and im back properly

[dan3008]

As you may or may not have noticed, I've been very quiet recently, certainly for me, I always have something to say

Well I've been busy. I was gifted an old crate for the garden, however, half the lats were broken or missing so, me being me, I've fixed it up and now its a raised bed.

I even added a little perch seat at the right hand side

WP_20160509_21_11_05_Pro.jpg (497.42 KiB) Viewed 3958 times

So, what do you think?
The inside of the wood is painted with a food safe wax (bees wax with a heat stabiliser) to keep the water out of the wood, then lined with ground sheets. The whole thing is stood on a 3inch hole, filled with gravel. Another inch of gravel is in the bottom of the crate, all this should aid drainage.
After growing season is over, this along with my other raised beds will be treated with a nice red cedar wood treatment which I picked up last week from my local farm shop

[Pawty]

Looks good - what you planning to grow in it? Looks pretty deep.

You've given me an idea - I have a couple of these crates - they contained the stone for our patio and are very strong. I saved them as the builders were just about to put them in the skip. I was going to turn them into composters but maybe one could be a raised bed to home the artichokes?

[dan3008]

This year, I'll be growing 4 squash plants. In fact if you look on seedswap, its 2of the round courgettes and 2 of the yellow scallops I got from Oscar
But from next year, it'll have a small berry bush in the middle and then it'll be my little girls planter I've already made a sign "Nomi's magical garden, fairies, pixies and elves welcome" and I'm making a smaller one to hang on the side "no troll's"
Since she like fast growing veg, it'll probably have radishes and the like. And ill probably sneek some bits like onions and garlic in the gaps.

In a few years maybe even some asparagus. Perennials are good for kids lol

[dan3008]

typical, I finally get back to normality, and my little girl gets tonsillitis ... typical timing

[Westi]

Awe Bless her. Poorly children are just so fragile it breaks your heart to see them being pathetic & unable to express how they really feel.

Here's your opportunity - pop out when she's asleep & sow some radishes & cut & come lettuces so by the time she feels better they will be showing! Magic fairy dust fell out of the special fairy bag when they were coming to check she was OK or other such tale to make it more special!

Westi

[Johnboy]

Hi Dan,
Sorry to hear that your little princess has been poorly and is on the mend.
As a father of three daughters and seven granddaughters I know that your approach will live on. I introduced my daughters to growing at a very young age and the things that they grew were always mentioned at table. Lettuces by one radishes by another and the tomatoes by the other. I know that was taken on by my daughters and my granddaughters all grow their plot on.
Even when at university they grow things in window boxes and buckets.the way things have gone I am sure that the granddaughters will continue with the now tradition.
Good on ya Dan.
JB.

[dan3008]

thanks guys

Westy, I'd actually done that, got raddishe in now Radishes are the first veg she grew this year so she really loves them
Although, that might have something to do with the fact she cant say Radcliffe... so our family name at the moment is Raddish lol

Johnboy, It was my grandad who got me into growing, used to take me to his 1/2 acre plot every weekend during school, and just about every day over summer Ah the memories. I'll always remember the first time I was handed my own packet of seeds at 7, and my own little plot of soil right by the gate Thats the sort of memories I want to pass on to her and the same love of growing things

of course at 2 she probably wont remember much of it lol

[Johnboy]

Hi Dan,
These grandfathers have a lot to answer for haven't they. I was always interested in what my grandfather was doing. He was a breeder of fine Herefordshire Cattle with an absolute passion for growing vegetables as a hobby. In my formative years he introduced me to all manner of things. More important was what were weeds and what were what we could grow and eat. Up until the age of thirteen I used to do his weeding and digging but at thirteen I had my own allotment in the corner of the orchard 100ft x 33ft but sadly my parents would not let me go into agriculture so I became an RAF apprentice and the rest is history.
After my 25 years in the RAF I went to Uni to study horticulture and to this day Iam as interested in all types of growing and stll manage to grow a few things. Just!
My passion apart from vegetables is trees and with my grandson we are producing several thousand trees me doing the looking-on and him doing the work. These grandfathers!
JB.

[Pawty]

My Grandad worked in coal mining. My brother and dad have coal mines now and I studied geology and I work in this field. My niece wants to be a rockologist! All because of my grandad.

I get my love of growing from grandad and dad. Although my grandad always grew the same - potatoes, tomatoes runner beans and lettuce. He never moved from this or the variety. Where as I like to grow different things.

Passing this passion on to the next generation is so incredibly important. Dan - the encouragement your giving is brilliant - you'll be surprised at how much she does remember!

Pawty

[Geoff]

We must be bad parents, son has never shown any interest in growing anything. Perhaps building the house, sorting out the land and growing stuff took so much of my time when he was young it over faced him. He loves cooking and his partner tries growing a few herbs so perhaps when they finally get their own house things will change but rather a long way away near Eastbourne to influence much. I never knew my grandfathers, one was a farmer and the other a station master who loved gardening. He retired to ⅓ acre and established an orchard and garden, my parents kept that place on when he died (father was a teacher and we spent all summer there) and retired there themselves so I was always involved with gardening with them.

[Westi]

My interest in growing is from my Grandmother, who brought me up. My grandfather was a shearer & a shearer's cook so away a far bit so Nana & I did the garden. We grew watermelons on the sweepings from the chickens & had other beds scattered around the yard to get some shade on the wee plants or just let them catch the early morning sun so they wouldn't frazzle. We had grapes, mangoes, paw paws (Papaya) & orange trees.

My job was watering - our water supply came from a big galvanised tank on the side of the house. We had a water supply but it was from a bore & came out hot so we filled the tank to allow it to cool. As I grew & moved around digs I always had a wee bed of something growing, but didn't always give it the attention it deserved.

Then I came to the UK - what a land for growing! Yep challenging at times & I moan but this little thread reminded me just what a real challenge my Nana had to get vegetables to go with all the lamb/mutton & chook we consumed!

Westi

[Ricard with an H]

That is a lot of soil Dan, where did you get it ?

Also, what I found with raised beds is it takes three seasons at least to get rid of the seed bank that we disturb from beneath. This means it's almost impossible to sow seed direct because the emerging seed bank seedlings always out-compete your sown seeds.

In one of my raised beds that is only in its second season I sowed carrots, spring onions and coriander. That bed is now green all-over with seedlings but I can't see any carrots, Spring onions or coriander so I'll have to burn it all of or dig it in and start again with established plants that I can weed around.

Not easy, is it ?

[dan3008]

Tell me about it... Even putting the soil through a 1/2mm sive hasn't stoped the weeds... Most of the soil came from the excess when i leveled out the lower section of my garden, but the rest came from my local green waste centre. Betwen may and september they do a bag your own compost, 35kg bag for £1 if yours on benefits or elderly. Only £2.50 for everyone else
used all of last years bag now between top dressing my raised beds, and filling this up. So ill be getting another bag when they start up again next week