Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Sandy on April 15, 2006, 21:00
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Hello! I'm a newbie to this site and also a general newbie to allotment-ing! :) my allotment is fast becoming an obsession of mine... and a healthy one at that so its all good!
I'm lucky to have my allotment at the back of my garden and I have spent a lot of time getting rid of the dreaded couch grass and other weeds (I think my fellow allotmenteers here call it "snitch"... either that or I've got it completely wrong!!).
My query to all you knowledgable ones is how to go about finding wood to errect cheap raised beds. I was in B&Q today and left empty handed (after having fought my way through the warehouse) as I didn't know what I had to buy. The cheapest boards had been treated which I guess would then leak chemicals into my soil and the "smoothed" boards were quite narrow and also really expensive. Does anyone have any suggestions on this matter? :roll:
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Ok so I'm not experienced but pallets are free. You don't have to steal them, usually if you just ask you can have them. Not the blue ones, they are all owned by a company, not sure how it works but if the pallet isn't blue you will probably be allowed to have it. I get a lot from the stationary delierers from work, they bring stuff in on a pallett and THEY ASK ME if they can leave it :shock:
Builders yards, Industrial estates, high street deliveries. You need to ask and you will be surprised, I know I was. Also old window frames if you see someone having double glazing put in.
Obviously you have to break this wood up :( ideally you will have a hammer and a crowbar for the pallets, just a hammer for the window frames. Pallets are handily made from planks and thicker wood that can be driven into the ground.
Someone I know has made raised beds out of old car tyres, I don't like the sound of it but she says that you just don't grow stuff near the edge. Like I said though, I don't like the sound of that.
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Good advice, Jake :)
Sandy, I think they are calling it 'switch' which seems to be an alternative name for couch.
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thanks for the good advice Jake.. will try and avoid the blue pallets!
John - thanks for your advice re: switch too, now I can use my new found allotment knowledge to really talk the talk and actually look like I know what I'm talking about!! :lol:
thanks guys
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hi there sandy, tr scaffolding hire companys the boards that they use are exelent, im getting 15 at the weekend for £2 each, they are realy heavy duty as well and no chemicals either. :lol: