First signs of life on the allotment

[veggiechicken]

.....and I thought the timber was 5'x7' So you squared off 2" and gained 2'
Sounds like a bit of creative accounting to me

[Samurailord]

.....and I thought the timber was 5'x7' So you squared off 2" and gained 2'
Sounds like a bit of creative accounting to me

The original timber we were going to get was supposed to be 7' long 7" wide and 2.5" thick - what we actually ended up with was about 10' long 7" wide and 3" thick.

[veggiechicken]

So Today's puzzle is to work out how many planks you ended up with to make 2 beds, each 5' by 9' and 3" wide!!
6?

[Samurailord]

So Today's puzzle is to work out how many planks you ended up with to make 2 beds, each 5' by 9' and 3" wide!!
6?

Not quite VC, the puzzle is to work out how I am going to fit all the 5'x9.5' beds that can be made from 400' of 10' planks into 3/4 of a plot that is 12mx15m

Remember to keep a space of 25" between each bed on the long side, and at least 12" between the short ends.

There must also be space for a 8'x6' shed, an 8'x6' polytunnel, a working area, compost heap and a 3'x3' raised pond.

If anyone can work this out please let me know because I'm damned if I can

Answers on a postcard ......

[alldigging]

Put the shed on stilts and build under it?

[veggiechicken]

I do like a puzzle Andy!! If you'll pardon the question we do need to know your orientation! Do you have existing paths to line up with? Shading from trees? Problem areas that are better for sheds, ponds or compost than growing?

[Aberdeenplotter]

Not quite VC, the puzzle is to work out how I am going to fit all the 5'x9.5' beds that can be made from 400' of 10' planks into 3/4 of a plot that is 12mx15m

Remember to keep a space of 25" between each bed on the long side, and at least 12" between the short ends.

There must also be space for a 8'x6' shed, an 8'x6' polytunnel, a working area, compost heap and a 3'x3' raised pond.

If anyone can work this out please let me know because I'm damned if I can

Answers on a postcard ......

Asda were clearing pads of graph paper the other week. I bought a few at 10p. I'm ready to take a profit.

[Feral007]

Great to hear Andi! I'll pass on the puzzle - I'm just not a planner at heart!

[snohare]

Asda were clearing pads of graph paper the other week. I bought a few at 10p. I'm ready to take a profit

I have my own already ta AP. (There's a free Asda bus from Lumphanan every Wednesday.) I don't know about you lot, but an Aberdonian like me can spend weeks agonising over how not to waste two six inch offcuts of one inch thick board, never mind three inches !
What's the prize Samuarai ? A free tour ?

[Samurailord]

I have managed to get some pics of the newly rotivated allotment plus the currently empty raised beds.

The wood for the raised beds

The new beds

From the other side of the plot -all the grassy area was still to wet to clear yet.





Andy

[snohare]

Aw, look at a' that bonny timber !! I have timber envy...
Looking really good there, Samurailord, you are getting on like a house on fire. (But minus the screaming and people running about...)
If you want to get going on that damp grass, I may have a cunning plan which would speed things up...
1.Draw an imaginary line down the centre of the patch of grass you wish to remove. 2.Approach one end of this line, and stick a digging fork in at a slight angle, facing the line.
3.Push the handle back until you hear and see the grass lift a little. (It will make a soggy noise, you will not be surprised to hear, when it parts from the soil below.) You are aiming to lift uniform amounts of grass and roots each time you do this, preferably in a straight line with no gaps between, and leave a gap underneath.
4.Move to the side, repeat with the neighbouring sod. And so on, until you get to the opposite end of the line.
5.Take a step back, and start again, on the pieces of grass you have not yet lifted, that you were previously standing on.
6.Once you have reached the edge of the area, go to the opposite side of the line, and do the other side.
7. Leave until dry.
Depending on weather, temperature, and what depth of soil you left on the sod you lifted, this may only take a couple of days to work; a couple of days with high temperatures and wind will dry things out nicely, and you will be left with a layer of dying vegetation with attached soil that weighs less and is easier to shake off when you actually decide to rip it all off.