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Raised beds

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Raised beds

Postby eschscholtzia » Fri Jul 03, 2015 9:10 pm

Any advice on the best/cheapest way to start these? Bending is now problem so this seemed the best solution if not too difficult to achieve

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Re: Raised beds

Postby jeral » Sun Jul 05, 2015 12:10 am

Hi. I've seen DIY brick-built raised beds which wouldn't be that cheap even before any labour costs involved. They also need a foundation if to sit on soil ground rather than existing hard standing.

It's possible to buy small display plastic planters shaped like a Babycham glass so on a stem. Or just setting oblong plastic planters on "something". Trouble is that they're not very deep so more suitable for bedding plants.

Strong plastic water tanks intended for lofts can work with holes drilled in the bottom. They're not cheap, nor would be the compost to fill them. They should last though. I had one that did, and painted the front in a stone effect.

Smaller storage boxes can be deep enough as long as you get the really solid plastic (or PVC or whatever it is).

There are a few DIY ideas on here which might give you inspiration in case you can get any salvage items: http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2013/03/ ... rden-beds/

All I can think of for the moment.

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Re: Raised beds

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Jul 05, 2015 10:27 am

I think the question is probably who is going to build them

If you are having trouble bending, you presumably won't be hefting railway sleepers and filling them with top soil yourself - very heavy work indeed

So if you are getting a man in, I'd suggest asking what he has done before

Here's the RHS advice
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=428

\you can buy pre-made systems for making raised beds, which take a lot of the carpentry skills out, but still leave you needing to do a lot of work

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Re: Raised beds

Postby hungryhousewife » Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:17 pm

Apparently carrots are very successfully grown in raised beds, as the carrot fly can only fly about 4 inches off the ground!! Is that true, or is it just a gardening myth?

HH

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Re: Raised beds

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Jul 08, 2015 12:37 pm

hungryhousewife wrote:Apparently carrots are very successfully grown in raised beds, as the carrot fly can only fly about 4 inches off the ground!! Is that true, or is it just a gardening myth?

HH

Dunno about the raised beds, but low screens round beds of carrot do apparently stop carrot fly since they fly so low, it seems to be received gardening wisdom

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Re: Raised beds

Postby elderberry » Tue Jul 14, 2015 10:54 am

jeral wrote:
Strong plastic water tanks intended for lofts can work with holes drilled in the bottom. They're not cheap, nor would be the compost to fill them. They should last though. I had one that did, and painted the front in a stone effect.


Such things can be found on Freecycle.
I loved your link, jeal!
I've seen an old bath successfully used, and a local allotment will doubtless through up many other ideas.

I built 11 raised beds from in our garden, and while I did get some free timber from Freecycle, it's actually so much easier with new wood that I invested £hundreds for the majority of them. My beds should last decades though, so hopefully it's a wise choice.

Building them from scratch is straightforward, but not easy. It requires some physical strength, and something to act as a 'jig', otherwise nothing will be straight. I know there are kits available which slot together, and I can appreciate they might be a way to proceed; but they aren't cheap.

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