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Raised beds
Leigh Thomas
Posts: 12
Hey guys, this is my first stop here and I have a quick question for veg growers. I've been looking into getting some raised beds together ready for next year and after much deliberation on what materials to use I've decided to go with hessian sacks filled with sand. The beds will be situated in a very sun-rich area of the garden. The ground beneath them is full of all kinds of rubble, ranging from mattress spring to bricks. So my first question is will the hessian sacks be safe to use? The reason I chose this method is because of the conflicting information on plastics and tannalized timber. My final question is; is it necessary to place some sort of barrier between the bed and the ground? I'm concerned that the rubbish that's buried there could contaminate any crops. Thanks.
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Posts
Hessian rots down too quickly to use it in this way.
Use untreated timber if you are concerned about using the treated type.
I would dig out the rubbish and dispose of it safely first. Goodness knows what is down there that might affect the drainage of your beds. Also, if you are worried enough about contamnation not to use tannalised timber, I'd think you would want to ensure there was nothing potentially harmful under your beds.
Prepare properly - it's always worth it
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Timber all the way for me. As Verd says, it depends on the climate in your area. We have a lot of rain, so raised beds are beneficial for lots of plants as we also have clay soil.
Do you know the extent of the rubbish and rubble? If the ground's really that bad, how about getting a mini digger and a small skip to get rid of as much as possible? Then you have a better chance of success, whatever you want to grow, edible or otherwise.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks for the replies guys. The whole property is set on 4 levels and the area in question is on the 4th with an adjoining farmers field. I'm of the understanding that the rubble is from an old 8x6 block shed but I have found some paint tins and bed springs!. There's no rear access to the garden so a mini digger is a no-go so all rubble would have to be removed by hand, which I don't mind except it would more than likely require building a retaining wall.
So I'm now stumped lol!
how about taking a bbq and invite some friends round for a rubble shift / barbeque day?
Food and beer usually does the trick.
Just make sure you do the removal bit first
We get quite a bit of rain too here in S.Wales.
tsk @ self forgetting my manners.
Welcome to the forum Leigh
Thanks for the welcome! I've probably left it a little too late for that this year as the heavens are about to open up any day now
lol.
Yes, welcome Leigh
Sounds like the garden Wonky Womble is renovating - she's dug out and removed a whole roll of carpet, part of a cooker, some bed springs, some large charred bones and all sorts of other stuff that was buried beneath the pretence of a lawn - she dug it all out herself and she's a slip of a size 8 female - if she can do it you and a nearby rugby team should have no problem
If there's the remains of a block-built wall under there, then you have the makings of your retaining wall
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.