[Tykelad]

Hi all, am new to all this and have lots of questions !
We have just got hold of 5 acres of which i can have as much as i want for my veggies ! It is covered in grass at the mo because we have horses on it and is a blank canvas right now. The 1st question is do I am buy some railway sleepers to create raised beds or do i spend the money on a rotorvator. What do you think ? If i do create raised beds, what size should they be ?

Thanks in advance.....

Tyke

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site 

So many questions all in one go ....  :blink:

I'll shove you over to Grow Your Own as they sort of fit there.  Feel free to pop back into the Welcome forum to tell us about your 5 acres!

[Robin Redbreast]

get johns books off of here very easy to understand and answers most of the questions you can think of and some you havent great book! welcome to the site too!!! but if ya want some immediate advice my personal option is raised beds as long as you want them to be and about 3ft wide so you can reach the middle from both sides without having to walk on the soil and making it easy to plant in and weed! hope this helps a little!!!!!!!!

[Bobbeh]

How much veg are you planning on growing? Raised beds can be expensive to make, especially if you are planning on using sleepers as from what I've seen they aren't cheap, though should last a long time.

I'm a relative novice and just growing in the back garden and more experienced people will be able to advise better however from my experience I think that unless you have a problem such as contaminated or very shallow soil it would be a lot cheaper and easier just to create standard beds. At least to begin with anyway.

I have a couple of raised beds that allow me to make use of an awkward spot that gets the most sun but is concreted, without digging out tons of concrete and also saves my back a bit when working. However I could have bought lots of seeds with what it cost to make and be further in the black as it were with my mini back garden allotment in terms of savings made.

Best of luck anyway with whatever you decide. 5 acres, I'm very envious. As has been mentioned John's book is good, I also quite like Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Vegetables.

[strangerachael]

I have heard somewhere that areas which have been grass for a long time may have problems with (I think) wireworm. I've not had to deal with it myself so cannot offer any helpful advice but it may be something worth investigating. There'll probably be someone along soon who knows a lot more about it though...

[Sweet Pea 2]

5 acres yelp!!  It is hard enough for me keeping 5 poles.
I a guessing some sorts for machinery rotovating/ploughing wil be needed.
I am sure someones will be along soon with some good advice soon.
Good luck!

[Salmo]

Buy the rotovator and also some Roundup to kill the grass and weeds before you use it.

Many of us are growing on restricted areas and need to produce maximum yields which are best achieved with raised beds. You have the luxury of nice wide grass paths and not needing to crop every spare space on the plot.

Leatherjackets and wireworms are a real threat. Leatherjackets will only be there in the first year. Wireworms can last for 3 years  but no longer.

[DD.]

I'm 110% with Salmo.

With 5 acres and a rotavator to play with, I wouldn't be messing with raised beds. You have no need for intense cultivation.

[Roll Roll]

What's your goal? commercial growing or just for yourself?

[Ivah]

Is this purchased or rented? That decides how permanent a solution you want. Your profile doesn't say where you are but at 5 acres I guess it is in the country. I am a gardener with 1½ acres rather than an allotment holder and am out in the country. The first thing to decide is how much to cultivate eventually and are you thinking just vegetables or fruit (soft fruit and top fruit) as well, then make a rough plan. Next fence off all the production area with something rabbit proof or maybe like me deer proof as well. If you can start by mowing the whole area, that way you can keep it under control and gradually change grass into beds and paths. If the soil and drainage is good I wouldn't bother with raised beds but rather deeply dug beds, easier to work on with a wheelbarrow. When I did mine I couldn't decide whether to do narrow beds or not, in the end I did 10' wide thinking I could divide to 4' later but I never have - I've found they are a good hoeing width and quite easy to look after - I have 7 beds 25' long and a couple of other patches besides and a 10'x15' Comfrey bed in the vegetable area, a 25' square fruit cage and an orchard in another part of the garden. You need space for composting, probably a shed and greenhouse and maybe cold frames. I initially divided mine up with 2' to 3' grass paths but found them a pain when they were wet, high rainfall here, and the edges take a bit of maintaining. I have eventually over the years taken the extreme solution of concreting them - that's why it is important to know if you own or rent, I think concrete is a better use of capital than raised bed sleepers. You can use membrane and slabs for some flexibility. Grassland does take a while to clear of bugs but the only way is to suffer the original damage, the first crop of potatoes is a bit sacrificial but you should get a reasonable crop and things will get better. If you keep records for your rotation and double dig a portion each year you'll gradually build up the fertility. Now there's an extreme solution for you - hope it hasn't put you off!

[noshed]

No need for raised beds, for the reasons above. Make temporary paths with straw and away you go!

[Tykelad]

Thanks for all the advice guys. To clarify a little, although we have 5 acres here in sunny Yorkshire, i only intend having small part of it (depending how it goes !). The rest is being used by the horses. (Manure aplenty !). I only need to grow enough for me and the Mrs and a bit extra for family etc so intend to start small and see how it goes. I just thought that raised beds were easier to manage. Also i intend getting a green house. Where is the best/cheapest place to get one from or exactly what is a poly tunnel. Does it do the same job ?

Tyke

[Salmo]

If you start a new topic headed "which greenhouses and poltunnels to buy? " you will attract better replies.