Couperman Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Hi Flo, I am new to gardening but thought I would give it whirl. I mean how hard can it be If you are short of space you can grow stuff in containers we will be doing that too! The Idea was to keep all the veggie stuff on the patio and fence off the rest of the garden for the girls to go free ranging and trash it to their hearts content. I am going to build a new run for them too. Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 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? If you're going for ready-made ones, the plastic type are often cheaper, and they will last a lot longer. The Link-a-Bord ones are made from 98% recycled plastic, so are environmentally friendly, and have a double-walled construction that helps to warm up the soil in spring. They're pretty easy to put together as well (although the instructions for the netting support thing weren't quite so good!). They also harbour fewer pests, since they lack the nooks and crannies that you get with wooden versions. I suppose if you had a really traditional-style garden, wooden ones would look better - but if you already have an eglu, plastic beds aren't going to look out of place! Mine are in a terracotta colour which coordinates well with the terracotta paving slabs nearby. 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? Re depth, it depends what you want to grow and what the soil underneath is like. I've gone for the basic single-tier Link-a-bord, about 6" deep, as I'm mainly growing salad, outdoor tomatoes, baby carrots, etc (I grow bigger veg on the allotment, where the soil is rich and deep). If you want to grow maincrop carrots, parsnips, potatoes, etc, you probably want 12-18" deep beds, especially if the underlying soil is poor. If you haven't got a lot of space, you probably want to avoid big, low-productivity plants like cabbage, broccoli and so on, also things like maincrop potatoes and onions which are cheap to buy in the shops. They're great, though, for growing salad leaves, herbs, baby veg, dwarf French beans - anything small and tender that costs a lot in the supermarket. You can also make good use of space by inter-planting - I have garlic all round the edge of the area where my outdoor tomatoes are going to grow, as they make good companion plants. Carol Klein's "Grow Your Own Veg" book has a lot of good tips on how to make the most of a tiny plot, as well as detailed information on how to grow just about all popular vegetables - I'd definitely recommend it to anyone starting out with raised beds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Brilliant - thank you for those tips. I have been dabbling in gardening for the last 2/3 years and the only thing I can consistently grow is herbs! I will definately be growing lots in containers this year, much easier to keep the chickens away from! Thank you for tips about what to grow in the raised beds, I am already getting excited about having another go this year - last year between the chickens and the bad weather I got 1 courgette and 1 tomatoe. I will have a look for Carol Kleins book, I love how style of gardening so it sounds good Thanks again Flo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina C Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I scrolled quickly down the thread and thought that flowerpot was a wheel - I was vey impressed, until I looked closer That is a fantastic raised bed Kev. Right, I am off out into the garden now to get my puny little things ready for planting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 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 Very unlikely to use "Ooops, word censored!"nic nowadays, all scaffold boards and the like use a copper based treatment method. but lining it will also extend the life of the boards regardless.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I've got some link a board beds, I spotted them at a discount after christmas, and they worked out cheaper than wooden planking, don't look as nice because they are black plastic but they dont rot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
