There've been a few items posted re: raised beds and I know Joy Larkcom's book has been recommended, but does anyone know any other books about constructing these?
Also, I am interested in using locally sourced timber and topsoil wherever possible - anyone else done this? Likewise, organic timber - ie not treated with any nasties???? As you can see I am in Warwickshire, but sources in Glouc. Herefords, Oxon, Worcs would be fine!
Any feedback from current raised bed owner/users would be gratefully received too! Are they worth the effort of creating - and is it a huge effort? What about if you are beginner to gardening, or you don't have a lot of time - are they time saving at all, and easier to deal with than open ground???
Raised beds
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carlseawolf
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hi there
i've just started an allotment this october and we are going totally raised beds mainly due to lack of soil.
there is many reasons to use these type of beds , most people use them for raising poor soil levels or making there garden more tidy.
the reasons i use them is to raise soil levels , control the organic input to a perticula bed for diffrent crops and it keeps the plot free of rubbish so know where for the slugs to hide.
my beds are built very big and deep ,but i have also seen them 4" high and the only common ground is width at 4'.
i could not tell you if my wood is organically treated or not , but beds are really easy to make and to the soil you can put it straight back in or seive it as i do.
what is best beds or rows i expect every person has there own views and they all should be listened to.
on the work front there is less digging in beds after there setup . and i use leaves on top of the bed to keep it weed free untill planting time , but i've also heard they need to be watered more due to the soil drying quicker but that is a plus in spring the soil also warms up quicker.
this is what i've done and after xmas when i make the next one i'll photograpth it piece by piece and put it on the diy page on my web site
www.freesweb.com/carlseawolf
hope this helps
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i've just started an allotment this october and we are going totally raised beds mainly due to lack of soil.
there is many reasons to use these type of beds , most people use them for raising poor soil levels or making there garden more tidy.
the reasons i use them is to raise soil levels , control the organic input to a perticula bed for diffrent crops and it keeps the plot free of rubbish so know where for the slugs to hide.
my beds are built very big and deep ,but i have also seen them 4" high and the only common ground is width at 4'.
i could not tell you if my wood is organically treated or not , but beds are really easy to make and to the soil you can put it straight back in or seive it as i do.
what is best beds or rows i expect every person has there own views and they all should be listened to.
on the work front there is less digging in beds after there setup . and i use leaves on top of the bed to keep it weed free untill planting time , but i've also heard they need to be watered more due to the soil drying quicker but that is a plus in spring the soil also warms up quicker.
this is what i've done and after xmas when i make the next one i'll photograpth it piece by piece and put it on the diy page on my web site
www.freesweb.com/carlseawolf
hope this helps
[/img]
A seed planted today will make a meal tomorrow
www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf
www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf
As with everything, there are pros and cons.
I garden on heavy clay, and raised beds mean that I can improve the area that I grow on, and not the area I walk on as well. They improve drainage, and the soil warms up faster. You can also plant at closer spacings, and maintain the yield, despite losing some ground to the paths. They are easier to protect against weather and pests as they are easier to cover and manage, as they are a well defined area
However they can be costly to build, as the cheaper recycled wood does not last as long, and many people will have issues with treated timber. They can also be more fiddly to use machines on.
I have compromised, with a mixture of raised beds for overwintering and early crops, and carrots and parsnips, which just would not grow in the previously thin soil, and flying beds on the larger areas.
The flying beds are edged with boards to keep the soil in, but I put planks down for the season, and work off them. This offers a lot of the benefits of raised beds, without all the effort.
I garden on heavy clay, and raised beds mean that I can improve the area that I grow on, and not the area I walk on as well. They improve drainage, and the soil warms up faster. You can also plant at closer spacings, and maintain the yield, despite losing some ground to the paths. They are easier to protect against weather and pests as they are easier to cover and manage, as they are a well defined area
However they can be costly to build, as the cheaper recycled wood does not last as long, and many people will have issues with treated timber. They can also be more fiddly to use machines on.
I have compromised, with a mixture of raised beds for overwintering and early crops, and carrots and parsnips, which just would not grow in the previously thin soil, and flying beds on the larger areas.
The flying beds are edged with boards to keep the soil in, but I put planks down for the season, and work off them. This offers a lot of the benefits of raised beds, without all the effort.
It is not my intention to open the old proverbial 'can of worms' but to build raised beds with anything other than 'treated wood' is total madness.
What harm does the use of treated timber actually do to your produce? The answer? Nothing!
Pragmatically,
JB.
What harm does the use of treated timber actually do to your produce? The answer? Nothing!
Pragmatically,
JB.
As you say. JB, all that treated timber does is get the non-pragmatics jumping up and down, you can't do that. Yet many of them will put plastic around and spread out the carpet over the ground, what about the plasticisers coming from them?. Long live the pragmatists. I have a pile of 6" Tanalised timbers waiting to be used, they won't harm anything by now.
I raised the question of the amount of organic matter needed to do a raised bed properly , see beds, calculation, November 06. It is worth re-reading that via the search engine.Basically I remember the conclusion that some are worthwhile but some crops would not benefit sufficiently to justify the expenditure.
Allan
I raised the question of the amount of organic matter needed to do a raised bed properly , see beds, calculation, November 06. It is worth re-reading that via the search engine.Basically I remember the conclusion that some are worthwhile but some crops would not benefit sufficiently to justify the expenditure.
