Raised beds

[Melly]

Whilst on the waiting list for an allotment, we are planning to build some raised beds in the garden. Would love some advice as to what soil/manure etc we should get hold of for them.

Many thanks

[Paddy's mum]

Hi Melly. When I was growing my veg in this way, I filled them with just about anything I could get!

Any neighbour who was perhaps enlarging a flower border and had top soil to 'get rid of', turf, the contents of old grow bags, contents of the compost heap, lawnmowings (if placed at the bottom of the new raised bed).

Farmyard or horse manure, whether rotted or not, also has its place. If you lay fresh manure on now, the winter weather and worms will pull it down into the soil before late spring, which is likely when you will want to start your main plantings in the beds.

You may also find somewhere near you a small scale mushroom grower who will let you have a few bags of spent mushroom compost. (Our local mushgrow place gave us a transit van load, all bagged and easy to transport, at no cost to us at all - to him it was a waste product and he was glad to get rid of it!)

I have also at times "layered" my raised beds when filling them - putting unrotted material towards the bottom and finishing off with some decent soil. This way, you get started more quickly and as the level sinks over time, just add some more well rotted stuff.

Obviously, avoid anything contaminated with plant disease or weedkiller for example, but in my experience, just about anything had value for my raised beds. They also have the advantage of being small enough to mulch easily or have small, home-made cloches put on since you are not trying to cover a huge area.

Good luck with it and hope this helps.

[supersprout]

Hi Melly, some suggestions you might not find in the Bookes

I think it helps to think 'deep bed' (John Seymour's original idea) rather than 'raised bed'. I've made deep beds with no additional organic matter, using a broadfork to fluff up the soil (like a lawn aerator).



Organic stuff is laid on as mulch whenever we can get hold of it, and the worms do the digging. Organic mulch includes seaweed, straw, hay, spent hops, comfrey, borage, nettles, shredded paper, raw or rotted compost, raw or rotted manure, fresh or rotted leaves, stalk shreddings, spent potting compost, newspaper.

Lay out beds and paths with string and pegs, and don't edge for at least one, preferably more, seasons. You might change your mind about layout/size/orientation, and/or decide not to edge - you don't need edges at all, I find it easier (and cheaper!) without and if you're practising in the garden they'll be easier to convert to something else when you get your plot



Make sure you can reach easily - without over-stretching - to the middle of the bed. My beds are 1.25m wide, with 60cm paths separating beds, and a 1m path going up the middle. Most are 13-15 ft long. Most people make their beds a tad too wide for comfort the first time.

If you want to avoid weeding, lay damp newspaper thickly over the bed, cover with organic mulch, and keep the mulch topped up to around 8 inches. At sowing or planting time, rake off the mulch and sow/plant as normal, then when the seedlings come up, push the mulch back around the plants.

Invest in paths. We use woven black plastic topped with several inches of woodchips (the Council deliver these f.o.c.) Paths are the unsung heroes of a bed system IMO When you get your plot, edge the boundaries with a good 18" of plastic woven membrane so perennial weeds don't encroach on all that good work, then you won't need to use Roundup.



Never tread on the beds!

Hope you have fun experimenting with your beds, happy sowing and growing for 2007

[townie smallholder]

Hiya...

We are doing much the same as yourself.. although we started our planning in late august early september of this year and are charting our progress,.

Because of where we live and the fact that we have the neighbour factor to consider we really had no alternative but to put in 3 raised beds 1 is 6ft x 3ft and the other 2 are 6ft x 4ft.

I got organic topsoil online and had it delivered direct to the house from Rolawn, it was expensive but we couldnt source anything else locally.

We have planted the smaller bed up with over-winter onions, 2 varieties red and the normal onions and in the 3rd bed we planted 5 different types of garlic..

I hope everything goes to plan for your new venture ... Happy Growing

TS

[townie smallholder]

p.s. if you need any help just give us a shout and we will help all we can :)

[Melly]

Hi

Thanks for all the advice, it is invaluable.

Before the rain started again we have put in the first of two raised beds frames(6ft by 3ft). I spent much of yesterday planning the beds although they might need modifying once we actually start planting. I might be being a bit adventurous

Thanks, Paddy's mum, we have a mushroom farm near where I work so I am going to contact them next week to see if they are happy to let us have some of their unwanted compost.

Happy New Year!

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

Bloody hell you jokers go to a lot of trouble. You should grow bloody good veges in that, even if it is to pay back for the time spent.

This is what I do, and I either just fill it with compost or put my sheep's guts in the bottom first. When I have had a couple of crops outa it I move it on and spread what's left out over the rest of the garden.

[townie smallholder]

That looks good Jack... I like the idea of the long narrow raised bed..

and better still... look at the size of your cabbages at the side of it, they look good enough to eat

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

The thing about the narrow bed is it is so quick and eay to make and with out heavey clay soil means I can grow my carrots up off it and then move it over and start again all that stuff just goes straight down it build up the clay soil for other things.

The other way I do it is with straw bales. Just put em down in a row put a good layer of a high nitrogen fertilizer or manure on the top and keep it damp. When the heat dies down plant straight into the top of the bale. You don't even need soil.

I have done straw bales gardening for some time now and am a real fan of it as it gives top produce, root crops come out almost clean enough to eat and there is bugger all work involved.

[Muddypause]

What's the netting for in the pic, Jack? Seems to dive down under the soil. Doesn't look tough enough to stop rats coming up.

Got any links for straw bale gardening? Never heard of it before.

[digiveg]

Great looking raised bed, and ta for the bale tip - I'm going to try it this year.

[PurpleDragon]

Yeah, I'm interested in both raised beds and straw bales, Jack.

My 'soil' is such heavy clay I cold make pots. My carrots looked awful - really doformed - all forked, twisted up and back on themselves. Tasted alright though

[supersprout]

That's a lovely bed RJ!
We made a hot box with straw bales and pony poo for the first time this year, can't wait to get the tatties in this month. Haven't got around to straw bale planting, will def. give that a go on me rough patches - thanks for the tip

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

Hey Muddy, the netting is a very fine plastic netting e birdies. They love to get into the compost for the worms and I hate them doin that, It doesn't actually go under there but is over the top of everything but it just don't show up too good.