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Wide beds - avoid compacting soil
johnterry
Posts: 28
Hi all,
I've inherited a garden that has permanent raised beds on one side. These are very wide (5 and a half to 6 and a half feet), and butt up against the neighbour's fence - so can only be accessed from one side at ground level (or balancing on the crazy-paving style wall).
It's almost impossible to do any gardening at the back of these beds without treading on the soil. It contains a fair bit of clay, so gets badly compacted, especially if wet.
I've had suggestions to put large slate stepping stones in strategic positions, and have seen Monty on GW use wooden planks (I guess to spread his weight over a large surface area to minimise compaction).
Does anyone have other solutions for this scenario?
Many thanks in advance,
JT
0
Posts
Adam Frost built narrow brick paths through his raised beds with a proper hardcore base and mortared in so they don't move. I have to say I'm a bit sceptical about that because IME bricks get slippery, but it's an option.
I split my raised beds width ways so they are now almost square and I can reach in from 3 sides. The bit in the middle at the back has a big perennial shrub that I don't need to reach very often (I put down a 'Monty plank' to do an annual weed and prune to it).
In your case you could build a back edge to the beds so you have a narrow access between the raised bed and the fence. It would probably be sensible anyway so the fence can be maintained. Not sure what sort of fence it is, but if it's wooden and the soil on your side is banked against it, it'll rot eventually. A bit of gap could help everyone concerned.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Hi raisingirl,
I'd love to see a pic of Adam's narrow brick paths! Are they at ground level, or on top of the raised bed?
Our raised bed is 6.5 ft width and runs the entire length of the garden. The fence on one side has a concrete base and pillars (which the wooden panels slot into). The soil is banked against the concrete base, so no danger of rotting.
Based on what you've suggested, I can envisage putting a narrow path of slate/brick/pebble directly on the soil from front to back at various points along the bed. Where you mention splitting your raised beds, have you done something similar to this?
The surface of the paths was level with the surface of the soil, if I remember correctly. So he basically made a trench through the bed, filled it with hardcore then set bricks into cement.
I have a couple of wide beds - about 8 feet wide - with timber boards around them - OH made them for me and I don't like to be too ungrateful, so when he wandered off, I got two extra boards and slotted them into the width about 6 inches apart and made a path in the gap in between.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”