I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?
I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?
What crops would you recommend?

TIA
Steve

On 30/1/07 20:19, in article
, "80/20"
wrote:

I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?
I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?
What crops would you recommend?

My first reaction would be that if you intend to gravel it and then put a
table and chairs on it, you'll curse yourself to the end of your days! Pave
it, perhaps but if it's gravel it will never, ever be an even surface for
garden furniture.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Steve,

I use 6in by 4in treated timber boards just screwed together.

I dug over the soil the first year and added compost. Every year I add a bit
more compost and its gradually building up.

You don't need to fill them all up the first season.

Make three beds and rotate them with roots, brassicas and 'other' (look up
'crop roatation').

I don't like the sound of gravel and mulch sheets as its very detrimental to
wildlife - nothing can feed... birds, animals, insects - it might as well be
concrete.

But that's just me...

Good luck,

Keith



"80/20" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?
I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?
What crops would you recommend?

TIA
Steve

correction 6in x 2in - sorry all

"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message
...

Steve,

I use 6in by 4in treated timber boards just screwed together.

I dug over the soil the first year and added compost. Every year I add a
bit more compost and its gradually building up.

You don't need to fill them all up the first season.

Make three beds and rotate them with roots, brassicas and 'other' (look up
'crop roatation').

I don't like the sound of gravel and mulch sheets as its very detrimental
to wildlife - nothing can feed... birds, animals, insects - it might as
well be concrete.

But that's just me...

Good luck,

Keith



"80/20" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?
I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?
What crops would you recommend?

TIA
Steve

"80/20" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?
I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?
What crops would you recommend?

TIA
Steve

others have commented on the gravel business, presumably if you put down a
really thick layer of gravel you will be able to bed the table and chairs
etc in that however getting it perfectly level may be a problem. As an
example, try getting a deck chair perfectly level at the beach. Depends what
you want. Bigger draw back to gravel I think is compaction from repeated
usage, you will periodically need to top it up, and organic matter working
its way in to the gravel and decomposing, thus providing areas fro weeds to
grow. It is damned difficult to get dirt out from amongst gravel.

As for the garden, I put 5 in last year and have found them really good.
Much better than standard beds for growing things. I used garden sleepers
and made them either 300 or 400 mm high. That is a handy height for me but
still gives the option of building up again in future. It is more expensive
than using timber however I was under 'instructions' to landscape the area
which meant laying down pavers as well (now that is even more difficult to
get level than chairs in gravel). When building the beds consider what the
backing will be. If using timber you can simply whip up a 3 sided box. I was
putting some against a fence and didn't want to pay for twice the amount of
sleepers than necessary so I nailed various backings to the fence
(firboplank and clearlite roof sheeting) and built the beds out from there.
The soil and planting all but hides the fibro/clearlite sheets.

In terms of what you put in as growing medium, depends on when you want to
start sowing. If your compost is ready and nicely broken down you can likely
use that unless it is fairly lumpy and sticks in clumps. If the latter small
seeds may get lost (least some of mine have in the past in lumpy compost) so
you can either transplant seedlings or lay a dressing of soil over the top.
I did that in all my new beds and seeded straight in to the soil. Quickly
the plants roots dug down in to the nutrient rich layers underneath. If you
have not enough compost to made a decent growing depth you could chuck
organic matter in to the bottom of the beds and top up the higher levels
with compost. In no particular order I bunged in partly rotten horse poop,
coffee grounds, spoilt hay, compost (fresh and finished), grass clippings
and kitchen waste. I left it a few months and my good mates the worms dealt
to the rest. Likely if you had a good layer of compost (and earth if
necessary) over the top of fresh stuff like grass clippings, ripped up
newspaper and household waste you could plant straight away and the stuff
near the bottom will breakdown quite quickly.

As what to plant, my first plantings in the new beds were garlic (first time
I planted it), lettuce, spring onions, potatos and carrots. The lettuce has
been prolific and our main vegetable over summer. The SO very nice in asian
cooking and the garlic is being used now and has a stronger more pungent
odour than the stuff from the supermarket. The stuff I have dug up hasn't
had much success dring mind yet, mainly because it doesn't get a chance as I
use alot of it. Potatos were ok as were the carrots but the latter were more
for her who must be obeyed. Having 4 corner gardens you also have a ready
made system for crop rotation if you need it. I am only just starting to get
my head around it in my new set up.

rob

"80/20" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?

Depends - the higher they are, the easier to maintain. Mine are a bit low
and not easy on the back when working on them.
http://www.ljconline.nl/garden/gardenpatio.htm

I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?

Yes

What crops would you recommend?

Veggies ?
Depends on what you like and how big teh beds are. Do teh crops need to be
'decorative' as well?
Runner beans up a wigwam look good
Beetroot has pretty foliage
Carrots are 'fluffy' looking

Jenny

On 30 Jan, 20:19, "80/20"
wrote:
Questions:
How high would you make the beds?

Depends how tall you are, seriously. I've made mine the height of two
railway sleepers, which gives me a good height to bend and work on the
beds (I'm 1m57). Too low and you'll kneel across which is really
unconfortable. I've never seen a too high raised bed except in Carol
Klein's garden on the programme Grow Your Own. I was surprised, it
works well but it really gives lots of shade, which I find counter
productive in a way. Also when you're sitting at a table, if your beds
are too high, you'll see lots of earth and stems. Put a chair next to
the area where you want your beds and imagine the height and decide
accordingly.

I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?

