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Will my 14cm be enough?

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  • #1

    Will my 14cm be enough?

    Just spent a long afternoon making some raised beds for an area that used to be patio in my garden, now has a quite hard sand/cement mixture on the floor.

    Have been making them out of decking, 2 lengths on top of eachother, but they look massive! Infact they do look a tad ridiculous that high so was gonna spend another afternoon this week halving the height of them.

    Only worry I have though is that they may be a bit too shallow to grow stuff in. When halved they will be approx 14 cm high, 6 inches in old money. Will this be enough to grow things like beans and peas in? I know I won't be able to do root veg like carrots and snips but they can stay in my deep containers for now.

    My only reckoning for them being fine is that growbags are a lot shallower.

    Whats your opinion guys?
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  • #2
    I can understand your growbag logic but I think you would be drastically limiting what you could grow in them and making it impossible to rotate crops from other beds.
    My personal view is that I would go for the double height if on concrete, but if the underlying surface is permeable a single height would do.
    My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
    to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

    Diversify & prosper


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    • #3
      Snadger beat me to it! If they can't grow into ground below the bed, then go for double the height!

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      • #4
        My raised bed is on concrete and it's 3 foot tall, it's a great size to be able to choose what I grow in it. I'm not limited to growing shallow rooted veg. Your raised bed might look silly at the moment because your not use to seeing it, give it time and a coat of a different colour and you'll love it...trust mi. Mines primrose yellow and it brightens the garden up no end.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by tumbling tom View Post
          growbags are a lot shallower.
          But growbags are too shallow, and dry out really quickly
          All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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          • #6
            TYhanks for the advice guys.

            I will primarily only want this bed for beans and peas, no root veg.

            As for drying out I am not too worried as i have been growing in containers so I am quite used to watering regularly, I even have a little system in place for when I am on holiday.

            How deep are the root systems for peas and beans?

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            • #7
              I'd second the others. Never go for smaller when you could have bigger, whether that be beds, greenhouses, gardens... Even if you only half fill them for the time being, I'd still go for deeper.

              Peas and beans both take a good amount of moisture and if you restrict that, and the root run, you'll also limit the crop.

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              • #8
                If you are unsure leave the supporting posts taller this way you can add another layer at a later date. It also gives you something to attach a net over to keep the local wildlife out of while your seeds take hold.

                The posts on my beds are still about 12 inches higher than the beds 5 years on, I've added I layer on last year, as the extra mulch has been dug in.

                Something to consider I lined my wooden beds with plastic to extend the life of the wooden sides.

                My beds are 18 inches high currently.
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                Last edited by Mikey; 18-04-2011, 12:34 PM.
                I'm only here cos I got on the wrong bus.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by tumbling tom View Post
                  I will primarily only want this bed for beans and peas, no root veg.
                  As Sarah said, they are thirsty plants. You might be happy to water twice a day, but it'd be much better to get the depth and soil correct first time round.
                  All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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                  • #10
                    I'd have thought at least six inches judging from the roots I've dug up in the past.
                    The problem you have with 6 inches is support, unless you grow dwarf varieties. 6 inches is not enough for poles.

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                    • #11
                      I grow peas in containers 9" deep and just about get away with it.

                      If your talking runner beans I grow mine 1 to each morrisons black pot and at the height of the season I have to water at least once daily as it nearly all root and not much compost.

                      I would follow the advice given above it makes an awful lot of sense.

                      Colin
                      Potty by name Potty by nature.

                      By appointment of VeggieChicken Member of the Nutters club.


                      We hang petty thieves and appoint great ones to public office.

                      Aesop 620BC-560BC

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                      • #12
                        Maybe its my mind...............nah!
                        My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
                        to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

                        Diversify & prosper


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                        • #13
                          Try searching the square fooot gardening posts. Mel bartholemew insists that 6 inches is enough and it worked fine for me. Peas broadies, Swiss pak choi herbs strawberries onions shallots all thrived........

                          Even so.......I would go double!

                          Loving my allotment!

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                          • #14
                            So glad I remembered what forum I was on before considering the question "will my 14cm be enough..."
                            A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/

                            BLOG UPDATED! http://haywayne.blogspot.com/2012/01...ar-demand.html 30/01/2012

                            Practise makes us a little better, it doesn't make us perfect.

                            What would Vedder do?

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                            • #15
                              Some of my planters are shown in this link!

                              The Veggie Garden | Facebook
                              Follow my adventures on Twitter: @backyardveggie


                              My children will grow up knowing the Good Life... one day Tom and Barbara, one day!

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