Has anyone tried link-a-bord? They are expensive and I'm wondering if they're worth it. Also, are they really as easy to install as they say?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Raised beds
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
I'm thinking of putting a couple of raised beds on my allotment, as digging it over each year is a bit too much effort. I don't want to cover the whole thing (not yet anyway), but just relieve a bit of the hard work! I have a raised bed at home which my husband built for me, but it took him ages, and I'm not sure I can stand the drama again. Has anyone tried link-a-bord? They are expensive and I'm wondering if they're worth it. Also, are they really as easy to install as they say?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Has anyone tried link-a-bord? They are expensive and I'm wondering if they're worth it. Also, are they really as easy to install as they say?
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Think link-a-bords like many a modern garden gadget are invented to part people from their money, and raise the cost of your veg to something Harrods would blush at.
I assume you have tools if your partner make one raised bed, so how about having a go yourself - its not a job that takes much strength, and that is the only advantage men have.
I assume you have tools if your partner make one raised bed, so how about having a go yourself - its not a job that takes much strength, and that is the only advantage men have.
Why does one have to have a raised bed in order to practise "raised bed culture", that is, not walking on the bed. Is that just a stupid question? I could imagine that one could divide the allotment into raise bed size squares and then pile on the muck etc and treat it like a raised bed but without the surrounding frame.
We can't do that on our allotment because it's all on a steep slope, but on flat ground, it should work, shouldn't it?
We can't do that on our allotment because it's all on a steep slope, but on flat ground, it should work, shouldn't it?
Hi Monika,
You do well to raise the point. When raised beds were invented they were only meant to raise as the you composted or manured each year and increased the height of the soil. This practice of making raised beds totally defeats the original aim and nothing is gained. I would suggest to you Sarah that it is very easy to make a designated bed and enclose with 6" boarding at soil level giving a great many years before it gets to the 6" level and has to be raised any more.
I have several designated beds and I try not to walk on them and have several slabs of rock in the middle of the bed between the crops and this I use as a hop over from one side to the other and also as a place to stand when hoeing, one foot on the path the other on the stone.
JB.
You do well to raise the point. When raised beds were invented they were only meant to raise as the you composted or manured each year and increased the height of the soil. This practice of making raised beds totally defeats the original aim and nothing is gained. I would suggest to you Sarah that it is very easy to make a designated bed and enclose with 6" boarding at soil level giving a great many years before it gets to the 6" level and has to be raised any more.
I have several designated beds and I try not to walk on them and have several slabs of rock in the middle of the bed between the crops and this I use as a hop over from one side to the other and also as a place to stand when hoeing, one foot on the path the other on the stone.
JB.
Thanks for your replies. Perhaps I'm being a bit lazy looking for an easy option! One more question though - the linkabord I was considering was 3m x 1m, and about 15cm high I think, and cost £32. Would wood be a lot cheaper do you think? I might go shopping later!
I really want to enclose some beds, as there are dogs and children running loose on our allotments, and every year I lose crops. (Last year a branch of blackcurrants, sunflowers and sweetcorn!)
I really want to enclose some beds, as there are dogs and children running loose on our allotments, and every year I lose crops. (Last year a branch of blackcurrants, sunflowers and sweetcorn!)
We have used roof tiles form a local roof that was being redone. It was a bit laborious but not hard and does look quite good. All that virtous feeling from recycling too! Penny
So far the only thing that's green on my allotment is me.
Okay, you've talked me out of buying the ready-made linkabord type. but is building my own really as simple as it looks? When my husband made one for me it took forever, but I've been looking at two which have just been put on a nearby allotment. All they seem to be is a rectangle of planks, nailed together, with a peg inside each corner to hold the thing together. Is that really all there is to it? I've never built anything in my life, but I'm quite keen to have a go now.
Hi Sarah,
It is very simple to make designated beds as you have seen. As Tigger has said you should use tanalised timber. Best place to go for this is a Builders Merchants and not a garden centre.
If you explain what you want, a builder merchant will cut the timber pieces to the size you want them. The holding pegs are best made of 2"x 2" tanalised timber and it is best to use screws and not nails to assemble it all.
This means that you can easily take it apart whereas if you use nails it is very difficult to take it to pieces without causing damage.
JB.
It is very simple to make designated beds as you have seen. As Tigger has said you should use tanalised timber. Best place to go for this is a Builders Merchants and not a garden centre.
If you explain what you want, a builder merchant will cut the timber pieces to the size you want them. The holding pegs are best made of 2"x 2" tanalised timber and it is best to use screws and not nails to assemble it all.
This means that you can easily take it apart whereas if you use nails it is very difficult to take it to pieces without causing damage.
JB.