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Thoughts on raised beds and heavy soil please

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  • #1

    Thoughts on raised beds and heavy soil please

    There is a dip in part of my allotment and the soil is pretty heavy. While it never floods and doesn't get waterlogged the drainage is pretty slow and this year with all the rain some of my smaller plants died - i presume because although dry on top of the soil when i dug up it was saturated. I have been told that there is a small river running underneath.

    I am thinking about making a couple of raised beds, but don't know how to go about this. How high above the current ground level should i go, and would i need to put membrane at the bottom or just put ontop of the current soil and fill it up - ie would the new soil get waterlogged too if i did this?

    Because this is at the back of my plot i wanted to use it as a permanent bed and put in some globe artichokes, and gooseberry bushes.

    Please let me know your thoughts thanks in advance
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  • #2
    Don’t use membrane.

    Fill it with manure, used potting compost, new compost, shredded paper, coffee grinds etc. It will rot down over time and you just keep topping up.

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    • #3
      You could grow plants that like damp soil or are thirsty - or build a wildlife pond or a bog-garden.

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      • #4
        What logunner says, though the coffee grounds and shredded paper I'd keep for the compost heap at the moment. I use the manure, used potting compost, made compost and any available comfrey and nettles at the bottom. Put the lot on a good layer of cardboard and you'll have a classic Charles Dowding lasagne bed. That's as good as you get!

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        • #5
          Nowt wrong with VC's advice, if it suits your desires.

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          • #6
            Raised beds won't get waterlogged unless the water level rises above the original soil level. The contents of the bed will wick the water up to some degree but not to the point of saturation.

            The height is upto you - the higher the beds the more material you will need to fill them with. My beds are about 5-6 inches deep at present and work well, but you can build raised beds any height you like.
            A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

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            • #7
              Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post
              You could grow plants that like damp soil or are thirsty - or build a wildlife pond or a bog-garden.
              I already have a wildlife pond, stupidly in another area as i didnt realise this area was a problem (i only moved plots last year). Am thinking on making a bog area but its quite a large space and thats why i am thinking about raised beds xx

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              • #8
                Thank you!!

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                • #9
                  One of the benefits of the no dig method is that the soil life attracted to the composting will open up the heavy soil and make those rich nutrients in the clay available to the plants, all the while making the soil a lot more able to absorb the water and disburse it deep down. Over time and with further applications of composted mulch the situation will only get better.
                  Placing a raised bed on top of the soil will aslo achieve most of this, but involves more work and leaves the pathways around the raised bed prone to flooding.

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