Traditional beds

**Jay-ell** · 24-07-2015, 08:40 AM

To keep the weeds under control smother them with cardboard sheets. Any big box place will have loads of them to dispose of daily - you just need to get there before they're shredded. Don't use glossy cardboard though.

This will suppress annual weeds and the worms will munch on it so it'll go into the soil when you dig it over.

You'll need to weight it down to stop ot from blowing away and make sure that the bits overlap by a few inches so there's no gaps.

You can also use tarpaulins or thick plastic to do the same job or, if the area is not too big or you have loads, old compost bags - use the black side up so that it absorbs the sun and heats up the weeds.

Bed prep can vary in the amount of digging needed(and therefore time amd aching backs) from double digging at one end of the scale to lazy beds at the other.

Assuming that you're focusing your digging on the beds and not the paths in between all this cultivation should loosem the soil and fluff it up so that you will end up with a basic raised bed at the end of it. You don't need to put edging around it if you don't want to.

**bario1** · 24-07-2015, 08:44 AM

Hi Susie,

Traditional beds are perfectly fine - as you say, raised beds take a lot of effort and time to set up. I have added a couple of raised beds to my plot over time, but there is no need to make everything raised, and certainly not from the get-go. One of my raised beds is for root veg, to create a nice deep stone-free growing medium, and it's about 18" deep. The other I added this year just for the sake of neatness, and because I had all the wood lying about anyway. I do think that if lack of space is an issue, raised beds can be good because you can get away with narrower paths. Also, if your ground doesn't drain very well, raised beds might help.

But for starters, I would concentrate on getting your soil dug over/improved in time for next season, and take it from there.

**veggiechicken** · 24-07-2015, 08:47 AM

Susie, have a look at http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ase_84359.html
Plenty of different types of beds on display. Just lie on one and see how comfy they are

**SusieG** · 24-07-2015, 10:21 AM

Traditional beds...

Originally posted by bario1 View Post

Hi Susie,

Traditional beds are perfectly fine - as you say, raised beds take a lot of effort and time to set up. I have added a couple of raised beds to my plot over time, but there is no need to make everything raised, and certainly not from the get-go. One of my raised beds is for root veg, to create a nice deep stone-free growing medium, and it's about 18" deep. The other I added this year just for the sake of neatness, and because I had all the wood lying about anyway. I do think that if lack of space is an issue, raised beds can be good because you can get away with narrower paths. Also, if your ground doesn't drain very well, raised beds might help.

But for starters, I would concentrate on getting your soil dug over/improved in time for next season, and take it from there.

Thanks for your advice - baby steps - mulching sounds great and a bit of patience !!! 😀

**Jay-ell** · 24-07-2015, 10:30 AM

One advantage of not putting in any form of permanent construction at the moment is that it's easier to play with the layout without them. Once you're happy with the location, width and length of the beds and tye width of the paths you can then think about putting edging around them at time and finances allow - if you want to that is.

One of the reasons im edging my beds is to say "look I'm not a path so dont walk over me - even if it looks as if I am empty"

**marchogaeth** · 24-07-2015, 12:14 PM

There are some good ideas here, too even if you haven't got clay soil. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...-do_84160.html

**Snadger** · 24-07-2015, 07:05 PM

Most of what people class as raised beds are actually 'defined beds' rather than raised.By walking on the paths, the paths compact and go down while the defined bed is fluffed up.

Nowt wrong with traditional though, or even a mix!

**Alison** · 24-07-2015, 07:11 PM

I have edged beds, they're not raised but they are defined areas I don't walk on. They're either 10' or 6' long and 4' wide. I like the fact I can completely weed one and it's done rather than having a huge area that is never finished.

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