Allan
I have three raised beds with another two planned for installing before next year.
I have used wood decking (offcuts from a son-in-law who errects them)and they are 8' x' 4' and 9" high... The corners are dexion angle iron sections that protrude by another 9" at the bottom...these are used to anchor the decking in place
sorry for the old measurements but I haven't yet become a 'born again metric'
I have used wood decking (offcuts from a son-in-law who errects them)and they are 8' x' 4' and 9" high... The corners are dexion angle iron sections that protrude by another 9" at the bottom...these are used to anchor the decking in place
sorry for the old measurements but I haven't yet become a 'born again metric'
I am in my own little world, ...it's OK, ...they know me there!
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carlseawolf
- KG Regular
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- Location: ILFRACOMBE , N DEVON
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beds are also good if you have very little organic matter to put in the ground , so instead of putting a thin layer around your plot a good layer can be put in one bed so every year i little piece gets the full treatment instead of patchy application .
A seed planted today will make a meal tomorrow
www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf
www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf
Hi Iain,
Prior to living here some 30 years ago I lived in Hertfordshire which was good solid clay. I perfected a method of growing Carrots and Parsnips on this awful medium. There is an account of it somewhere in the archives but to save you searching should you want to of course here it is.
Growing Carrots on Clay soil.
The area needs to be weed free but digging is not necessary.
Place out a line to the length of row you require and then gradually insert a fork using a circular motion until the fork is fully into the ground exaggerate the size of the holes and fill them with a mixture of MP compost plus 10% Sharp Sand (not builders sand) working your way down the required row.
I used a large funnel and a ¼” wide stick to make sure the compost fills the hole to just within ½” of the top. Carefully water this and adjust levels of compost if necessary. Sow one seed if you are an optimist or a few if seeds if you are not per hole and then fill the hole with sifted MP compost to the existing ground level and firm the compost. Water again sparingly only just sufficient to dampen the top compost.
Place Slug Pellets alongside each side of the row and cover with either fleece or very small mesh anti-insect netting. Best done using a hoop system to give the Carrots room to grow to their full height and to allow good ventilation.
It would appear that just so long as the tap root manages to grow straight down the Carrots as they grow in size are able to cope with the clay soil.
When I lived in Hertfordshire 30 years ago I used this method very successfully and then I moved to Herefordshire and left the clay behind.
A 30ft row should produce around 200 quality Carrots.
JB.
Prior to living here some 30 years ago I lived in Hertfordshire which was good solid clay. I perfected a method of growing Carrots and Parsnips on this awful medium. There is an account of it somewhere in the archives but to save you searching should you want to of course here it is.
Growing Carrots on Clay soil.
The area needs to be weed free but digging is not necessary.
Place out a line to the length of row you require and then gradually insert a fork using a circular motion until the fork is fully into the ground exaggerate the size of the holes and fill them with a mixture of MP compost plus 10% Sharp Sand (not builders sand) working your way down the required row.
I used a large funnel and a ¼” wide stick to make sure the compost fills the hole to just within ½” of the top. Carefully water this and adjust levels of compost if necessary. Sow one seed if you are an optimist or a few if seeds if you are not per hole and then fill the hole with sifted MP compost to the existing ground level and firm the compost. Water again sparingly only just sufficient to dampen the top compost.
Place Slug Pellets alongside each side of the row and cover with either fleece or very small mesh anti-insect netting. Best done using a hoop system to give the Carrots room to grow to their full height and to allow good ventilation.
It would appear that just so long as the tap root manages to grow straight down the Carrots as they grow in size are able to cope with the clay soil.
When I lived in Hertfordshire 30 years ago I used this method very successfully and then I moved to Herefordshire and left the clay behind.
A 30ft row should produce around 200 quality Carrots.
JB.
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Mr Potato Head
As always you're a prescient bunch... the January KG has an article about this very subject! (Steve used recycled plastic boarding 
)
)I have recently converted half my allotment to wooden raised beds and enjoy all their benefits EXCEPT - the slugs and snails and woodlice they harbour. As i enjoy fair amount of wine i am currently making a raised bed from wine bottles as advised by some permaculture friends. Save your bottles and their corks (screwcaps). Fill them with water recork and stand neck end down in the ground in whatever shape you want your bed. The idea of the water is that it warms up and holds its heat. With christmas coming up there should be no shortage of bottles for this task - the difficult bit is remembering not to throw the corks away.
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Mr Potato Head
Hmm, I can see a problem with the water freezing and breaking the bottles though, surely? 
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carlseawolf
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never mind the fact it looks like you should be going to e few AA meeting 
A seed planted today will make a meal tomorrow
www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf
www.freewebs.com/carlseawolf
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bigpepperplant
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- Location: london
Hi,
When building raised beds out of timber would people recommend securing the sides with posts or nailing or screwing them together at the corners? A google search on this seems to be split 50/50. I'm a DIY disaster zone so want the simplest and neatest looking solution. many thanks in advance
When building raised beds out of timber would people recommend securing the sides with posts or nailing or screwing them together at the corners? A google search on this seems to be split 50/50. I'm a DIY disaster zone so want the simplest and neatest looking solution. many thanks in advance
ive used some plastic 2 litre milk containers filled with water as weights on fleece and black plastic this autumn, am waiting to see if the frost affects them and how long they last before the sunlight breaks up the plastic.