Pebbly Patch

[esmed]

We've got a large raised patch for growing veggies in that my OH built last year. We grew a fair amount in it successfully last year and am hoping to continue the success this year.

However it seems that all the rocks and pebbles have now found their way to the surface. I spent a painstaking Saturday a few weeks ago raking through and removing the larger ones but now we're just left with small ones approx the size of a £1.

I'm hoping to start planting out and sowing some stuff this weekend but these pebbles are concerning me - will they hamper the growth of my plants (sweetcorn, carrots, peas, beans, spinach)??

If needs be then I'll sit and remove them but there are quite a few on the surface and it may take a while. I'm thinking of buying a cheap colander and sifting the soil through that but even that will take ages!

Any advice gladly received!! Thanks in advance.

[taff]

the stones will only affect your carrots or root veg, everything else should be fine.

Unless you sifted the stuff you put in the raised bed in the first place you're always going to find stones in the soil, but unless it's all pebbles, I really wouldn't worry about it.
You might want to sift the area you're growing carrots in, or grow them in pots instead.

[Flummery]

As Taff says, carrots will struggle but the rest should cope. I've seen spuds growing on what looked like fields of white pebbles - very chalky and stony soil didn't seem to stop them growing. (I still wonder how long it took them to sort out the crop from the rocks!)

[esmed]

Thanks for the advice guys - i'm going to sift the area that the carrots are going in just to be on the safe side.

More than anything i hate the look of the veg patch with all the pebbles in it!