On Thu, 06 Mar 2014 18:27:00 +0000, Bob Hobden wrote:

"Derek" wrote ...

"Bob Hobden" wrote:


My interest is why you need raised beds? Terrible waste of ground with
all the paths so you need a good reason to want them.

So you can go pick your strawberries in your slippers :-)

As for building them, I use 'decking' It been down now four five years
and looks as good as ever .


Unless you have a serious problem with your soil for what you want to
grow or need to improve drainage I don't see any advantage. Just more
work, more expense, and less ground to cultivate.

Exactly the argument for building raised beds.

We are going to convert the back garden to a back courtyard.

For the winter months, the lawn is always soggy and you have to change
your shoes to go out there.

On sunny winter days you can't really make the most of it.

The lawn requires mowing on a regular basis.

So we plan to have no lawn, enough hard standing so that we can get from
the house to the garden room/workshop without getting dirty shoes, a pond,
outdoor seating and dining areas plus raised beds for plants and
vegetables. Oh, and a fire pit.

A bonus is that when we become infirm we can still garden in raised beds
where traditional beds at ground level would be too hard to maintain.

So a high initial outlay but from then on a courtyard garden to be enjoyed
all year round.

Can't at the moment decide about the beds - we have seen some made from
seriously thick sleepers which look nice, but if this is going to be a
once built last forever arrangement then we might build in brick and block.

Cheers

Dave R