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Making raised beds the frugal way

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  • #1

    Making raised beds the frugal way

    Morning all,

    I am starting a pilot food growing community project which aims to grow produce and inspire children about the natural world.

    One aspect of this project is sustainability and where possible, I hope to use materials which would otherwise end up in landfill (such as, for example, old cupboard doors to make a raised bed instead of having to buy timber sleepers). I believe that reducing what may end up in landfill is both good for people (as councils have to pay landfill tax [which is passed on to people] of which is going up as landfill space is going down) and good for the environment.

    Consequently, use of such materials may be a bit horrid on the eye but this can be overcome with a bit of imagination, say for example, planting a think row of wildflowers on the sides of the raised be which are most prominent visably, or maybe drawing illustrations of butterflies, bees and flowers etc.

    I was just wondering if anyone has taken this approach to making raised beds, and if they have, a) how did they come about getting access to the materials they used and b) how did they (if they did) pretty it up to make it less sore on the eye?

    I know of websites such as freecycle and gumtree where I have posted requests for unwanted materials such as bricks and any unwanted waterbutts/composters.

    Thank you for your time and help,

    Samuel
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Wormeries are a must with kids. Get as many as you can.

    Beds - I use pallet beds - lay the pallet down, block the holes round the sides with either nailed on bits of other pallets, bricks, or line with weed fabric. Fill with compost. Sow immediately. They are good because the kids can sit on them, stand on them and put their foot on them to lean against for sowing.

    You can use them vertically as well.

    Other raised beds, I just mound the earth up these days. Saves time, effort and if someone trips, no heads get bumped.
    Last edited by zazen999; 08-03-2013, 10:58 AM.

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    • #3
      I used the half logs that were sitting between steel beams and broken scafoflding planks that were used to build an extension at work.
      This year though, I'll probably remove them, and just pile them to make less formal square beds.

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      • #4
        I used some chipboard cupboards as a raised bed for some flowering shrubs along the fence. You can paint them (but I never got around to it) or better still plant some succulents along the edges. They will drip over the edge and look pretty, and attract the bees to the flowers, and they are hardy as.

        Most of my beds have no edging or some hay edging. I did make two gardens Beds, our of two old bed frames. I also have two half 44 gallon metal drums......but after cutting one up for me the boys said never again!

        Since it's kids I'd get them to garden graffiti it all Really they'll enjoy it, it's artisitic, can be messy, but looks great when everything is growing. Ask on freecycle for the dregs of paint cans people have. The colour range will just add to it.
        Ali

        My blog: feral007.com/countrylife/

        Some days it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints!

        One bit of old folklore wisdom says to plant tomatoes when the soil is warm enough to sit on with bare buttocks. In surburban areas, use the back of your wrist. Jackie French

        Member of the Eastern Branch of the Darn Under Nutter's Club

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Samuel1988 View Post
          I hope to use materials ...(such as, for example, old cupboard doors to make a raised bed
          I have attempted to make such beds out of old wardrobes, drawers etc. They fall to bits really quickly, and if made with particle board (instead of real timber, real wood) you are left with horrible splinters and bits of stuff all over the garden.

          Don't do it.

          Use proper, UV stable, materials. Don't even re-use plastic milk bottles, or Poundshop tarpaulin or Poundshop lawn edging: I've tried it all, and it all disintegrates within a year, leaving millions of shards of plastic in the soil.


          Bricks & concrete slabs are excellent though: I often see these piled up in gardens, where someone has just left them rather than pay to dump them at the amenity tip. It would be worthwhile you cycling around, looking for such treasure, and then leaving a card through the door offering to take the stuff away (old people & builders don't tend to use Freegle, they just don't consider reusing such "rubbish").
          All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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          • #6
            I managed to scrounge a couple of pallets from the guybthat leases the shop whereKCN works and made beds out of the planks I salvaged from them. I have also built a cold frame from pallet materials and an old polytunnel cover a colleague was throwing out.

            Old tyres are great for building beds or making carrot planters, as you can stack a few to make them high enough to avoid carrot fly
            Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

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            • #7
              Hi Samuel, and welcome to the Vine. - lots of expeienced growers here who are very happy to give the benefit of their knowledge.

              As noted by members already, pallets are always a useful item, you can generally pick them up from skips (ask first though) or if there are any business parks / industrial estates near you its always worth asking small companies if they have any pallets they don't want.

              Please add your location to your profile, as much gardening advice depends on your area, the same planting / growing time etc., varies enormously between the far north of Scotland and say, Devon and Cornwall.

              Happy growing,

              a-a

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              • #8
                Originally posted by out in the cold View Post
                you can stack a few to make them high enough to avoid carrot fly
                That's a myth. Barriers, enclosing the entire crop, are the only thing that work with carrot fly.
                Last edited by Two_Sheds; 09-03-2013, 10:02 AM.
                All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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                • #9
                  ^ yup
                  I was growing them inside a high open topped cloche thing, like a mini greenhouse, but they can fly over that and it's over 2ft...

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post
                    That's a myth. Barriers, enclosing the entire crop, are the only thing that work with carrot fly.
                    My grandad always swore by this, hence my belief that it was true.

                    Thanks for the info
                    Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post
                      That's a myth. Barriers, enclosing the entire crop, are the only thing that work with carrot fly.
                      absolutely the truth. the bit in red

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by out in the cold View Post
                        My grandad always swore by this, hence my belief that it was true.
                        well, I believed it too, until the carrots got ate!

                        As usual, there's a little bit of truth in the old myth: while the flies do indeed fly low, they will be blown around, and higher, by the wind.
                        All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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                        • #13
                          Thanks for all the advice and ideas - I will have a little (long) walk around the neighbourhood to see what goodies I could possible have (I will post a note/do some door knocking). I think I will choose using old bricks as this gives an added bonus of flexability over the shape of my beds, although given the area I can do some growing (5m x 7m), making raised beds to use most of the growing space will require quite a number of bricks but I can always go out hunting outside and online as I go along to extend the number of raised beds I have.

                          Location should be available to see now.

                          Once again thanks for the advice and ideas I'll try to take some picks of the 'finished' work.

                          Samuel

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