[Riala]

I do not have an allotment yet, just a Mini Garden!

But i do have 2 questions:

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

[garddwr]

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

[NO GREEN FINGERS]

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

if you allow enough drainage

[Riala]

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

[sclarke624]

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.

[Nogger]

i thought that as well Riala

[Ice]

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.

[sclarke624]

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.

[garddwr]

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

[Riala]

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?

[Johndeb]

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

[Riala]

Which is ok... if you do not have a paved yard (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.