How do you make a raised veg bed

Hi folks,i`ve read through a few pages but can`t see any reference to what is done once the cropping is over.What i mean is,do you just lightly turn the soil over or leave it ? With thanks....freddy.

 

Oh....one other thing,once the raised bed has been constructed and fixed in place, should it be filled completely? Thanks again.....freddy.

 

Come on guys,dont desert me now !

 

I quite fancy the idea of raised veggie beds from the point of view of neatness (and maybe having things a bit higher up as I get older!) What other advantages are there?

 

Hi Freddy
Check my blog for further info !

 

Hi Freddy the best site to help you out is without a doubt our very own member 'Plotty' web site he gives you a run down of what he is doing on his allotment and I must say very few are as good as him....If you have not been to his site yet click on the link below it really is a great site and he even does video's..how great is that?
Helen.xxx.


http://www.myallotments.com

 

Hi folks,those links didn`t really answer my questions, but I think I`ve got the general idea. Cheers..freddy.

 

Its up to you if you fork it over, some do some dont. Regardless you will get the best results if you spread manure or compost over each season and work it in.

I would say fill it completly initialy as the soil will settle.

 

Hi `Pro`,thanks for that.

 

I have just graduated from scaffolding plants which only lasted 2 or 3 seasons, to sleepers. A local supplier sells several different grades. The ones I get have little or no surface tar oil so they are ideal They cest �£14.50 + vat and are worth every penny.
John

 

Hi John, I was down at B&Q yesterday and saw that they had some treated roughcut timber measuring 15ft x 9" x 2" for �£18. How does that compare ? Cheers...freddy.

 

PS, I know that sleepers are much thicker, but these looked VERY substantial.

 

I have had raised beds for some time now and find that the planks that the yards round here call 'gravel board' are well suited to the ask and much easier to handle. The boards that freddy mentions sound much the same. As long as the timber is treated it should last much longer than 2-3 years. Also if you don't have a large garden the the sleepers take up much more room!
The boards which I bought were around �£2 per metre.

 

I bought scaffold boards from a local scaffolding company.
The boards were "condemned" i.e. they had splits/chunks missing etc.
I paid �£3 each for them ( 14' x 9" x 2")with free delivery.
I cant see you getting anything else as cheap as that.
The boards are pressure treated when new. Gravel boards are treated with chemicals that are not good for you to eat.
If you're gonna use sleepers - go to a timber yard - NOT B&Q. Unless of course you can afford their over inflated prices.

I built all the raised beds on my plot for less than �£25!

Have fun!

 

Well, Freddy, Liz and Octarine, I am satisfied that my sleepers will outlive the scaff etc bourds and probably me too now! However, we sould be moving next year so perhaps it was a bit of needless extravagance. John