Raised Beds

[dexterdoglancashire]

hi martini - like you I got the OH to do most of the donkey work in the first place (I did my best, but you know, the old bones ect - and yes, I do remember the pillowcases with an orange and a comic!!) but we managed quite well one saturday in january, it took me until easter this year to do the rest because of the weather!). I had help from my father in law as well. Actually, despite the, at least 10 year old back lawn and the 3 year old dog poo, after digging down and removing all that, the soil has proved to be quite good. I actually did put some pony poo down and dug that in (not quite as decomposed as I wanted) and then when I had divided it up into plots, put some chicken pellets from B&Q down and a bit of compost, everything has been coming up roses, or should I say, vegetables since. I never checked the soil for acidity but will do that next year just to check. maybe the dog poo helped? only JOKING! do let me know how you get on. dexterdog

[yoanbob]

I used skirting board we were ripping out in the front garden, works o.k. but not brill, have used scaffold boards in the allotment, £5 each from local reclimation yard, very good.

[signormick]

i used scaffold boards in suffolk, v cheap and will probably last for years, i'll be using these again on my firt allotment!!

[Welshie]

Hi all,

I'm really interested in what you are all saying on this raised bed issue at it is something I was planning to start on my plot for next year.

If I have read the stories correctly you don't need to dig the base ground at all - maybe scrape off the worst of the weeds - but no deep digging? What if you have thistles and the like, should you remove them completely or will the layer of soil/compost effectively do this, like a mulch??

Also could you put down the weed barrier sheeting all over the base of the bed - would that work, or would it prevent deep rooted veggies, like parsnip, carrot from developing?

I suppose I'm just a little bit concerned that it all sounds too easy - just build a wooden frame, chuck in a load of soil/compost and hey presto. Is it just too good to be true?!!

Welshie

[martini]

Hi Welshie, I think what you're referring to is called the no dig method. I'm only a novice at this but in one of my books it says you should clear your plot of weeds in the autumn - if there are a lot put down black plastic until they've died off. You need to remove the roots as well and may have to use glyphosate. At this stage you can then make your raised bed on top of the area you've cleared. After this you put down a thick layer of mulch like compost or manure to help the soil structure and then in the spring you can sow directly into the mulch. It says the method is most successful on soil with a good structure but you may have to persevere with weeds for the first few years. The method isn't really suitable for heavy soils like clay. I'm putting my raised beds on my lawn - I've only got about six inches of soil and then it's nasty compacted clay so my OH is going to double dig the bits where the raised beds are going to be otherwise I'll have virtually no drainage and won't be able to grow deeper rooting crops. We'll only have to do this double digging once as the soil won't get compacted again because we won't be walking on the beds. Hope this helps, but there are plenty of other grapes on the forum who have years of experience. There are also more threads about raised beds if you go on search. Good Luck

[headburro]

Hi Welshie. I had to double dig the ground below as I'd only have had 8 inches of soil to play with if I hadn't. Also the hard, un-dug soil would have formed a 'seal' at the bottom causing the bed to water-log and flood in rain. In total I dug down 18 to 24 inches below the soil surface before putting the beds on top and filling them in. The good news is, you only have to do this once

The other solution is to build very high beds (waist high, etc.) with brick walls and fill them in - these are great for people with limited mobility.

I took pictures of my patch being dug & my beds being built and you can see them on my blog via these two linkettes: Digging & Beds

[Lesley Jay]

Welshie I can recommend taking a look at Head Burro's blog - especially if you like a laugh. It really is good.

[headburro]

Flatterer x

p.s. I do tend to swear in it - you have been warned

[dexterdoglancashire]

Path edging?

Can anyone recommend pieces of wood so that I can, sorry, my OH can, edge my paths during the coming winter? thanks dexterdog

[nick the grief]

Long ones

[Snadger]

I went around the local industrial sites and picked up old pallets. They do need more work to make them into raised beds, but you can`t grumble when it`s free. I also found a large box in an oblong shape that is like pallets nailed together, and i am going to just line it, fill it with compost and grow potatoes in it. When it comes time to dig the potatoes up i am just going to push it over! So much less work!!!!! I know i am lazy, but hay why not!

If I built it you wouldn't need to push it over....it would fall over on its own accord!

[headburro]

If you are going organic, then use untreated wood.

That's me done. Sorry

[Welshie]

Flatterer x

p.s. I do tend to swear in it - you have been warned

Thanks HeadBurro,

You're right, it's an interesting site and very amusing.

Thanks for the info and pictures on raised beds - much appreciated.

Welshie

[headburro]

Glad you like it - it keeps me amused and occupied so really I think I should be getting a Government grant for staying out of trouble