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raised beds

pjosephharrispjosephharris Posts: 3
in Problem solving

Hello,

I am building my garden, no idea what I am doing and totally exhausted. I have gone for raised beds, which I thought it would be nice and creative to drop in seating indents, if that makes sense.That seems easy, but the planting is another issue.I have had so much advice about what not to do, I wish I had just laid a patio!

I have raised planters,built from breeze block/thermalite, which I will line and pop in some holes for drainage.

All I want is raised planters, high plants at the back, low at the front, colour and don't want them to die.

Is this possible without taking out life insurance on every plant?

Would be thrilled to hear from sensible people.

 

 

Posts

  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,905

    Hi. It is absolutely possible. How deep are you intending to make the raised beds - I'm assuming quite deep as you mention a seating indent? Also, how long and wide?

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • Barefoot gardenerBarefoot gardener Posts: 162

    Hi - my entire garden is in raised beds made from sleepers or containers. I had no idea what I was doing but everything seems to grow ( no life insurance needed ?) 

    the main bed and greenhouse have been in for 5 years or so and this year we built a new bed, she'd, pergola etc down the side where it was a garage and parking until March this spring.

    imageimage

    the new bed was planted at Easter this year. The other just grows year after year . As the say 'build it and they will come ' flowers in our case ?

    imageimageimageimageimage

    Last edited: 20 June 2016 23:44:10

  • Barefoot gardenerBarefoot gardener Posts: 162

    Sorry forgot to say there was no soil in my garden. The beds have been built on concrete ( it was so ugly when we moved here but we couldn't afford to get it taken up so we built on top ) .

    try not to stress - gardening is fun ...trust me ?

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,143

    My best advice would be to put a good drainage layer in the bottom and fill the beds with a mixture of two thirds good quality screened topsoil and one third well rotted farmyard manure. 

    Dont use bags of multipurpose compost. It will break down in a short period of time and need replacing. 

    Enjoy image


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





  • Ladybird4Ladybird4 Posts: 37,905

    Faywray - your garden is just magnificent! Bet it takes ages to water it though image

    Cacoethes: An irresistible urge to do something inadvisable
  • pjosephharrispjosephharris Posts: 3

    Hello and good morning, totally delighted with the replies, that is just great and massively encouraging.

    If the results are like some of those pictures then I will be thrilled to bits.

    Took the point with the soil mix, will do that and watering, need to keep that in mind. 

    The bed will be more or less 4 metres long and taper from about 1.5m wide to half a metre and stand about 600 mm high.

    Really enthused now and thanks so much for the replies.

    Brilliant!

     

  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601

    Faywray's garden is fantastic, isn't it! I have been trying to translate 600mm into English and I think I would go a bit deeper than that, especially if you want some taller plants.

  • Barefoot gardenerBarefoot gardener Posts: 162

    Hi again - thanks for the lovely comments regarding my garden, they didn't half make me smile. 

    I like the big raised beds as I am on crutches and I can sit on the sleepers etc gardening to my hearts content.

    The main bed is approx 10 mtrs by 1.5 mtrs wide and 3 sleepers in height, maybe 600mm (?). It's full of top soil and is just like having a normal bed in a garden I think , not that I have ever had a 'normal bed' as this is my first garden project. The new bed is also 3 sleepers high and 6 mtr long by 1.5 mtr wide. That too was filled with top soil but the soil in that seems more crumbly and dry than the other.i have another bed round the corner which was full of fruit but I decided to pull up the strawberr this year and have more flowers and grow beans and peas but it has been neglected because 4 weeks ago I came across my Nemisis - a bloody great big frog! EEKS! I am totally phobic of them and don't mind them in the garden as long as we never meet. I am now to scared to weed etc there.

    I put loads of chicken poo in each bed in the spring.

    It takes a good hour every couple of days to water the pots as ,not including my veg in Wickes builder buckets, I have about 180 ish. But I think it's worth the effort. I only water the raised beds if we have had a dry spell which is not often here in not so sunny Pudsey 

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