Raised vegetable patch questions
Discussion
A very stupid one first.
I'm going to build a raised patch this weekend in a section of my garden. The place in question currently is grassed, do I need to cut up the grass so the roots can get to the soil underneath or will the soil in the raised box section be sufficient?
What is the best timber to use? I'll be buying soil so do I need to add anything to it?
Thanks
Ciaran
I'm going to build a raised patch this weekend in a section of my garden. The place in question currently is grassed, do I need to cut up the grass so the roots can get to the soil underneath or will the soil in the raised box section be sufficient?
What is the best timber to use? I'll be buying soil so do I need to add anything to it?
Thanks
Ciaran
How deep is the raised bed going to be?
Mine are 16 inches deep almost full so thats plenty deep enough for anything I grow. Mine were built onto grass so I just put down weed suppressing membrane underneath first.
If yours are shallow and you need to use the earth underneath to aid growing them I would take the turf up and dig the ground over before building the beds.
As to what to put in it - I filled mine with a 50/50 mix of topsoil and compost. I sourced it from the company that take the green waste for the council.
Mine are 16 inches deep almost full so thats plenty deep enough for anything I grow. Mine were built onto grass so I just put down weed suppressing membrane underneath first.
If yours are shallow and you need to use the earth underneath to aid growing them I would take the turf up and dig the ground over before building the beds.
As to what to put in it - I filled mine with a 50/50 mix of topsoil and compost. I sourced it from the company that take the green waste for the council.
LivingTheDream said:
Size Nine Elm said:
LivingTheDream said:
Mine are 16 inches deep
Out of interest, how did you build up to that height? Book I was reading just showed using 6x1 timbers, so only 6" height total...Thanks
Size Nine Elm said:
LivingTheDream said:
Mine are 16 inches deep
Out of interest, how did you build up to that height? Book I was reading just showed using 6x1 timbers, so only 6" height total...
I've just done some using pressure treated decking timber, fixed to vertical supports and with brackets in the corners. They are about 12inches high in total (each plank is 15cm/6inch wide).
I dug up the turf and used it elsewhere in the garden, then dug over the area and mixed in several (7 in the end) 50L bags of compost from the garden centre
You've broadly committed to sleepers, remember to consider:
On design:
Whatever, try to do it right - it will look superb, and last so much longer.
- Jointing at corners: There are some seriously long screws. Sleepers are thick enough to be stable, so you don't need stakes here
- Joining upper and lower/sealing: To prevent bowing (particularly different amounts of bowing between upper and lower runs) use vertical battens - 2x2" probably OK, as per V-Spec's photo. Consider Sikaflex adhesive/sealer between sleepers (available at a decent timber merchant).
- A bitumen primer on all soil contact faces (bottom as well as inside face) will add some life. You can dye the outer face if you want. If you want it perfect, use masking tape to get the bitumen finish straight - it's black will show through any dye.
On design:
- For veg, you should make the beds no more than 3' wide (up to 4' if you can reach both sides), because you need to reach weeds and others without standing on the soil.
- Like V-spec's layout, you can play with designs and shapes. Small shapes are great for herbs, salad crops and 'small' stuff (e.g. carrots) in regimented lines. Bigger, bushier plants - rhubarb, potatos - need bigger plots to fit more in.
- Try to pre-construct as much as possible (so you get it square and true), and have a wife/mate to help move into position.
- For sleepers, or a serious construction, dig a trench, however shallow, so you can get a near-level base. Use a spirit level, and scrape away soil to get it right. Don't worry about spots that are too low - you can fill them in later when everything's stable.
- Deep-dig the grass (depth of the spade). Given the depth of beds you are doing, you could put this back in, broken up - the grass will break down and is unlikely to grow through.
- If you have it, a generous layer of compost material (6"). This can be stuff on your heap that is far from composted - under the soil it will break down and feed the earth for years.
- For the final planting layer I would avoid multi-purpose compost. this is basically an absorption medium (normally peat) with chemical fertiliers added. Fine for pots, but not for larger beds. Rather, look for good topsoil (bought, eg Rolawn, or liberated from around the garden), and cut about 50:50 with rotted manure. The manure breaks up the soil as well as making it incredibly fertile. Fill to the brim (it will rot down a lot over the year). If you need to order either, basic maths will tell you the volumes (everything is in litres or cubic metres).
Whatever, try to do it right - it will look superb, and last so much longer.
HiRich said:
- A bitumen primer on all soil contact faces (bottom as well as inside face) will add some life.
On the other hand I just dismantled one which I put in two years ago - same design as my pic above, just a different shape - and the wood still looked as good as new - in fact I was able to recycle the bits that were the right length.
That's a very tidy installation, Olf. I like how you've turned the thickness of the sleepers into a space-saving feature, and can see a similar layout rising one or two tiers (with a cut sleeper as the step up). It would also be very easy to fit fruit cages to keep the birds off and/or a polytunnel cloche.
Olf said:
Ciaran said:
Very impressive Olf!
I think I'm a fair bit away from that to be honest.
It's my Wife's - The shed is mine I think I'm a fair bit away from that to be honest.
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