New to veg raised beds???

Hi i have just build my raised bed 2ftx6ft and because i have a small garden i have had to put it on gravel stones and fill with homemade compost, topsoil and manure would this be ok for drainage and growing would i need anything else? Also could anyone tell me whats the difference between sets and seeds as i have been looking at the Marshalls catalogue wondering what to get for next year. Also would 16inch depth be big enough for carrots, Potatoes, Onions and Broccoli to grow. Any help would be great as im new to all this Thankyou:gnthb:

 

Onions - If you grow from seed you really need to start the seeds off in a greenhouse very early. If you grow from sets you plant the small onion bulbs in Spring. Growing from sets is much easier.

Depth - 16" should be fine, but personally I'd be tempted to break up the gravel base to aid root penetration.

Planting - You are being a bit ambitious with what you want to grow in a 2'x6' area. Potatoes and broccoli take up quite a bit of root space and both will shade the smaller veg. You might be better thinking about things like beetroot, climbing beans, chard, lettuce and radish.

Drainage - Should be ok.

 

Potatoes will take whatever space you give them, so while it would be ok to grow them in the bed you describe, you will have a job growing anything else in the same bed. You would get a better crop yield if you leave out the potatoes, and instead grow them in their own containers. The trick to a good potato yield is to start them shallow and add more compost as they grow, so if you put a few inches of compost in the bottom of a large container, plant a seedy, then add more compost as it grows, always leaving just the top few leaves exposed, you will get a decent crop.

 

So far as I understand it, seeds are .... er seeds! Sets on t'other hand are small bulbs which have been started into growth before you buy them.

 

Welcome to the forum Natty.
I think the raised bed you describe will be just fine for growing lots of things.
But's it not a big bed so think about what you want to grow in there,
I agree with the others about not growing potatoes in it as they will take all your space. If you have a place where you could stand a few buckets or containers potatoes will grow well in them.
I would grow the onions from sets (small bulbs ready for planting) as growing them from seed is such a footer.
If you want some garlic to go with your onions buy a bulb from the supermarket now, break it into cloves and plant each clove 1 to 2 " deep and about 6" apart. You'll have lovely garlic come June/July.
Good luck.

 

I would go for the smaller varieties of vegetables. This would enable you to grow a larger variety of crops. Taller varities and thinks such as broccoli would probably needstaking. Also, start as much as possible in pots etc and then transplant. You want to make as much use of the beed as possible - eg sow leeks in trays or modules, same for lettuce. Beetroot provides tops for cooking like spinach and roots.

have fun

 

For Broccoli in small beds, the Organic Gardening Catalogue is suggesting 'Wok Broc', which it describes as a fast growing dwarf variety ideal for growing in limited space, and great for stir frying (according to the catalogue).

 

I too have a small area for veg. This has always led me to thinking I should try and grow the things that are expensive to buy from the veg shop, and that take up least room. I don't see the point in growing carrots and spuds for example as they cost very little to buy for the amount you get.
Spring onions are great for this, they don't seem to mind being crowded, I just scatter them in, instead of in rows as the packets suggest.
Salad leaves give you a quick return, and are great for filling up litle spaces with.
Beetroot also go well if you pack them in tight I find.
Peas and beans take up only vertical space, so they are worth a try.
Broccoli takes quite a lot of room, and mine was dissapointing last year, what with bolting and getting decimated by cabbage whites. This is probably just me being a poor gardener though.

 

Hi thanks everyone for replys. I was going to put Broccoli and potatoes in grow bags and then have onions and carrots in the bed would this be ok you think? Things like beetroot and leeks etc i hardly eat so i think it would be a waste of time to grow these im just going to grow the veg that i eat the most. Thanks everyone for advice!

 

Potatoes are better in a depth of soil, last year i used compost bags ,rolled them down,made drainage holes about 2" up in the sides, added 4" of compost/soil laid 4 chitted potatoes on top and covered with compost ,then as the foilage appeared i just kept topping the soil up ,rolling the bag back up as neccessary.
Xnattyx you should only grow what you eat,