[andywhit]

In Johns book he talks about raised beds, however it is not clear to me if the beds need to be deep enougth to take the full root of the veg or is the idea that the root will pertrude into the sub soil below the bed. I note that some of these kits allow for two and even three tier systems, so I'm confussed

Thanks

[Gemma_25]

I think I read somewhere once that they had to be at least 60-80cm deep... although I could be wrong! We built our raised beds out of some decking (very cheap decking) and they're roughly 60cm deep. We grow carrot's, beans, pea's, onions, leeks and lettuce if that helps....  :blink:

[Ice]

Raised beds can be any height, it really depends why you want them.  Sometimes it's a good way to sort out problems with a clay soil.  It's also useful if you want a neat and tidy effect.  Also, as it's a no dig system it's good for someone with back problems.

[mumofstig]

Most people make their raised beds over soil, in the first place. So if you dig the soil to one spade depth and then add the raised bed above that you have enough depth to grow most veg. The raised bed boards are usually 6 to 8 inches deep, unless you particularly need the taller beds, eg for a bad back , or are siting the beds onto concrete.

[Kristen]

I have "lazy" raised beds - no wooden sides, paths are lowered and the soil put onto the beds.

I have heavy clay, and this assists drainage, plus has added 9" or so of soil, and a few more inches of manure.

We are conscientious about never walking on the beds

[The Norfolk Turkey]

We built raised beds this year. 3 decking boards deep, which is about 2 foot. Two reasons - easy for the kids to get into, but not fall into! and our "soil" is mostly clay, rubble and rubbish so we wanted to ensure root crops had plenty of room - many of the kits you can buy are very expensive for the additional height and area you gain and theres good end of season offers on decking in plenty of diy places at this time of year!!