Raised beds, or raising hell? The OTT approach!

[Florence Fennel]

That's lovely Pete - well done, hope your produce is just as good. I think you'll have to save up some polystyrene, newspapers, grass clippings, stones etc., to put in it before you start to fill with compost or topsoil or it'll cost you a small fortune!

[Hazel at the Hill]

You could look out for a couple of tons of topsoil from freecycle as a cheap (free!) way of getting the bed filled.

It's a Proper Job, that!

[snohare]

I've got a friend with 26 waist height raised beds... but his are nowhere near as bonny as yours ! Stupendous.
You did put on a pull-off panel at one end to let you just wheel the barrow in, didn't you ? All that running it up boards gets old really quickly...
Try a nice thick layer of stones in the bottom to discourage the moles/voles, they love a good raised bed.

[FionaH]

Oh my!!!! ( you could lose a mother-in-law in that if you needed to!!!)

Was just thinking the very same thing

[COMPOST CORNER]

Quality bed, I'd be looking for a local stables that wanted rid of a load of manure too fill it if I were competent enough to build something like that.

[snuffer]

Oh my!!!! ( you could lose a mother-in-law in that if you needed to!!!)

Don't tempt me.

[Storming Norman]

WOW.

Where in Surrey are you? I want some of that handy work. What did the materials cost you?

Raised beds have really worked for me but I've not been that ambitious.

I do have one ex compost bin that tall which i use for growing squash, cucumber & climbing courgettes in. It takes a bit of the compost bin contents each year to keep it topped up as it settles a lot.

This year I dug my tall bin out and lined it bin with plastic compost bags to keep the water in better and protect my structure from rot. That made watering a more effective.

Just half fill it this year - you can always top up next year.

If you are local to me I can give you a few ideas where you can get free manure/horse bedding to start the fill up.

[jayjay giant]

Nice work. Just another half a dozen to go and you will be on easy street.
You have done a fine job there !
I hope I can get all of mine to look like that one day.
Keep up the good work and happy growing !
Good luck

JJ

[Eco-Chic]

That is a work of art, not a raised bed.

Well done!

[weekendwellies]

Wow, that's all I can say. Wow.

[northmaid]

Can I come and live in it? Looks bigger than my house.

[chris]

Looks good.. my first bed built was out of floor boards - that was expensive.. that must have been really expensive

*off to the timber yard*

[susieq100]

'Tis a thing of beauty!

[HayleyB]

Wow, as well as coming to you if I ever want a written complaint letter, are you going into general production? 'cause I want one.............

[Pete C]

Wow, thanks to everyone for their comments. I've started to fill it today, and it's a slow process thus far!

You did put on a pull-off panel at one end to let you just wheel the barrow in, didn't you?

Of course not, but the second bed will probably incorporate such a feature.

If you are local to me I can give you a few ideas where you can get free manure/horse bedding to start the fill up.

I'm in Lingfield, by the racecourse. Funnily enough, the lanes around here were littered with "Free Horse Manure" signs until I built this bed. Now I find myself driving around in the pick-up with narry a sign of any manure!

Can I come and live in it?

Only if you bring black puddings.

That must have been really expensive

The bed cost me (finds calculator) £75.60 (excluding knuckle skin, band aid and coffee mug ... oh, and the coffee said mug contained).