[alfman]

Here's an interesting one. (to me.) Because of extended years and physical disadvantages,(old/bad back and bone blooming idle,) I'm seriously considering putting in raised beds. I'd be very interested therefore if any of you lotty owners have been using raised beds for a few years so you could tell me the plusses and minuses of traditional versus raised beds. :?

[SalJ1980]

This comes up quite a bit alf, try reading this thread for some of the arguments for and against...

[alfman]

Thanks for the thread Sal. The one that looked the best to me was from a book I was bought by a Mrs C Klein on veg growing. If you happen to have it or are passing W H Smiths or your local book shop have a look at page 15.

[Pete C]

I've been pondering raised beds too. Read the thread you linked to Sal.
One question though.........where do people get all the extra soil to fill the beds?

[garddwr]

you can fill with manure

[woodburner]

I use lazy beds which are just raised beds but without the wood, and only about 4ft wide so don't get walked on and so don't need digging, once made. With this system the soil from the paths goes on the beds.

[Bombers]

where do people get all the extra soil to fill the beds?

Same as above really, scrape it up from paths, and surround with timbers. As you add Humous the level will rise.
The timbers just help to retain the soil that can get washed down in heavy rains. But i suppose with lazy beds, you just keep scraping it back up periodically? :roll:

[penance]

you can fill with manure

Not good for all veg!

[pauln]

thinking of raised beds too. but is there anything to worry about the timber being treated. on my site i have had a good look around and cant see any raised beds at all.

[Minty]

We are using what I'd called semi raised beds which are really boxed in lazy beds but they are filling up as we add stuff like leaf litter/manure and we also have two piles of compost on the plot which were there when we took it on,that must amount to about 15 tons.

I find them really easy to work and a lot of the old boy's who come over for a chat have said if they were starting over again they'd use the same method.

We use gravel boards which are treated with palaline(sp?) and it hasn't affected anything we've grown so far as the wood yard said it is organically based stuff and lasts for about 25 years.Our friend on a neighbouring plot is using creasote and I think he's going to have a few problems with it myself. :?

[des]

I've been pondering raised beds too. Read the thread you linked to Sal.
One question though.........where do people get all the extra soil to fill the beds?

When I made my beds I dug out quite deep, about two feet below ground which gave me a mountain of soil. I then put a lot of rubbish that I needed rid of (timber, rubble and cast iron fragments) in the bottom and then filled the beds with a mixture of Horse manure, B&Q compost and the dug out soil (sifted). As a result the beds were filled to the brim and there is as much of the mixture below ground as there is above, about 2 feet of it in all.

I read a bit about "Intensive deep beds" and thought I would go that way. A hell of a lot of work to start with but very easy gardening afterwards (I believe)  

I did this because I'm a bit pushed for space and I have not a hope in Hades of getting a lotty where I live.

[Pete C]

Ta Des, noted

[p00rstudent]

i am lucky in that i have two plots, one i have covered in raised beds, the other which is twice the size of the first i am keeping to the more tradtional layout. I will find out next year which is more successful i guess.

[Snap Dragon]

thinking of raised beds too. but is there anything to worry about the timber being treated. on my site i have had a good look around and cant see any raised beds at all.

Interesting point Pauln.... I mentioned this on the 'other thread'.

I'm hoping someone will come along and pass on some wise words about treated timber. Is all treated timber bad? Are there safe treatments to use at home... apart from lining with plastic?

What sort of wood, treated or untreated has everyone else used?

[drdave]

I have used tannalised pine sleepers and regularised (smoothed) tannalised pine roofing joists for mine. Tannalith does not leach out. It does have arsenic in it, but its not a concern to me. Ordinary wood rots quite quickly, but untreated oak and pine sleepers will last ages but are Q dear and not easy to find.
Treated railway sleepers leach creosote all the time. You cant even sit on them, let alone eat from them! And they weigh a ton!