Raised beds versus Open ground?

[Elle's Garden]

Hi Glallotments,

Absolutely, I think it is a case of horses for courses as they say! In a garden situation I can see how raised beds can be very useful for all sorts of people, whereas at an allotment where fitness, dogs, children & footballs are not so much of a problem, I can also imagine them getting in the way.

[Ian in Cumbria]

My 30ft x 10ft veg patch had a roughly 9 inch drop across the 10ft width. The lower edge came up level to a tarmac path which was always getting soil on it, and therefore weeds growing into it which was eroding its edge. I had some spare 2x2 slabs which I buried edge-on at the edge of the path with about 1ft above the ground. This allowed me to level the growing area and to keep the weeds off the path. After doing this there is no doubt that the ground dries off quicker in the spring, though that wasn't my original intention. I suppose the whole patch is a raised bed of sorts, though I'd not really thought of this before. I have one path across the patch, to the compost heap. This is trodden earth, never dug, and just attracts tufts of grass in the summer. I dig the rest each year (not got it done yet!). Once I've dug it, I try not to stand on it directly but use an old scaffold plank to stand on to sow or plant. I can reach with a hoe from each side and stand on the soil when I have to, certainly when collecting the crops. I think the point is to make the best use of what you have, taking into consideration the soil, the level, your own ability to bend etc. If there was a single right answer we would all be doing that now after millennia of trial and error. We might develop what is best for ourselves over the years, but that doesn't mean it's best for everyone. Each to their own I say. By all means tell people what you do, but don't be upset if people don't follow suit.

Regards

ian

[Geoff]

I agree with what looks like the consensus that raised beds are a waste of resources.
It seems the modern way to start vegetable gardening is to build a box of scaffold planks, give the soil surface a half hearted scratch with a fork then fill up with a mixture of imported soil, potting compost and organic matter. You then expect huge crops with little work. Not surprisingly this approach doesn't work so you abandon your plot to the next optimist.
Luckily I garden rather than being a plot holder so I have been able to adopt a more permanent approach. I have divided the area into 25'x10' beds using concrete paths. Originally I couldn't decide whether to adopt the Geoff Hamilton 4' deep bed design so I went for this so I could sub-divide later, I found I didn't need to. I double dig the beds on a regular basis and add large amounts of organic material with easy wheelbarrow access as there are no edges to get over. I can hoe from the paths and hand weed with little traffic on the beds. The levels do rise but much of my flower garden is short of soil so I use the veg plot as a resource and skim a bit off from time to time and put it on the flower beds.
I believe new starters would be better investing in good tools and concrete slabs for paths rather than wooden or recycled plastic boards.

[Johnboy]

Hi Lady Lettuce,
I agree with Geoff wholeheartedly.
Raised beds were originally beds designated with 4"x1" timber and the raised bit was to come as you applied compost and manure. When you had reached the 4" and the real excess was to be skimmed off and used elsewhere on the plot.
Concrete slabs are a good thing because you can easily take a path out for a season to grow Potatoes 4' beds are no good for potatoes as there is only really room for one row which is land wasteful. There are those that will argue about this but these will be the people who do not earth-up their spuds sufficiently and always complain of poor crops.
I use a combination of designated beds for my Soft Fruit and Asparagus
and a 'Salads Bed' which is constantly replanted as I use the goodies.
I then have a series of 90'x30' beds which carry most of my produce and I use a series of 18"x18" slabs (stepping stone fashion) to delineate the paths.
Many people have fallen for the preachings of the idle and have covered up Clay soil with tall raised beds and have missed the wonderful fertility of the clay. Clay tamed a bit produces the most wonderful crops and sadly these people will never find out. That takes a bit of hard graft which many gardeners are not prepared to do.
I guess it is in two schools oldens versus younguns. Sad really!
JB.

[Clive.]

Seems this makes me an oldun....

I wish we had been able to take some photos of my Grandads vegetable garden...on some very heavy clay at the end of a field. He grew some really good stuff...and for the Winter he reasted it up in great lumps for the frost to work on...knocking it down with a 3 tine drag and rake to a lovely crumb on a drying day in Spring. There was some ostensibly better soil in another field they farmed adjacent to their cottage but by fact of when he started his garden area that "better" field was owned by an Uncle so Grandad had to garden in the field that He actually owned...and this was the heavy clay one....but he really knew how to work it. It was important though to work it only when it would "go" and not to force it....we found this out very quickly when Grandad was no longer fully able to work it but Dad tried to keep it going for him. We visited most Saturdays...but this often lead to us having to try to work the ground on a less than perfect day for it.

..and with ref to my earlier post and the kerbstone raised beds...I can't resist posting this photo of "Uncle" Tom resting a while between his deep kerb stone vegetable beds. He was a character and a half...and we dearly miss his gardening enthusiasm...and visiting his shed of assorted old market gardening machinery. ...

Clive.

[Fair Weather 33]

Hi there everybody.

My mum cultivated our patch for many years open plan, and this is how I did things for many years. But I have now converted to sort of raised beds (only 1 board deep), and I have to say it has made a difference.

We are very lucky with our soil here, it is sandy/peat. Which means it retains water but also drains quite freely. This is of course unless we get a poor year with a lot of rain. This is where the bed comes in handy. In the spring they drain better and therefore the soil heats up faster. Something that is of great help when the season up here is so short. Have got to say that I do not think that we have ever produced such good onions as we have since the beds went in.

Also I know what you mean about filling them. My solution has been to put the spent compost from my tom pots in, and every year add some fresh compost to add nutrients (have not had the nerve to start my own compost). It will take a few years to fill them. But i can wait.

Bye for now

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Clive, the really sad thing is that we seem to be running out of characters these days.

And how right you are about working certain soils at certain times, something most of the old gardeners just took for granted, and seems to have largely been lost.
Just watch any gardening program now, and you will see them clambering over the soil in the wettest of weathers.

[KG Emma]

Many thanks everyone for your great comments.

[Mike Vogel]

You know what? I think the reason for the edging to raised beds is simply to stop the soil getting onto the paths.

I have found raised beds to be good for carrots, parsnips, cleriac, tomatoes, broccoli and not particularly effective as oppocsed to opther methods in the case of other brassicas and. particularly, spuds. Where heaping up manure or leafmould is a good idea, the raised beds work.

I meant to create a system which uses both, but my allotment is now 70% raised beds. I feel it cramps the spuds, but I'll be growing feweer er bed this year so we'll see .....