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Saturday, May 16, 2015

Raised beds no more

For the last 10 to 12 years I have grown vegetables in raised beds. I say raised, they were contained within boards about 25cm high - not very raised compared to some I saw in Austria which could be worked standing up, nevertheless, my beds helped to keep the plots organised.

I have done wooden sides twice now, I replaced them, the first time they rotted, with scaffold boards, they too have now rotted and so I have dug them out and the damp-proof membrane I put under them (which didn't inhibit rotting as it turns out). Apart from the cost of wood, something else putting me off is that, when I tool the boards up I discovered they had been excellent pathways for couch grass and bindweed.

I shall keep the same size of beds, so that I don't have to stand on the soil - one of the major reasons for raised beds - in this case I can achieve that by keeping them about 1 metre wide, so they can be reached into from either side.

Here are 2 photos of the now dug out beds and one in the greenhouse of six containers of potatoes (I couldn't of course plant outside).

Beds gone
Beds gone 

Beds gone, path remains
Beds gone, path remains

6 different varieties of potato in containers
6 different varieties of potato in containers