New way of constructing veggie beds, more efficient watering, increased yields !

[Greenleaves]

As stated before its a lot of faffing, that said I am interested in that increased harvest, am I right to assume this has been trialed over a number of seasons?

I would imagine the trial would have to be over a mininmum 5 seasons due to fluctuations in weather each year. I have seen a very similar concept a number of years ago based on raised beds for disabled / elderly gardens where the bed walls were filled with pea shingle.

as I said before, if it works for you then thats a result in its self

[no_akira]

Drifting off-topic, but "average" isn't a very useful concept here, where:
- lots of people don't get to the end of the first season
- lots more people don't renew for a second season
- anyone who survives 2 seasons tends to stay until their circumstances change significantly. So we have a very skewed population, with (I estimate) half lasting 2 seasons or less then a long tail stretching out 50 seasons or so.

Like your analytical thinking, that's exactly how I would call it, non starters, 1 year, 2 year until change then long termers (the dependables).

I don't get it. Can't see any advantage of this over a flat bed unless you are going to make a decent sized mound up against the pallets?

I do go into quite a lot of detail of its advantages on the site along with a diagram...
basically keeps the soil loose, aerated and watered and free draining along with a being a fixed barrier to affix things too or stand on walk along.

There is actually a "phase 2" to this idea that i'm working on at the moment... watch this space...

[Sarico]

I personally think it's a lot of work & there are simpler irrigation systems..............Not to say it won't work, just a lot of work.

I agree with you bigmally

As stated before its a lot of faffing, that said I am interested in that increased harvest, am I right to assume this has been trialed over a number of seasons?

I would imagine the trial would have to be over a mininmum 5 seasons due to fluctuations in weather each year. I have seen a very similar concept a number of years ago based on raised beds for disabled / elderly gardens where the bed walls were filled with pea shingle.

as I said before, if it works for you then thats a result in its self

Exactly to see if somthing is good you have to compare it for few years to see if actually work. Good idea if you have a good source of pallets. I can't get any anywhere I go asking. Lol

[veggiechicken]

Exactly to see if somthing is good you have to compare it for few years to see if actually work. Good idea if you have a good source of pallets. I can't get any anywhere I go asking. Lol

Do you have a Selco Builder's merchants near you, Sarico. My local one is happy for people to take away pallets (but its a bit far for you!!)

[Sarico]

Do you have a Selco Builder's merchants near you, Sarico. My local one is happy for people to take away pallets (but its a bit far for you!!)

About 15miles away from home not ideal. I thinks there is a pallets guy that goes around to collect them.

[veggiechicken]

There's a pallets guy here too, but Selco don't mind you taking them beforehand.

[cheapskate chaz]

I like people being inovative, anything that helps and promotes better ways to produce is a plus, but for me this throws up a major concern, and that is bugs! it looks very much like an aqua hotel for bugs that love that kind of envoirment, lots of nooks and crannies that are staying put for a little while, so allowing certain bugs/pests/viruses/diseases to set up home and then raid the larder at their leisure. Yes this may not be the case, but I`d certanly like to here from those in the know about this kind of watering and the envoirment you have produced.
Please don`t get me wrong, I`m not out to stamp on your idea, just to find out if there is any future problems in the making.....so to speak.

[no_akira]

Proof is in the pudding as they say.

Over the last growing season didn't notice more-or-less slugs and snails than in other years. And for some reason there didn't seem any noticeable numbers within the pallet void area.

Still think there are more pros than cons using this system, will make adjustments to the design of the pallet stacks for next years growing season.

+ Only have 2 legs rather than the x4 in the pictures.

+ Staple some weed suppressing clothe to the underneath of the stack so that it can be lifted out / moved without all the stones falling out.

+ Rope handles at either end of the stack to make lifting out / repositioning, easier.

+ Reduce the height of the stack from 12" down to 8" high.

[no_akira]

Well I took my idea to the Edible Garden show (stand 554) near Coventry at the weekend.

I displayed the new easier constructed design for people to copy for use on their own allotments.

see Allotment ideas – Using everyday recycled materials to make it easier to manage allotment plots.

Once I had explained the principle of this approach to people

"We modify a pallet for use in a planting bed system that sits between 'raised beds' and 'open soil' and that reduces the requirement for watering as your watering is goes straight to the roots."

Even the 'old boys' of http://www.nsalg.org.uk/news/the-edible-garden-show-is-set-to-bloom/
understood its advantages.

Also the http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/ tipped their hats to it..

[Bigmallly]

That's interesting but all 3 links do not work.............well 1 does but it's under construction.

[veggiechicken]

Good for you but your links (apart from your own) don't work.

[no_akira]

The links are wrong...

National Vegetable Society

National Allotment Society

[veggiechicken]

Those are the Society's main pages. Sorry, but I don't have time to wade through them.

[Alison]

Well I took my idea to the Edible Garden show (stand 554) near Coventry at the weekend.

I think that I'm being a bit thick but I don't understand how this is a business model? (I'm easily confused ). I was OK with it as a general concept for discussing but I'm confused as to how that works on a trade stand ie what are you selling or were you there for another purpose? Genuinely not criticising but trying to work it out as when I went previously all the stands were either people flogging you something or large organisations wanting you to join hem and not sure how this fits.

[veggiechicken]

That puzzles me too, Alison. If Forum members took stands at the shows whenever they had an idea for reusing a pallet or summat similar, there'd be no room for any commercial exhibitors.