New way of constructing veggie beds, more efficient watering, increased yields !

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no_akira

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Have come up with a simple new approach to structuring growing beds... using a  single pallet !

http://www.get-planting.co.uk    ( information for newbie veggie growers, non commercial )

 Its sort of in between (hybrid) open-soil and raised beds... but makes watering more efficient.

Been having the best year of growing (yields, plants taking off) since starting to implementing this method this season in 8 years of trying to grow stuff...
« Last Edit: July 18, 2015, 10:25 by no_akira »
"How is that allotment site, I'd heard its heavy going, clay like..."

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Bohobumble

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A good concept, good luck with it :)

How about pallet partition planting?

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Annen

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It looks like a good idea, its just a shame I don't have ready access to pallets.
Anne

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no_akira

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Did speak to a recycling wood company in St Albans about making these pallet bed dividers...

Said they got the idea...but until there is demand...

Its a good idea but is it a good enough idea for people to put there hands in their pocket.. :unsure:

NB: The good thing about the stack design its easier to fit a cut in half pallet into a modern small car for transporting around.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2015, 03:03 by no_akira »

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Bohobumble

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Probably not a money spinner as you can generally pick up free pallets in a lot of places... Still a good idea tho, why not write a book about your experiences and your tips, best methods, most suited crops etc. and sell that?

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Bohobumble

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Look how much the permaculture concept has been a money spinner... Take that as inspiration?

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no_akira

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Its more FYI only type of project really. An alternative to the limitations of "raised beds"

The core of this approach in my mind is the sponge effect caused by the "puffed up" bed of soil.

I've taken inspiration from when mixing a bucket of plaster. As you add water or as water dries off from a batch of plaster it effects moisture levels across the whole batch, hard to explain. But this is what I think is happening with this method. As you pour water down the central spine, it get sucked up across the profile of the soil in a uniform way.

Would be quite hard to test this theory out...


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Tenhens

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Like the idea, thanks for sharing. You mentioned filling the gap with stones , does that take care of those slimy things with out shells?
we also rescue rabbits and guinea pigs, grow own veg

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no_akira

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Don't crucify me but I'm not a believer in slug pellets (why do we never see hedgehogs any more...) so I accept you are gonna get loses or veggies that have slug scarring.

They are attracted to moisture so seem to always collect in the same place, the dip at the back of the border at the base of the pallet wall. I then just collect them up. You could beer trap here for targeted removal.

My way of dealing with the slime critters is "Relocation, relocation, relocation". Pick them up using a leaf, then basically fling them into the nettle section of the plot.

Surprisingly they don't seem to collect in the pallet stack, there too lazy to climb vertically up the stack !

Noticed, the outer border suffers worse then the inner border which is relatively slug free...  seems they have had there munch and cant be bothered to adventure, all that effort, to scale the wall to get to the more sensitive crop on the other side.



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Aunt Sally

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no_akira, why not pop into our other gardening boards and read and give some advice on the topic there ?

I'm sure you'd enjoy it  :)

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no_akira

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Thank you for the warm reception Aunt Sally, will do. Not sure how much advice I can give. I seem to be better at construction / building than actual growing... (joke)

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Snoop

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Does the quality of the soil make a difference to this method? Do you have clayey or loose soil?

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no_akira

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Here in West side of Essex it lovely clay, not the good stuff either, go down 6 inchs  and your getting the colour change and it gets gooey... not the easiest to work from scratch.

It is a valid point and I think it has more to do with how free draining your soil is.

There are 2 factors

1. Avoid making the soil bank to high, there seems to be a fine balance between the height of your puffed up soil bed and its ability to suck moisture across the bank. Too high and it dries out too readily. This is one of the main limitations of raised beds in my experience, gravity pulls the water through them too quickly. Only a couple of inches above the original soil level seems to work best.

2. The other point of the system is that you have scrapped the cream 3" of top soil across the whole bed and heaped it all into a heap against your pallet.

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no_akira

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Well I took my idea to the Edible Garden show (stand 554) at Stoneleigh near Coventry at the weekend.

I displayed the new design that is easier to construct for people to copy for use on their own allotments.

Once I had explained the principle of this approach to people

"We modify a pallet to act as a divider positioned between 2 beds. Its a planting bed system that sits between 'raised beds' and 'open soil' and that reduces the requirement for watering as the water is goes straight to the roots."

Even the 'old boys' of the National Allotment Association rubbed their chins and nodded. Could see what I was getting at.

Also the National Vegetable Society members made comments on its especially as one of them was a chippie (carpenter) he especially was impressed.

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Aidy

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I do like to play and this looks a possible contender to play with, one major flaw for us is that we not permitted to use stones/ hardcore and this could be seen as  technically using them, however I am sure we could come up with something as a replacement.
Punk isn't dead...it's underground where it belongs. If it comes to the surface it's no longer punk...it's Green Day!



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