taller plants will shade the plants under. Depending on the sunlight u get, this might be a good or bad thing.
Kale and broccoli in my expereince need stay in a bit longer maybe start them in pots and add them in as others nearing maturity?
Do your best and come back and let us know what happened!

[Jungle Jane]

Garlic gives a lot of ground disturbance when lifting,plants next to it could be disturbed,mix tomatoes & peppers with French marigolds & Basil at one end,then carrots,borage & parsley,then garlic at the end but garlics usually harvested around June so you could have another tomato plant on standby to go in after the garlic,then sprinkle more basil & parsley seed around,also the odd spring onion would like that bed. Tomato feeds high potassium,flowers like that too & all fruit.
Edit - radish grows well right next to tomatoes...

[Stan79]

As mentioned above, have you considered the weight of these raised beds? Anything of any decent size will end up weighing a fair bit once you’ve taken the weight of the wood, soil/compost and the water it will hold into account!

[Can the Man]

Sounds like you might be ambitious for all these veg, are you only planning on planting 1 or 2 of each. Might be better to reduce the variety and start smaller and see what works for you and what doesn’t

[bobbin]

Hello rpflancer. Just looking at your post. As the others have mentioned it does seem too much to put in what’s effectively x2. 6ft beds I have experience of growing sweet corn which self pollinates and is best grown in a sequence that allows this ( basically squares) so that alone is restrictive. Borage is great for bees is pretty and useful but one plant can become enormous. They self seed on our allotment. Brassicas and kale will occupy much of your plot for a considerable time you’ll also without a doubt need to net them. Courgettes are big plants as well. Some of the plants you mention would grow very happily in reasonable sized pots so freeing up bed space, tomatoes in a grow bag Basil only needs a medium pot or even a couple. Tomatoes for example get quite big. I think unless you want a rather overgrown beds you could end up with nothing doing terribly well as they fight for growing space. Plus as mentioned weight may be an issue. Your plants will also have different watering requirements. Please don’t be put off. Just pare things down and be more selective as to what goes into the beds.
Preparing is half the fun.

[bobbin]

Ps. You will need bean poles for runner beans as obviously they climb. I have one 4x4 plot for growing those alone. Plus they will prevent light getting to your other veg once they get going.

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the vine. It is your second bed that worries me. I would lose the broc and possibly collards. Possible put the courgette in a seperate pot and move the cue to the other bed. I personally wouldn't recommend the three sisters planting as it is aimed at flint corn and popping corn rather than sweetcorn I tried it a couple of times in my early days with pants results. However what I would recommend you look at is square foot gardening and here is a thread prepared earlier https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ing_44388.html

Good luck and please don't be put off by scarey sounding terms

Edit: there is also a whole host of dwarf and bush plants (even for runners) if wind is an issue