Selfsufficientish.com

In my previous post I mentioned I don't think I'm using my space efficiently. Could someone explain raised beds to me? Where would I put them? I've got 4 vegetable beds of a good size and 2 smaller ones. This is all surrounded by hedges and trees etc so no room for a raised bed in the borders.
This is all the room used up.
Still worrying about my cabbages so any advice on how to use a raised bed in these circumstances would be greatly appreciated.

Misty

If you have that number of good veg. beds, Misty, I wouldn't worry myself at all about raised beds. They're just a solution to a very small problem. Raised beds drain more readily than ordinary beds and they warm up much more quickly in spring. If those things solve difficulties for you, then fine. If they don't, don't worry about it. They also lend themselves to no-dig methods of gardening, but as you can use those methods whether you have raised beds or not, it doesn't really matter.

If you really want raised beds, then plan for next year to put one in where one of your present beds is - it's that simple. You'll get veggies starting a little earlier than usual (but not by a miraculous margin). What I've found, though, is that as you add stuff to the beds (top-dressings, mulches, even the compost from your nursery pots), the level of those beds rises inexorably. It isn't long before you think to yourself "I need to put an edging round that bed to retain all this extra stuff". Hey Presto - one raised bed.

Mike

I have had raised beds made by my kind hubby in my veg plot. It hasn't exactly given me more space but it certainly has tidied things up a lot! They are just pieces of timber (like a skirting board) joined together in a rectangle and filled in with soil and compost, with about 2' pathways between them for access.

I have seen raised beds like a trough on legs, for sale in a garden centre for about £150 how many veg would you have to grow to get anything like your money back on them what a waste of money!

Adding edges to raised beds can be problematic. Couch grass and similar weeds can quickly infest wooden edges to raised beds.

I agree with Mike on this one.When we moved into our present home 18mths ago,our back garden was just lawn,it did'nt even have any borders.We dug beds and grew all of last summers veg in them.I knew before we did this I would get raised beds at some point.I also at the same time started two compost area's.So in February this year,we brought some wooden frames,which fitted exactly the area's we had dug the year before.My OH also made some frames with some spare wood we had.I emptied the compost into the beds,also topped up with some topsoil,let it sit for a while and then started planting out my veg.Easy!

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... greenhouse

This link shows one of my raised beds in front of the greenhouse. I use raised beds because of a dodgy back and it's easier to look after the crops this way/ Also I'm well into the no dig type of gardening.

By the way, mrs Big Al built these for me as I sat and supervised. There are 4 in total each 1.2m wide by 4.8 m long and 1 is double plank as in the photo the others one plank deep but they will be double plank deep eventually.

I've also recently got mine in (shameless link to blog! )
http://wp.me/p9mJl-mQ

They are just scaffold boards, Huzzah for a Hubby that works for a scaffold firm!

I have always wanted to use a raised bed system, to do the no dig thing, as I find digging physically very difficult, and my cardiologist would probably have a fit if she saw me double digging the potato plot again lol!

I'm really pleased with them, and although they need more water, they need infinitely less attention, which is perfect as I have two small children and a part time job to fill my days with.

Also my carrots appear to be untouched as they are too high off the ground for carrot fly, this is a first in eight years of growing down that plot.

Lorna x