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  • raised beds

    what advantage are raised beds . i know how to build one. my soil is very clayey. and what do you add to existing soil to improve it. cheers. plumber.

  • #2
    I prefer raised beds as they are more manageable & containable. You don't have to lay boards down to walk down rows so no compaction of soil. You can improve the structure of the soil by adding as much organic matter as possible, from home made compost, old compost out of containers, horse manure etc, then keep mulching the surface to keep the weeds down.
    sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
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    • #3
      The advantages are you don't have to bend so far to work them, they are less prone to waterlogging, and they are tidy-looking.
      He-Pep!

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      • #4
        with raised beds you get the greater depth of soil and improved drainage, making sure you improve the clay soil first, if over 18ins high it would help prevent carrot rootfly and with the extended depth you could grow the longest parsnips ever, I know as I have 24ins raised beds and topsoil of just over 36ins deep(old Victorian veg patch) so it lets the roots get to a really good length and for old far-- like me it means no bending down and falling over. I put all the seasons compost bin contents into a new raised bed and add all the tattie tub compost on top, just don't try to grow carrots in there the first year as it would be too rich and the carrot roots would split, it seems to mean less slug damage so far....

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        • #5
          Wot BUFFS said!

          No need to add to soil immediately but do it over time. Just add any MPC that comes out of pots or growbags.

          Then compost every bit of green matter from the kitchen and garden/allotment and add that.

          It is amazing how quickly they build up.
          The proof of the growing is in the eating.
          Leave Rotten Fruit.
          Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potasium - potash.
          Autant de têtes, autant d'avis!!!!!
          Il n'est si méchant pot qui ne trouve son couvercle.

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          • #6
            All of the above!

            But you tend to find the soil in raised beds gets warmer, quicker for earlier spring planting! That as to be a bonus!
            "Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad"

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            • #7
              You can also build traditional beds with paved paths:



              The beds allow close planting, and the paths mean I don't walk on the beds, or get muddy shoes. Slabs can be found cheap on ebay, and I put a layer of sharp sand beneath, not the best paths but they do. The advantage is that I rarely need to water, and putting on compost improves the soil. I actually dug down several feet to remove perennial weeds. But the soil does not warm up quickly in spring. That for me is the only advantage of raised beds. The fact that they cost much more is the negative. They do look nice. Raised beds seem to be quite trendy, but appearance does matter a lot when it is your garden, and less bending helps.

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              • #8
                Oh, and to answer a question you asked, I too have heavy clay soil, which is very fertile, and to improve it I just throw on at least two inches of compost each year. Charles Dowding has shown that for most crops digging offers no advantage. The compost is drawn down into the soil by worms. The winter frosts will break up the surface of the soil. He actually started with undug heavy clay, and compost. The first year was not as good as dug soil, but from then on it was fine.

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                • #9
                  I have raised beds on my patio, as an alternative to yet more pots, but I do find they need a lot of watering as they are on slabs, not soil. I don't particularly find they stop the slugs but then mine are in heavy shade and there is a gap between the beds and a wall/fence behind which unfortunately is a haven for slugs and snails. It gets a good dose of nematodes when I treat the garden which I think helps a bit.
                  A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

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                  • #10
                    my raised beds are in full sun(it rains a lot here) but we are not getting everything eaten by slugs as has happened in the area yet to get the raised beds, we are still feeding the birds, and we have had 2 hatches from the blackbirds with thrushes, wrens, sparrows and robins all spending lots of time mooching about the garden and a snail shell dump where the thrushes feed, we have resident frogs, toads and newts with a fairly regular visits from at least one hedgehog. I decided when we moved here that we would not use any chemicals and after 2 poor to average years we seem to have the wildlife doing the clearing of the nasties, I thought this year would be bad due to the mild winter but the birds started early, even the gooseberry sawfly only managed to strip one small branch before disappearing so it has been better than I presumed it would be. the male blackbird sits on the side of the far raised bed and sings his heart out only moving if I get closer than about six foot but all the crops in the present raised beds are really going strong and looking clear of pests, I should have done this years ago, it does take a lot of filling, 2ft deep, 3ft wide and about 6/7ft long, so its 4 done and another 4/5 yet to do...must remember NOT to order climbing French beans next year or I will never live it down..

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                    • #11
                      many thanks for advice. i think i,ll try it out. i,m not too sure of the no dig system though. i believe in getting air and frost well down . i,m old fashiond and enjoy digging in autumn. each to his own ideas. cheers . plumber.

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                      • #12
                        We are having raised beds next year. I picked up some raised bed kits from Wilkos £1.50 each. Its just the metal joints & rods to hold the sides together. Now on the hurt for reclaimed railway sleepers!
                        @thecluelessgardener

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                        • #13
                          I just built a raised bed that sits on a gravelled area. I'm using the square foot method, there is a sticky for this, and planted up some cabbage and cauliflower plants to get it started. Looks great and was so easy to plant. I used some leftover soil from some digging I did in spring and mixed it with MPC and some vermiculite I had left over. Will see how it goes. Good luck with yours


                          Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum

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                          • #14


                            Build mine out of decking boards from b&q when they had an offer on. The advantage is they look so much neater and think all together I paid just over £10 which is pretty good.
                            Attached Files
                            Last edited by veggiechicken; 10-08-2014, 03:14 PM. Reason: Twisting picture ;)

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                            • #15
                              I use raised beds, the first one was on a concrete base after moving a green house, this saved me bending and as there was no access for tree roots I had better crop returns, I dont need to dig to remove tree roots (though I did enjoy digging when I was able,) the next lot of raised beds I made I covered the ground with heavy duty weed membrane and some with the fabric from an old trampoline, I add sea weed and rock dust (there`s a rock quarry near by)to keep the mineral content high in them
                              it may be a struggle to reach the top, but once your over the hill your problems start.

                              Member of the Nutters Club but I think I am just there to make up the numbers

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