I want to start a raised bed for veg

[Bristolbelle]

Good morning everyone.
I want to make my own veg patch in the garden, but I dont know where to start. Can anyone help please?
I'm planning to make a rectangle out of decking boards and line with weed control matting, then fill with compost.
What would be the best veg to get me started? I want to have a go at garlic and onions. Or is it better to prepare the bed over the winter and make a start in the spring. We are a family of 4.
I already have some potatoes planted ready for christmas in bags.
How deep do i need the soil to be able to grow a good range of veggies?

[Green Aura]

Lots of questions there BB!

OK, in order (ish)
1) Rectangle good - make it as long as you like but now more than about a metre wide - so you can reach it from both sides without having to tread on it.
2) I personally wouldn't bother with membrane - it won't stop weeds growing on top of it and you really need to get perennial weeds out from under it. When we made our beds we double dug the area removing it all to a wheelbarrow. We turned the turfs upside down in the bottom, covered with cardboard then mixed the rest of the soil with compost and filled it. All compost is generally too rich for veg - they need soil too.
3) How deep you make the beds is entirely up to you - ours are quite high ~18" - but we're preparing for old age (which is catching up rapidly! ). A lot of people only make them the height of the boarding they've used.
4) It's really difficult to advise on what to grow - it depends how big a bed you're planning on, whether you want to grow a less of several things or lots of one or two. The HDRA site gives some good advice about all year round planting - using a rotation system. And if you search on here (box in top right corner) you'll find plenty of advice too.

[Bristolbelle]

Thanks Maggie for your help. My OH is going to get the wood over the weekend for me. Thanks for the info about needing soil as well. The garden at the moment has a large boarder with lots of weeds in it. ( thats another story lol) But the main area is covered in chard flint chippings, hence me thinking of using the membrane for the base of the bed. Not sure though where I could get some goot quality top soil to mix in with the compost.
Ill have a look on the HDRA site as well.

[Flo]

Whatever you have under the bed, remember that it needs to be able to drain or you will have a quagmire not a bed.

[vicaragechick]

hi there! i'm very much a beginner as i got an allotment in april after being on the list for 2 years, so have been very excited experimenting this year with growing things. i'm gradually doing raised beds too when i get hold of the wood. you wondered what to grow - you can put garlic in over the next few months and it will be ready late spring i think - or you can sow a 'green manure' crop now and dig it in in the spring time - though if you are using a lot of manure/compost maybe you dont need to worry about that! in springtime, i'd suggest lettuce; i got a packet of mixed lettuce seeds (there were 4 different varieties in the one i got with some red lettuce, oak leaf etc) and in a square metre or so had more than enough lettuce for us all - over summer i picked a few leaves of each plant; late summer cut the plants off at the roots. i think the idea is to plant a small amount every few weeks, to stagger it. the other thing thats good 'value for money' is a few courgette plants - i've had lots over summer and i'm still picking them. some runner beans or french beans or peas are also a good idea - i prefer french beans to eat but you can't beat a wigwam of runner beans with their red flowers for adding a bit of colour in the garden! or you could put in a few strawberry plants. if you know someone with a strawberry bed you could cut off runners now and pot them up. my last suggestion would be a few beetroot, if enough people in your house like it! in august/sept, pick a few at a time, clean and wrap in foil and bake for an hour. peel and keep in the fridge for a week, to add to sandwiches. gorgeous! good luck.

[Bristolbelle]

So far I'm going to plant garlic and onions this year. And I have bought for next year:
dwarf french beans, chives, beetroot, 2 types of tomatoes gardeners delight and money maker, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, cabbage primo II, brussels sprout, carrot amsterdam 2, courgette black beauty, leek, cauliflower and wallflower. Phew I'm going to be busy But I'm realy loving being out in the garden. I find that with all of our busy lives, it's realy grounding and I feel a real connection whilst working in the garden.

[inishindie]

Hi

I started with raised beds a few years ago and had such a success with them that now the whole garden is full of them. The need not be expensive as you can make them out of local materials. I have been so impressed wit the crops that I decided to write a book on the subject. 'Raised Vegetable Beds for the Organic Garden' It's in ebook form and reads on epbup,pdf and .mobi. Here's the link: http://raisedvegbeds.com/

I had loads of help with the images from other keen raised bed growers around the globe too!

Ian

[seasidegirl]

I made mine with scaffold boards that we got from a friend. They were very easy to fix together as they are strong and not too high that it would be impossible to fill them. I didn't use any type of membrane but just forked over the soil at the bottom.

I grew potatoes in them the first year. As spuds need to be earthed up, or covered, as they grow I used the covering part of the process to gradually fill up the bed with soil and organic matter (compost/seaweed). In a couple of months I had filled the beds and the potatoes were soon ready underneath. They were much better quality and size than any I've grown in the normal beds.

[Massey]

yeah i made mine out of scaffold boards too, you can pick them up easy enough, if you grow potatoes in them like you did it improves the soil for crops you have in if following,

[oldfella]

I have just turned my veg garden into raised beds, and on Googleing, I came across a site which, if you a have back yard type garden, give's you an Idea for Auto watering the garden at very little cost and the only work you do is fill 2 buckets twice a day which is sufficient for about 100 plants.

Site " Vegetable Gardening with Mr Lester Bray"

Eddy