Tall raised beds

[alldigging]

If money was almost no object how would you make reasonable high raised beds?

[OverWyreGrower]

I would have them about a ft high if money were no object... I'm happy (and able) to kneel down, so wouldn't need them any higher

[di]

If money were no object...I'd get someone else to do them!

[alldigging]

Using NSL09 New Green Pressure Treated Softwood Sleeper �23.51
Grade: A | Size: 250 x 125 x 3000

Would 3 high be a nice height? Am trying to visualise but failing miserably so will have to find a tapemeasure I think

[Bigmallly]

If money was no object, 4 foot would be brilliant.........I'm 6'3"..........

[veggiechicken]

Would 3 high be a nice height? Am trying to visualise but failing miserably so will have to find a tapemeasure I think

Stand alongside your dining table, reach into the middle, and try to imagine planting something in it. Can you reach easily, do you have to bend or not - do you want to bend over it?
I'm 5'2" and I wouldn't want anything too high. My tables are about 2'6", or half my height, and seems more than high enough.

[Florence Fennel]

I'm nearly 5' 8" and as you all know, my knees are shot, so dining table height would be brilliant.

[alldigging]

Wheelchair User Raised Bed

There's these but they don't have a huge growing space but have a clearance of 700mm under the bed bit...

Three sleeper high isn't that high 125mm x 3 is only 37.5cm high off the ground
(Unless you could stack them so they were 250mm high so it'd be 75cm off the ground)

[taff]

actually, would a raised bed that rose towards the middle be better? Like a sloping sided raised bed but 3ft high rising to 4 or five foot? It's be easier to reach higher than bend over lower in the middle.
like this

or like this

[alldigging]

That's a good point. Have no idea how you'd make one like that that'd stay like that though.

[veggiechicken]

Prepare yourself, alldigging, I feel a Hugelkultur moment is approaching

[Two_Sheds]

actually, would a raised bed that rose towards the middle be better?

Wouldn't it really dry out in the middle, at its highest? I have in the past planted into the middle of a compost heap (after taking the dalek up and off) ~ it's been impossible to keep it adequately watered

[Potstubsdustbins]

Its not just building the beds its filling them as well. Approx 30" deep is going to take a lot of filling and to work the bed properly before planting next year will be a major exercise.

Colin

[CaroltheCarrot]

I have two that are 3 scaffold boards high,was an effort(and expense) to fill them but I did have stonking great carrots and p**snips

[taff]

Wouldn't it really dry out in the middle, at its highest? I have in the past planted into the middle of a compost heap (after taking the dalek up and off) ~ it's been impossible to keep it adequately watered

I htink it's all down to what you use to make the bed. The hugel bed I made last year, after I finally covered the spent compost with a mulch [grass cuttings] has been moist all over, so moist that slugs are clambering on it and eating my bergamot.
If you mulch it, or pack a lot of plants in so there's little surface to evaporate water from, it should work.
If something is moist to start with, and you prevent it from losing moisture, keeping it that way shouldn't be a trial well, hopefully...I'm planting a squash on the hugel bed as well to test it out. I'll report back on water holding abilities. It's not as tall, but it's easily twice the height of the other raised bed I've got for the roots that does dry out really badly.