Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Riala on September 01, 2008, 17:00

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: Riala on September 01, 2008, 17:00

I do not have an allotment yet, just a Mini Garden (http://www.friedfly.com/keepers/minigarden.gif)!

But i do have 2 questions:

Raised  Beds = What is their purpose, and am I right in thinking they do not have a base?

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: garddwr on September 01, 2008, 17:16

No most of them do have a base root veg such as carotts will have more depth to grow and raised  beds make it more accessable

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: NO GREEN FINGERS on September 01, 2008, 18:25

as was pointed out to me a raised bed also stops your veg/fruit from getting water looged

if you allow enough drainage

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: Riala on September 01, 2008, 18:33

I can't help thinking that garddwr meant to say "Don't have bases".

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: sclarke624 on September 01, 2008, 20:26

I think the soil in them is supposed to be warmer being raised.  I have a fairly high one about 24 inches high, but the purpose of that height is to stop the dog wee'ing on the veg.  The raised bed is in the garden, no base.

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: Nogger on September 01, 2008, 20:27

i thought that as well Riala :wink:

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: Ice on September 01, 2008, 20:30

I have one with a base and one without, it all depends on the height of the sides.  I think they are great, others disagree.

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: sclarke624 on September 01, 2008, 20:34

Having looked up raised beds on google, as I thought it is that the soil warms up quicker so you can plant earlier, also saves your back if you have a bad one (but then that would depend on the height of bed) and you can fill with better/ easier to work, compost and/or soil than you may already have.

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: garddwr on September 01, 2008, 20:40

Quote from: "Riala"

I can't help thinking that garddwr meant to say "Don't have bases".

Yes I did mean to say that I was in a rush
sorry

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: Riala on September 01, 2008, 21:07

Thank you all very much, I am now going to sweet talk the other half in to building me one, with a base.

I have already fluttered my eyelashes at Daddy and bribed some wood of him for this very purpose.  

Drainage.  How would I go about sorting out my drainage on a based one, would a few holes in the base suffice, or is there some sneaky unknown-to-newbies way of doing it?

Title: raised bed
Post by: Johndeb on September 01, 2008, 21:31

Strong advice not to have a base.  

Makes drainage more difficult, stops worms and other friend working your soil, restricts root growth of larger/longer rooted plants, makes digging harder and will rot anyway....

Best

Title: Questions from a newbie
Post by: Riala on September 01, 2008, 22:10

Which is ok... if you do not have a paved yard (http://www.friedfly.com/keepers/minigarden.gif) (rented property so nothing I can do about it) and I have no idea how long I have to wait for an Allotment or what state it would be in.  :(