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I'm planning to build a raised bed in our garden to grow some vegetables (Peas & French Beans,) but really don't even know where to start. I'm planning on placing it in a spot which currently has grass growing - should I remove the grass or just build the bed and fill the topsoil/compost on top of the grass? Looking at using some sort of a wooden frame with supports in the ground and attached to the wall behind. Any tips/advise would be appreciated. Thanks J
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Hi Garvin
Although I don't have direct experience of this, having watch Alan Titchmarsh in action, I would recommend removing square slabs of grass (plus a couple inches of soil with the roots), and keep them stacked upside down, and you will have some very fine compost in year's (approx) time.
I would remove a few further inches soil, set your wooden borders and fill it to the brim with top grade top soil, along with lots of organic matter (compost and well rotted manure). I think this should give a good basis to get planting this year.
Let us know how u get along, maybe post some pics of your first crop :-)
best
Protein
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Hi All, I bought some very cheap (but FSC grade!) decking in B&Q last weekend, cut it up and made a couple of frames for raised beds. They look great but I have a question, which I hope you can answer..how deep should a raised bed be? The ones I made are only about 14cms high. I don't want my veggies to come in contact with the ground underneath as my garden was both a jungle and a landfill until very recently...I want to plant spuds and am not sure how deep they grow..I'm sure this is a really stupid question but I am a complete novice. Any ideas?
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Hi Bogwoman, Ideally raised beds should be above 12 inches high. Spuds will grow in anything from 9" of soil but the deeper soil you give them the better. We build our raised beds 14" deep to allow carrots, parsnips etc have good deep roots. Just be carefull if you are putting them on a poor base to put down old newspapers (Mypex ideally) to stop any weeds coming up thru the beds. Its amazing how far weeds will find their way up. If you need any other help on putting your beds together we have a website www.quickcrop.ie dedicated to building raised beds & we might be able to assist you FOC of course
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Hi Quickcrop. I am sorry I didn't know about you before I put my finely honed carpentry skills to the test! Thanks for your good advice re the depth of the raised beds, will take it on board (bad pun I know, but unintentional!). B
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Any help on raised bed of sllepers would be appreciated. I have 9 new oak sleepers (8" x 4") plus some offcuts left over from some fencing and am contemplating a raised bed and am finding difficulties in sourcing recommended method of securing. I hope to construct the beds of two courses on their edge (16" high from bottom of timber). I have discuused with a few people I know in building trade and have received some suggestions and would welcome guidance. Option 1: Hammer down some 12mm reinforcing bar well into ground and have it protruding about 12" over ground. Drill bottom row of sleepers and slot down through the rebar. Drill top row of sleepers 4"/half depth and slot over the rebar. This avoids rebar being visible. 4 x 70 screws can be used to provide additional supports or galvanised straps similar to used for wallplates Option 2: Bed bottom layer of sleeper in concrete/dry cement and gravel mix and use timberlock screws or long screws at corners and intermediate supports for top row. Option 3: Redcuce level where sleeper to go by about 4" below adjacent grass. Hammer down some 12mm rebar to grass level to act as restraint for bottom row of sleepers. Lay out bottom row of sleepers. Hammer down 12mm rebar to inside of sleeper to finish shortly below top row of sleeper. This restains sleeper falling in. Use screws to bind at corners to prevent soil pushing sleepers out. I would also welcome guidance on protection as some have siad that soil side of sleeper needs some protection by either protim type coating or else a sheet of geotextile/plastic Many thanks
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I put in nine beds 4 ft by 16 ft width and length, and ten inches tall , and two beds 4 ft by 4 ft. I bought two inch thick planks from O Briens timber supplies at 24 euro each, screwed them together on the inside with simple angle irons and brass screws, did not put down a base, but cut the turf and single dug the soil nine inches down, so everything is sitting in ten inches of 40% multipurpose and 40% John Innes 3 mix with 20% vermiculite ( bought in whiolesale quantities at c. 10 euro a bag). everything grew like mad! The raised beds are surrounded on all sides with suir gold gravel paths two feet wide. Nice and clean and neat. don' t overegg this, you sound llike you are getting too much advice from professionals, get on with it. Sanabria
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I'm with Sanabrina Just get stuck in. On one thing you mentioned. If the wood is treated with anything apart from Tanalith E (your wood supplier should be able to tell you) make sure to put some sort of a lineing between the bed & the soil or you might get some nasties leaching in to the soil. Not good if you are going to be eating the produce (which hopefully you are). If you need any other advice just ask. Cheers Niall
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