raised beds

on the plot it is all one level (kind of) more like the ocean waves

i want to do raised beds but the plot owner says it is too expensive to do as he priced up tanalised boards last year

at home I have made all my beds out of decking boards and lined them and if we did that at the plot it is easily half of the cost of tanalised boards,

so is there any reason why i shouldnt use decking boards ( other than the life span )

 

No reason whatsoever Kaz...but...

Beware of investing too much (both in money and effort) on a plot you have no legal right too. It's something I was warned about when I was offered a similar oppurtunity as you have (there, I feel better having said that now :D)

If you have a timber mill near to you, you could also use "slabs" for the raised beds, as they are very cheap and usually quite thick so will last years. Slabs are what comes of the tree trunks when they square them up.



But on allotments it's accepted practice to use absolutely anything you can get your hands on for whatever you need it for...it does not have to be pretty, so old doors or pallets can be used, or even this I found on a quick Google search using brezze blocks.



Or you could make lazy raised beds, just dig out the pathways between the beds and put this soil on top, instant raised beds without the costs!

Steve...

 

thanks steve for all advice,

i have been in touch with the local parish and they are aware that i am on the plot and today i met another plot holder who is also the Chair he said that the regulars on the plot have already spoken highly of my commitment and that so far this year they have seen me more then the plot holder was seen all of last year, he said that if any problems araise with the actual tenant then i should go chat to him,

re the raised beds

A) the plot is on a hill and all plots are terraced but even so they do still slope away,

B) one side of the plot seems much wetter than the rest so a raised bed could help with the drainage

C) we have a resident vixen and she and her cubs love digging the beds (so a rasied bed is going to be easier to encase)

I have got some bits and pieces at my house i could take up but i am being very cautious to what i give other then my time, energy, and enthusiathum. like you all say HE COULD KICK ME OUT and then i would have nothing saved for when my plot comes up :nono:
the plot is 136 feet long by 20 wide (well that is the planting length) even if a few beds were done now for a start and re could slowly resorce bits for others as we go

So far he has visited the plot twice when i was there to give me seedtrays and seeds and he has been once when i havent ( he dug a trench of 3' x15" ) have not seen him since

 

hi john
yes to start with just over the poor draining side

as for a lot of work i figure i have to dig in the compost and the bone meal now so i may as well do it all at the same time, the raised beds are a doddle to knock up, to stop the foxes when the cubs are young the other say that with a raised bed you pop some canes around the beds with some wire mesh and they dont bother with them, they go play on someone elses plot who has open beds

as for the extra watering i always plastic line the bed sides and bury it about a foot lower than the bottom of the bed i find this help the water stay where it needs to but not becoming water logged durring wet spells
i also use membrain on top and mulch which as we all know helps

 

Gardenare gardens allotments are bigger

Hi Kaz,
Hope your well and enjoying life,
Now as ive headed this reply, allotments are a larger and more commercial kind of gardening, hence the raised beds are not "shall we say as neat as those the passing world and visitors are going to see in the home garden!

If you have a builders yard near you, go and price "USED" scaffolding bourds,

These bourds are longer than decking and wider and thicker also they have to pass health & saftey regs "this is why they're offten for sale by the builders yard because they've passed their used for saftey dates " But are just the ticket for raised beds.

Now a good raised bed wants to be approx 10 to 15 feet long But only wide enough so you can spread your self from either side so you touch the middle of the bed (ideal for weedind by hand)

The bourds ive talked about will last you for years.

Regards Moonraker.

 

I started out with what are termed "Lazy raised beds" - no retaining sides, so over time the soil on the edges slips back onto the paths and you have to tidy it up every second year or so. Zero cost, less effort, but you lose a bit of cropping space on the "shoulders" and it doesn't look as smart. You get the benefits of improved drainage (from raised beds) and no, or less, digging.

Make sure the beds are a maximum of 4' side (so you can reach the middle from either side), make the paths at least as wide as the length of you leg from foot to knee - then you can kneel comfortably in the path :thumb:, and just dig one-spit deep along the paths and pile the soil on the beds - it will give you a couple of inches raised, plus lowering the path means that the bed will drain into the now-lowered path.

Do the nice timber edging when you have time, money and inclination (it took me 5 years!)



Making Lazy Raised Beds (left side of greenhouse)



Converting old Lazy Raised Beds (right side of greenhouse) to smarter framed-raised-beds. The timber ends are, in part, so that dragging a hose will mean it has to go round the end of the bed, and won't "pull" across the bed destroying all the plants.

 

Quote Chitting Kaz
"So far he has visited the plot twice when i was there to give me seedtrays and seeds and he has been once when i havent ( he dug a trench of 3' x15" ) have not seen him since "

So long as it is not 6' x 3' x 6' deep You do not need to worry

Jack McH

 

"Converting old Lazy Raised Beds (right side of greenhouse) to smarter framed-raised-beds. The timber ends are, in part, so that dragging a hose will mean it has to go round the end of the bed, and won't "pull" across the bed destroying all the plants."

Looks a bit like Jobs grave in Salalah Oman

Jack McH

 

I've used what my local timber merchant calls gravel board - 3metres x 140mm x 20mm. It's pressure treated so lasts well but does not seep into the soil, and cheap!
Mine are level with the ground and not sunk in. To stop soil seepage through rainfall, I staple carpet offcuts 20mm from the top and fold them around (ie; under the bed).

 

ok all points taken on board,
also need to make compost bins and the put up a barrier at the end of the plot where there are trees but unfortunately has also been used as a dumping ground lots of old metal and glass and goodness knows what else !

I have already cleared a large slopped area if it WAS MY plot then i would go through the lot to max the space i have and clear the rubbish ( would gain another 6' X22' wide ) but for now i will just put up a barrier and make it safe for my grand children to be up there

so today i am off on a scavanging hunt to see what i can get for nothing

 

Get 3 (or 4) pallets and use them for each of the "walls" (depends a bit what you want to do for the "front" side)

Councils often do subsidised offers on the Dalek type plastic bins, if you prefer them.

 

ahead of you there

i like pallet ones myself divided into 3 i usually use removable slats on front but if not enough wood shall use wire mesh for now ,have already scaved 2 pallets and more on the way Friend works on the lorries

shall do a full update later off to work now !

 

Excellent

 

so today i have scaved

2 car tyres

2 wardrobes ( 8 x 6' by 2' if i cut the width in half i get 16 lengths)
plus the tops and bottoms and shelves again cut in half double the quantity

6 lengths of 2"x3" all approx 11' long

2 lengths of skirting board approx 12' long

6 pieces of box roofing sheets all approx 4' X 3' wide which if i turn on their side will be just enough to fence off the back of allotment i can use the timber above as stakes

a wooden bunkbed framework ..... instant strawberry bed

and a plastic green house 4' x 4' not sure that i will take this to the plot mind its a tad windy up there

and it only cost me 2 miles worth of petrol :yess: