Topic: raised vs flat beds

[kenkew]

You're as bad as me. You sure you're not from Yorkshire?

[Roy Bham UK]

Hi Ken is that Horticultural sand or plain old builders sand or silver sand or whatever ??? ;D

Looking god BTW ;) 8)

Oops edited to say I missed an 'O' Oh dear ;D

[kenkew]

Builders sand, the other is too expensive to scatter on the plot. I know it's going to probably contain a few impurities and possibly some lime in there, but the weather will help to flush it clean and I I can at least work the claggy (but very fertile) soil.
I bought some sand, cheap, from the local DIY shop for use in potting on. It's sand sold for use in childrens sand pits. Sold as organic sand....'Organic Sand...?'

[derbex]

Organic Sand...?

It is AFTER the children have played in it  :o

[tim]

Could some kind person give me the gist of BobF's article? Mag sold out here.

I have no drainage problem - so it's the other points I'm after.

[aquilegia]

One raised bed is finished.

We dug down one spit (takes ages - had to remove loads of rubble and clay) and then losened the second spit (and took out more rubble). Then the useable soil has to be sieved back in as it's so stony. That took me three days. But at least the whole bed is finished.

Second one was dug on Saturday, but I only managed to sieve a few bucket loads in.

Other two will be finished by the end of April (I hope!) For planting after the frosts.

Already looks so neat!

[kenkew]

Photo, photo, photo.

[aquilegia]

Ken - takes me a while - I have an old fashioned film camera. But when it's finished - definitely!

[wardy]

Raised beds by Bob Flowerdoo (gist of) good but don't need wood edges etc.  They warm up quick but dry out quick too.  |If you've light dry soil you can dig a trench lengthways down middle of raised bed where it will be cooler and damper and offer more wind shelter.  On the ridge you've made either side the trench you can row fr beans, swiss chard and beetroot, spuds and sweetcorn  In the trench you can grow celeriac, celery, leeks, ridge cumbers.  You could cover the trench with glass to get seeds off to a flying start as you've making in effect a long cold frame.  The following year use the trench for spuds and you can fill the trench with soil from the raised bed itself or weed and grass clippings.  When spuds gone level out the raised bed and plant legumes and then brassicas (rotation we're on about here)  You can level the bed with lime.After that you;ve got consolidated soil for onions and roots.  If you wanted to leave trench in you could use it for early spuds.  you can warm the soil with glass.  Note that raised beds can be very dry and if you don't want to water than don't plant celery, leeks.  Spuds will yield lower in a normal raised bed (eg without the trench) if not watered but will keep well. Spinach will not do well if not watered on the raised bed method.  You need to make the soil as retentive as poss.  Salad crops will usually do well.  I think all in all he thinks they are worth doing but he has concluded that he can achieve rotation using the raised bed with the trench down the middle.  He puts straw mulch down on the paths and up the sides of the bed to retain moisture. 

[NattyEm]

It takes ages doesn't it!!

We don't have sides on ours.  But have been digging out a spit, then loosening the bottom since its all horrid clay, then digging in compost/manure depending on whats going in there, then putting the other stuff back ontop.  Haven't been tilling it back in though just picking out the big stones/roots.  A 10'x4' bed takes me about an hour and a half.  We've done 4.  Only another...er...lots to go!

[aquilegia]

My method is exceptionally slow, then. The beds will all measure 4ft x 4ft. And I've done one and a 1/3 so far. hmm....

[moonbells]

This is a piccy of my raised beds under construction.

[img width= height= alt=" border="0]http://www.moonbells.freeserve.co.uk/allotment/2005/January_05/160105_2.jpg[/img]

At this point I was about halfway through them, and was covering with carpet as soon as one was done.  Upper edges are 4" timber, lower are 8". The ground was so compacted that just single digging filled them to the extent you can see in the foreground bed.  I'm sure that copious barrowloads of manure etc will fill them in the coming seasons!

I expect to water a lot anyway, and watching it all run off downhill (as it was before) is far worse than having to do it a bit more often but actually doing some good.  And I am growing spuds in them - on plenty of nice moisture-retentive manure!

moonbells

[tim]

Wardy - thanks a lot - & for your previous attempt. = Tim

[tim]

Looking back to 'copper tape versus slugs' - very expensive.

So - just done them with vaseline - same as the Hosta pots.

The plastic ones could be done with WD40 - even cheaper?

[Roy Bham UK]

Looking back to 'copper tape versus slugs' - very expensive.

So - just done them with vaseline - same as the Hosta pots.

The plastic ones could be done with WD40 - even cheaper?

 ;) Thanks Tim, never knew that about WD40 ;) they must hate the stuff then? much more convenient albeit more smelly ;D

[tim]

Another bright thought?

Are raised beds less vulnerable to 'ground' frosts?

[Ceri]

I've given up with the lawn in my small back garden due to solid clay and a top soil of about 2 inches!  I've created three raised beds - one 8ft x 2ft ish and the other two 2 1/2 ft square.  Didn't bother digging out the grass.  The big one I filled with soil/grit/compost which is now my herb bed.  With the other two I covered the grass inside the wooden frames with "pretty well rotted but with recognisable bits in" garden compost, then a layer of well soaked cardboard, then soil/compost mix.  One is for my son to grow sunflowers etc. in, the other will be where two courgette plants will grow - as at the allotment they grow too quick for me to catch! 

It's worked brilliantly, no grass has grown through, the plants love it, no solid clay, no more broken spades/forks/trowels.  The grass paths round them have been covered with weed suppressant stuff and will be woodchipped.

[Doris_Pinks]

I don't know Tim, but what I do know is on my wooden edged one on the plot, they are so easy to fleece, I just run it down the row and get out my trusty stapler!!
Ceri are they not wonderful! You can get the soil you want in them too!

[wardy]

Tim    I've just checked back from that Bob Flowerdoo info I gave on here and it just says the beds warm up quicker in spring so that kind of infers they are warmer.  Also they are easier to fleece if we get a hard frost threatened

[tim]

Yes, I remember that bit. Just thought that, being higher, the plants would need an air frost to harm them, & that's much less likely at this time.