(Another) raised bed

**Sanjo** · 27-10-2011, 08:56 PM

I looked yesterday and was going to comment but had to dash out so will do it now. Well done both of you on all your hard work. To think all that rubble was transformed into those beds is brilliant. When they are fully planted and "working" they will look brilliant, especially against the backdrop of your pool. Perhaps the lack of response was partly because most of us are shivering here in the cold and damp and looking at pictures of you sweating in the sweltering sun. Well done again. Enjoy!!!!

**snohare** · 27-10-2011, 09:25 PM

Jings ! That's some amount of rendering to do at that low level ! You must've been walking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame for a week....

Where does the rainwater drain out, should you be so lucky as to have heavy rain ? Are the tiles underneath porous enough to allow enough drainage ?
Have to say, very professional finish, well done indeed. (And nice to see you are not instinctively anti-ant !

)
If you can, it might be an idea the next time you are in the UK to get some mycorhizzal preparations from a garden centre. They may make a huge difference to your soil: it depends on temperature and soil humidity as to whether or not they can survive, but lack of mycorhizzae is what turns soil to desert sand, so if you can add them you may suddenly find that the nutrients in your soil are far more available. It'll help kickstart your compost making too.
Dead envious really. My house is too cold to grow peppers, never mind outside !

**taff** · 27-10-2011, 09:26 PM

I've just spent two days making a new bed, it's not a patch on yours, thanks for making me feel inadequate

what a good job....I congratulate you sir....and i have questions...
why didn't you put drainage in instead of rubble filling? was it just so you'd need less stuff to fill it with? do you have much rain, if you don't, just the odd thunderstorm in the summer, would it be an idea to put a bit less rubble, and maybe some wood or wood chippings in the bottom on a thin layer of rubble to soak up ore water, and keep it form drying out {i've been permaculture reading, and it's my hammer solution to nearly everything now

] I know in Italy, they don't have much rain, except a thunderstorm every two weeks, so everything has to be watered from the wells.

**Two_Sheds** · 28-10-2011, 09:21 AM

Not sure why I've only just seen your thread ~ it's not popped up under New Posts before now?

Good job, we like

**maytreefrannie** · 28-10-2011, 09:38 AM

Comments? I'm speechless - and very impressed. Brilliant.

**Zenithtb** · 28-10-2011, 03:58 PM

Hey! Thank you for commenting!

I read them earlier but wanted to wait until I took some more 'up-to-date' pics before I replied...

To Sanjo:
Heh - thanks! Well, heat can be a blessing and a curse. Trust me, while I was building it, I'd've given almost anything for 15 degrees and cloudy!

Snohare:
Yeah, kind of. My back is not the greatest at the best of times, so moving all the rocks/bricks around at low level, along with trays of concrete, then rendering, smoothing (wet sponge) and painting was all a bit much. Back still hurts now :-| As I said to OH; I didn't want to build a raised bed - I wanted to HAVE a raised bed ;-)

As to the drainage, if I'd planned further ahead I could have been more clever. As it is, what I plan to do is use a large chisel-drill and SDS attachment and make some discrete holes at low level before finishing off the painting... But yeah - building in some plastic pipe or something would have been smart. Smarter than me, unfortunately; my head just wanted to get the darn thing finished :-)

I'm not Anti-Ant. I love Ants (am a member of an ant-keeping forum, have built ant-farms etc), but. I'd love to say I hadn't tried every other method to control the honey-ants, but I have. In Spain you don't get a few ants, you get thousands. One will find something it likes, then next morning you'll have a trail, six-wide as far as you can see, bringing aphids to the plants (or worse (as has happened to me) larvae, and they move the whole damn nest into the raised bed :-( ). So as they're (multiple colonies) on the olive tree, the fig, lemon, aubergines - you name it, I want them gone. So I've tried everything. Assisting the Messor Barbarus is not me being sweet; it's me giving up lol! One last roll of the dice...

As to the soil quality I'll see how it plays out. As I brought EVERYTHING from the compost heap, that included everything I think I need to keep the soil alive; worms, centipedes, woodlice, sticks, leaves, grass. The lot. So I hope that the Spanish soil will naturally improve anyway. I added about 600L or so of compost from the heap. That should do it ;-)

Peppers - yeah. It'd be more useful if I liked them. They were a few pence each when I got them, so got 4-5. Turns out they're too hot for me :-( The 'normal' (green? water?) peppers are nice in a salad, but the hot peppers live up to their name. However I think they are some of the most beautiful plants I've ever seen, especially before the peppers age. They look like dripping jewels! So it's nice to have them, just to look pretty :-)

Taff:
Any pics of yours? I am always interested in learning new things, so although yours may be different I'd like to see it to glean any ideas for my next one (position plotted!)...

Why rubble? One because that's what I was taught to do, so it'd just something I do, especially as I was building straight onto concrete. Also, as you guessed, to save on soil. I did not have a lot, and wanted the raised bed to be higher than the roots of the biggest thing I plan to plant would go down (so there would be 'wasted' soil at the bottom). Also I had a load of rubble left over, and as I don't plan to build another thing for 'quite a while' it'd just be sitting there in a pile looking awful.

And yeah - drainage holes... To be done

Not too much of an issue April - nowish, but have to make some... I have no wood-chippings, no money and no chipper :-) Also see reply to Snohare :-(

Two_Sheds:
Dunno. Glad it's been spotted now!

maytreefrannie:
Thank you!

Pics of it more 'in use' are here!

"You have included a total of 8 images and/or videos in your message. The maximum number that you may include is 4. Please correct the problem and then continue again. Images include use of smilies"

**SarrissUK** · 28-10-2011, 09:16 PM

Wow, that looks absolutely amazing!! It's the same type of raised beds that I want in my back garden, and that would've been my project this year if it hadn't been for my new allotment. Maybe next year, but I have no hope in hell to have something anything as grand as yours

Well done indeed!

**pauco** · 29-10-2011, 01:42 PM

WOW!
Let sleeping dog's lie LOL, 1st pic.

That really is a cracking set of pic's on the work in progress. Well done you 2.

paul.

**Dynamite** · 23-02-2018, 10:36 PM

Unfortunately, for me, the links don’t work, just get a google error page but would love to see them as I too have raised beds and by the sound of it, I might end up envious and also pick a few tips up.

Kind Regards.........Rob

**Greenleaves** · 23-02-2018, 11:18 PM

Rob

The original post with the links was from 2011....

**veggiechicken** · 23-02-2018, 11:32 PM

................but, as if by magic, here's a link to some of Zenith's raised beds

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/...TrFnbwx-LqQbsU

**Dynamite** · 24-02-2018, 11:59 PM

Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post

................but, as if by magic, here's a link to some of Zenith's raised beds

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/...TrFnbwx-LqQbsU

Wow, thanks VC, they look fantastic. I would love to know the method of construction.

Kind Regards......Rob

**veggiechicken** · 25-02-2018, 12:06 AM

Try these https://get.google.com/albumarchive/...AAvPs4ndMTJ3mi

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(Another) raised bed

(Another) raised bed

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