Raised beds

[Penellype]

If you are thinking of plastic, have you thought of buying a couple of soffit boards from somewhere like Screwfix? You can get a pack of 2 125mm x 10mm x 3m for about £40. Other sizes are available. They are one heck of a lot cheaper than raised beds.

[KJessi]

Look online at vidaXL - I've been shopping around myself, since I want to put in some deep beds to grow burdock root ( can reach 3 feet apparently) and also for other root crops.

And came across a few options on that site, including those wire cage things, ones you fill with rocks. Costing, depending on size, from under a hundred. I'm looking for about 10m total, and it came to about £300.

Much cheaper, if you don't care for looks, are cinder blocks. My dad built me a couple beds using them.

[I'm doing this now!]

I think those cages are called Gabions? Hadn't thought of them and to be honest I wouldn't use them for 2 reasons....1 i don't like the look of them and 2, I bit the bullet with wifey's blessing and bought 30+ solid plastic planks. They are very heavy but look really good in dark brown with a wood texture. I've managed to build 1 bed and sited it but it is not finished yet. 3 more to do for the new deck / raised bed area. When finished I'll pop up some images. Things are going slow but progressing nonetheless. The wet weather has prevented my couch grass attack as well as the new fence erection. Hey Ho, Spring's on its way.

[KJessi]

Plastic plank? As in composite decking? Never thought of that.

Trying to lessen plastic in the growing spaces though, especially food spaces, but plastic is everywhere including my compost bins and water butts so it feels like a pointless endeavour.

Re the gabions (checked, yep, you're right) i was thinking it might be interesting to grow in the crevices, like sedums, alpines, trailing things like the purple thing in my front garden wall. No idea what it is but it flowers every year, lasts ages and looks amazing.

[Snoop Puss]

Yes, when gabions were mentioned I thought growing in the crevices would be attractive. Could possibly even grow lettuce in small pouches stuffed into the gaps. Herbs too. Strawberries even? The gabions might make a less inviting surface for slugs to climb up.

[rary]

Snoop there's never a less inviting surface for snails I have seen them crawling over sharp roughcast/pebble dash walls as well as crossing over egg shells

[I'm doing this now!]

Plastic plank? As in composite decking? Never thought of that.

Trying to lessen plastic in the growing spaces though, especially food spaces, but plastic is everywhere including my compost bins and water butts so it feels like a pointless endeavour.

Re the gabions (checked, yep, you're right) i was thinking it might be interesting to grow in the crevices, like sedums, alpines, trailing things like the purple thing in my front garden wall. No idea what it is but it flowers every year, lasts ages and looks amazing.

Not composite decking but they are made by the same companies. I have used Kedel. I tried to upload one of their stock images of a raised bed but tech beat me again.

[I'm doing this now!]

This is part of the re vamp. the brown edging is 2 inch by 6 inch solid plastic which will form a raised bed border around a new deck area 2.4 x 3.6. The plastic is very easy to work with (but blooming heavy) and comes in 3m lengths. It has a wood texture to it. We went for brown as it looks more woody than black. The long raised bed / border will have wifey's flowers as well as 3 fruit trees. Braeburn, conference and a Kursh (i think) cherry.

[KJessi]

It really does look like wood. How much did one plank cost? Looking good x

[burnie]

This is part of the re vamp. the brown edging is 2 inch by 6 inch solid plastic which will form a raised bed border around a new deck area 2.4 x 3.6. The plastic is very easy to work with (but blooming heavy) and comes in 3m lengths. It has a wood texture to it. We went for brown as it looks more woody than black. The long raised bed / border will have wifey's flowers as well as 3 fruit trees. Braeburn, conference and a Kursh (i think) cherry.

Three fruit trees in there sounds a bit crowded, are they on dwarfing root stock?

[I'm doing this now!]

It really does look like wood. How much did one plank cost? Looking good x

Just over £70 for a single 3000mm x 150mm x 50mm from a company called Kedel. I ordered 27 of them along with some 3m lengths of 50 x 50mm to act as bracing support / corner connections and for front to rear internal bracing i've got some 21mm unistrut. The largest planter once erected is 2000mm x 1100mm. which is 4 "planks" tall. I assembled one of the panels (2m long x 600mm tall) today and tried to move it but it was way too heavy so I had to take the central 2 planks out, move it nearer to its final resting place then assemble in again. I hope to have all 4 done tomorrow. We'll see.

[I'm doing this now!]

Three fruit trees in there sounds a bit crowded, are they on dwarfing root stock?

Wifey said they are and i looked at their labels which suggest they are for balconies / terraces. Border is 24 ft long by 2 ft wide. The back of the border has a low block wall running its length which is also my path on the new plot. The border will be edged by the same plastic material planks running its whole length. 2 high (300mm). This should be adequate (i think) when back-filled with soil and such. I will not be letting them get tall either. just plan on it being a fruity / flowery border between the new deck and the new veg plot.

[I'm doing this now!]

I've managed to finish the building of the raised beds and sited them. Partly filled the big and medium bed with bits if tree branches. Went on to add most of the anderson shelter compost bin contents into the large bed. Probably have to buy in some topsoil.

[Peanut]

They look smashing! Very smart

[Andraste]

Awesome job Thanks for the pics too (I love a good nosey - great inspiration)