[melfon]

I have very little idea about gardening as you may be aware of from other posts. We have a rabbit problem at our allotments Ive fenced off my two large plots and I thought i would make two raised beds but I simply have no idea how to start.
There are kits but they are quite expensive and i dont even know what to buy, or can I make them out of bricks or wood I would be greatful for any advice you have.
By the way Im quite handy can build or make things just dont know where to start

[muntjac]

collect old pallets break them down into planks . get some 3x 4inch  wood cut to 2ft lengths .mark out with string the bed size you want . knock the wood posts into the ground  square to the string leaving 10 inches above the ground.now nail 2 layers of planks to the posts on all sides .now dig out the soil withing the square and put to one side  go down 12 inches .fill this space now with manure and compost replace the soil and leave over winter to settle . do same with the other bed... you can tret the wood with cuprinol or old engine oil mixed in a bucket with some white spirit and painted on it , a couple coats will make em last for years . you may need to put more uprights in to nail the pallet wood to depending what size your making them

[melfon]

Thank you that sounds great I live beside an industrial estate and there are always pallets around, can I plant anything in them or is it just certain plants. Sorry for being dim

[muntjac]

your not being dim .....  dont plant root veggies in them this year , or make a bed just for roots this next year and then fil that one with manure ready for spuds or cabbage types the following season

[David.]

your not being dim

Well, risking the above, I have always wondered just not how to construct the edge restraint to raised beds, but how to fill them.

(P.S. over 100 pallets on my plots now awaiting use).

As I have a plot of almost half an acre, I can skim off a bit of high ground here & there, add some manure/compost/mole hills, etc.

So how does some one with a single (say 10 pole) plot turn it all into raised beds without importing tonnes of soil or creating a sump around them?

[muntjac]

use manure as it rots down it builds them up .the roots of the veggies wil go down to the manure etc .left over winter it will rot down .. leave gaps to walk round that are undug.....

[noshed]

I haven't bothered with the edges - just mark out 4' wide beds and pile manure/compost on them. Looks a bit scruffy but it's very cheap.

[mkhenry]

your not being dim

Well, risking the above, I have always wondered just not how to construct the edge restraint to raised beds, but how to fill them.

(P.S. over 100 pallets on my plots now awaiting use).

As I have a plot of almost half an acre, I can skim off a bit of high ground here & there, add some manure/compost/mole hills, etc.

So how does some one with a single (say 10 pole) plot turn it all into raised beds without importing tonnes of soil or creating a sump around them?

To hold in and retain the edges of my raised beds I bought some spikes intended for log rolls,and bashed them in.Two outside each edge in front of the planking and one in the middle.I know it means spending a few quid but not every one is good at woodwork,and it is so easy.They are around 19"long and have the added benefit of being removable and reusable.
I paid £3.99 for 6 around 2 years ago and that was less than the cost of the wooden spikes.

[ACatCalledElvis]

We marked out the beds, and then dug the paths to raise the bed - we have not built wooden edges - but just have them 'naturally' raised - each year we will add manure etc - they are very easy to maintain - even grow spuds in them - and avoid the hassle of built raised beds (we built ones in the garden), and the problem of slugs lurking in the edges. We have grass as path - you have to cut it - but it is a good weed controller.

We have 30 4 foot by 12 foot beds, just about right to easily maintain.

E

[muntjac]

and for the pathways use mulch obtained from the council ,i gte a lorry oload for £10 delivery as they make so much they cant shift it , and it costs wem £70 toi dump it on a refuse site  

[Trillium]

I never build mine up with any sort of edging, just mound the soil a bit and shovel up stuff from pathways. Each spring I can rotovate the works and make them to any new size - or shape - I want. Used to have contained wooden beds and they were the biggest pain to manage.

[seadart]

Bit of advice if your busting up pallets, hit them from the back in the middle first if you hit them from the ends the slats break  

[muntjac]

bit of advice for ya use a bolster chisel and knock em off the blocks first then use the bolster to take em off the cross members ,, nowt splits    

[leeky]

2 crowbars and lever the wood towards yourself!

[Spinning Fishwife]

I've got 26 raised beds in total, sizes ranging from 4` x 4` up to 4` x 15`. When I started off (on a half plot) I basically marked out the beds with string, double dug them using as much compost and manure as I could lay my hands on then edged them with scrap timber from skips as and when I could get it. It took me two years scavanging to get the whole allotment double dug and edged up...I just single dug the beds initially and grew on them like that, then double dug as the timber apperared.

I got the neighbouring half plot a couple of years later and joined them together...it took me another three years to get the beds finished on that section, as I had the original half to work as well. I finally drove in the "Golden Spike" seven years after I had got my first plot, courtesy of my neighbours loft conversion.

Moral of tale? Don't worry if it takes time to get the plot the way you want it, but look upon it as a work in progress. Grow as you go, and don't be afraid to do things in little chunks as and when time and resources become availible. Only TV programmers can do makeovers in a weekend!