Couperman Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Well I have just about finished the veggie plot and I am waiting for my 2 tonnes of topsoil to arrive to fill it up. I have been out this morning drilling loads of drainage holes through the concrete slab it sits on. I made a minor mistake in building it out of pressure treated timber. I checked on tinterweb to find out what chemicals they use to treat the wood with and whether it can leach back out into the soil. And of course one of the chemicals they use is "Ooops, word censored!"NIC Opinion seems to be divided on whether or not the said chemicals do leach back into the soil but I thought I best air on the side of caution, so I have double lined it with a pond liner so the wood won't be in contact with the soil. I think it will be Ok. So if anyone is thinking of building one, use untreated wood! I will post some pics when I find the camera! Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Ouch on the timber (that was why I plumped for Link-a-Bords), but great idea using pond liner to minimise the damage! You do realise we expect to see photos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Clicked on this expecting to see pictures Kev Waiting with baited breath....... (my understanding is that it is ok to use pressure treated timber as long as you don't plant up to 10cm from the wood)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Here are a couple of pics as promised Still no topsoil though It was supposed to be delivered this morning Once I have filled it up I will tidy the top edges a bit and add a ledge to sit on whilst weeding and stuff. Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 They look fantastic Kev, you have done really well (sorry if that sounds like me congratulating a 5 year old, not meant that way) Really nice deep beds, perfect for carrots, tatties or whatever! Roll on the warmer weather when we can all get planting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Very impressive......it will look beautiful with runner beans climbing up that wall. We will need more pics over the season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 A good bit of engineering there Kev! Look forward to seeing more pictures throughout the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Nice work - much deeper than mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 I thought we might be daft using untreated wood which was waste from a building site but maybe not afterall. Good luck with the coming season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 It looks great Kev Take photos once a month to keep a record of how things look, & also some of what you pick too! Re the wood - we used tannenised wood - is that the same as pressure treated ? If so we grew & ate the veggies last year, with no damage as yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 2 tonnes of topsoil later.............................50 or so wheelbarrow trips and tadaaaah! I had about 3/4 tonne leftover so I dumped it all round the garden in little heaps, I am sure the girls will spread it about for me! I think I might remove the fence panels and replace them with wire mesh so the raised bed gets more sun. That's one for another day! I am suitably cream crackered, so I'm off for a pint or ten! Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Very nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Have you got a planting scheme in mind? I love the discarded glove in the foreground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkleeeeee Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 wow!!! that looks great, we used scaffolding boards but used a liner like you as well because it will stop the wood rotting so quickly and therefore it will last longer also it will stop the soil at the edges drying out (well thats the idea!!!) i bought some cloches today so i am ready to go but i dont think i will think about doing much until after the storm just incase everything blows away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Storm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Severe weather warning for Monday Egluntine! Lovely beds Kev, but Cathy will kill you when she sees the mess you've made. That is a man's idea of tidy, a woman would have swept the slabs, moved the glove, trimmed the edges of the black plastic so it was even all the way round and arranged the plant pots prettily! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 already done (actually, i came home, told kev how wonderful he was, then went for a run its really windy here tho, didnt do very well, walked most of the way ) oh, that glove has been in the greenhouse for ages , I wont pick it up as its probably got spiders in it dont like em cathy x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 The raised bed looks great! So........ what veg are you going to grow in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 It does look great. I wish I had Kev to help - even if he doesn't tidy the pots! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Brilliant job there Kev of course not as impressive as the raised beds i put in this year Cathy - I don't like spiders either, just give the glove to the chooks, they'll de-spider it for you that's what I do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 just give the glove to the chooks, they'll de-spider it for you that's what I do Just the very thing I was thinking!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 what is it with girls and spiders? Do you prefer flies? I love spiders, Beatles, Bees, flutterbuys, ladybirds, millepedes, centepedes, nematoades, toads, frogs, and hedgehogs and of course velocorapators Oh I forgot to mention the Newts Kev Edit: I only managed eight pints, hic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I don't mind spiders - I did a degree in zoology then worked in urban ecology for a while, and a lot of that involved looking at butt-ugly things through a microscope! I still pull my feet up onto the sofa when I see a big house spider run across the carpet, because I don't like the idea of it potentially running up my leg, but that's about the extent of my dislike. Now, daddy-long-legs I really don't like - long dangly legs and they fly as well - yuk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Looks really good Kev - hows the back Just spent the last few hours reclaiming my veg plots from the "laydees" and digging it over and digging in a bit of compost. Started off my seedlings and hopefully will get the spuds in next weekend I love this time of year - just cautious as we lost everything last year A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Wow, your raised bed looks fantastic! I am thinking of doing one this year (need to get a move on) as I have limited flower bed space and I thought it would be a bit easier to keep the chickens out of. I think I might go for a ready made one as I am not great with DIY and tools, but can manage flat pack assembly. Does anyone have any tips? Pros and Cons of plastic v wood? My garden is tiny so it will just be a small plot, any advice about what depth it should be or what works well in them? Thanks Flo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
