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Raised veg bed over old brick floor

WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
in Problem solving
So I want to build a new no dig veg bed, it's the planned home for all my compost. The area is ideal full sun backed by a 10ft wall which retains heat amazingly. There is between 2" and 4" of soil over the top which is really good stuff. I plan on having a triple layer of cardboard and 8" of compost over the top. Would this work ? I really don't have time to take up the bricks and having done this in another area already for a hydrangea bed I know it's very hard work and create loads of waste 

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Is it a patio?
  • WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
    @Fire no it's a brick herringbone floor from an old farm building, there's a decent covering of soil over the top 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    As @Hostafan1 would say, “Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail.”

    I really don’t think you’re going to have enough depth of soil there to grow a lot of veg to their full potential.  If a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing well. It’s not as if you’re in a rush ... there’s five months to go before you’re going to be planting and sowing any veg. 

    Also, have you seen the prices asked for reclaimed old floor bricks? 
    Put an ad on Gumtree or Freecycle and you’ll probably have builders offering to come and dig them up and take them away for you. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
    @Dovefromabove I am a small builder and I wouldn't be given these bricks as they are cream crackered. I'll have to think about it.  I really don't have the time for the belts and braces approach as before spring I have complete our major bathroom refit, build a 16x8ft greenhouse base and remove a 14mt run of very old wall and replace with a new 10mt X 4mt building with large utility/bootroom, log store and general store come potting shed. Think bringing in soil to give me more depth is much less work and as it's free costs less than skips for rubble. More thinking time required 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited October 2020
    I would think a high wooden raised bed would be fine over brick.  I essentially have that, and it works fine for veg.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I think you would be fine, if you're willing to go higher.  Can you build something 2' high?  Put down your layers of cardboard, then fill in 16” of organic matter?  Rotted manure, straw, shredded paper, kitchen scraps, leaves, etc?  Layer it up over the winter, whatever you have at hand or can get your hands on.  Then in the spring add your 8” of compost to top it off.  You'll need to top it up as things put compost down, but you'd be doing that in an open bed as well.  
    Utah, USA.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Ah @Wilderbeast 😊 Id forgotten you’re a builder 🙄 Shame the bricks are knackered. It would’ve been a good job for ‘the lad’ on a slow day. 😉 

    I’d still remove them ... but maybe that’s just me taking after my Pa. 😉 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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