Quote:
Originally Posted by Caz
I have decided to grow veg on raised beds and have no idea where to start. I
have a small piece of lawn that I will be converting. Does anybody have any
recommendations for a book to give me ideas and advice. I'm presuming (maybe
wrongly) that I can't actually plant anything right now but would like to
begin preparations for spring planting. Any advice greatly received.
Caz
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A lot of information can be picked up from gardening magazines. I would browse them to check that they are publishing what you want before purchasing. The main use of a raised bed is to increase the depth of the soil, so its height will depend on the depth of soil in your garden. Most pictures of raised beds in magazines show them made out of 6 inch boards. Tanalised boards are expensive but they are usually guaranteed for about 20 years I believe. Personally I use breeze blocks, and they are cheaper than buying ready made raised beds - about a quarter of the price. You can lay them on edge burying about 3 inches in the ground for a 6 inch wall. You can lay them on end burying about 6 inches in the ground for a twelve inch wall. You can lay them flat giving 4 inch height multiples with 9 inch wide walls. That might seem a waste of space but you can grow quite a lot of veg in buckets and pots. My beds are 4 blocks high but I can sit on them to work the garden - much easier on the back.
Bigal