I've used top soil as well as home made compost and OM. It's amazing
how much you'll need. Go onto a website for top soil, example http://
http://www.rolawndirect.co.uk/produc...m_topsoil.html and
enter the area you need to fill. It calculates for you how much approx
you'll need.

What crops would you recommend?

I've grown in my raised beds radishes, leeks, salads, herbs, a variety
of flowers, nettles, spinash, sorrel, various trailling plants, and a
honeysuckle permanently settled in there when I used a honeysuckle
stick to prop up some helichrysum! You can plant anything you want
really, providing the soil is suited to the plant you want to grow.
HTH

g'day steve,

best height is about 10 to 12"s you can go higher see our page for
pics etc.,. on how we do our raised beds.



On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

I always wonder, when you see pictures of raised beds, edged with
boards, with nice cleangravel paths between, how you manage to dig and
plant without getting soil on the gravel. You can sweep a paved path,
you can't sweep gravel.
Practical or not?
Just a thought!


Pam in Bristol

On 31/1/07 23:38, in article ,
"Pam Moore" wrote:

On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

I always wonder, when you see pictures of raised beds, edged with
boards, with nice cleangravel paths between, how you manage to dig and
plant without getting soil on the gravel. You can sweep a paved path,
you can't sweep gravel.
Practical or not?
Just a thought!

Hosepipe wash down?
Whenever I read about raised beds, I envisage trying to get those going for
myself - it's never going to happen but the concept intrigues me. I'm 5'10"
and have quite a lot of back and neck trouble. By no stretch of the
imagination am I disabled or whatever but I certainly can't dig, a visit to
the supermarket leaves me with backache and the sort of stoop you have to do
to empty a dishwasher is just the angle that gets me into trouble. So, if I
wanted to have raised beds that truly saved me back ache I'd have to have
raised beds that came to something around chest height which, for me would
be around 4'or so. Does anyone actually do that? I'm genuinely interested
to hear about this from those with experience.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Sacha wrote:

On 31/1/07 23:38, in article ,
"Pam Moore" wrote:

On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

I always wonder, when you see pictures of raised beds, edged with
boards, with nice cleangravel paths between, how you manage to dig and
plant without getting soil on the gravel. You can sweep a paved path,
you can't sweep gravel.
Practical or not?
Just a thought!

Hosepipe wash down?
Whenever I read about raised beds, I envisage trying to get those going
for
myself - it's never going to happen but the concept intrigues me. I'm
5'10"
and have quite a lot of back and neck trouble. By no stretch of the
imagination am I disabled or whatever but I certainly can't dig, a visit
to the supermarket leaves me with backache and the sort of stoop you have
to do
to empty a dishwasher is just the angle that gets me into trouble. So, if
I wanted to have raised beds that truly saved me back ache I'd have to
have raised beds that came to something around chest height which, for me
would
be around 4'or so. Does anyone actually do that? I'm genuinely
interested to hear about this from those with experience.


There was a program on TV some years ago about "sensory gardens", in that
they certainly had raised beds of 3 foot, to allow folks in wheelchairs to
easily interact with the plants. So it's obviously possible, it's just
going to be an issue with building the walls high enough and strong enough
to ensure the bed stays safe I guess.

Duncan

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

I always wonder, when you see pictures of raised beds, edged with
boards, with nice cleangravel paths between, how you manage to dig and
plant without getting soil on the gravel. You can sweep a paved path,
you can't sweep gravel.
Practical or not?
Just a thought!

And a good thought, too. But of course much of the advantage of raised
beds is lost if one doesn't adopt the no-digging approach, so grass
paths must be best if one can't run to concrete or slabs. That way the
occasional spills from planting and harvesting won't matter.

--
Mike.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

I always wonder, when you see pictures of raised beds, edged with
boards, with nice cleangravel paths between, how you manage to dig and
plant without getting soil on the gravel. You can sweep a paved path,
you can't sweep gravel.
Practical or not?
Just a thought!
Pam in Bristol

I find that spilt soil washes down through the gravel..........
Jenny

I have a gravel garden .Last summer , a friend helped me to make a raised
bed from new 'sleepers'.It looks great.
I filled it with top soil, and planted it with various small
plants,including French lavender which would not have survived in my cold
clay wet Scottish soil of a normal garden!

I intend making another smaller one for ornamental plants and growing some
nice veggies in the original bed.

I treated the wood with stained wood oil and it reaslly is a nice contrast
against the gravel.

Good luck to anyone else thinking of making a raised bed.

Roy


"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message
...

Steve,

I use 6in by 4in treated timber boards just screwed together.

I dug over the soil the first year and added compost. Every year I add a
bit more compost and its gradually building up.

You don't need to fill them all up the first season.

Make three beds and rotate them with roots, brassicas and 'other' (look up
'crop roatation').

I don't like the sound of gravel and mulch sheets as its very detrimental
to wildlife - nothing can feed... birds, animals, insects - it might as
well be concrete.

But that's just me...

Good luck,

Keith



"80/20" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a small lawn that is not it's best because it is used in the
summer as a patio area, the table, chairs and umbrella stand all turn
the lawn yellow.

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

Questions:
How high would you make the beds?
I have plenty of home made compost, could this be used to fill the
beds?
What crops would you recommend?

TIA
Steve

"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On 30 Jan 2007 12:19:28 -0800, "80/20"
wrote:

I am thinking of digging it up and covering the area will gravel,
after putting down a mulch sheet.

I also would like to put triangular raised beds on the 4 corners to
grow veg in.

I always wonder, when you see pictures of raised beds, edged with
boards, with nice cleangravel paths between, how you manage to dig
and
plant without getting soil on the gravel. You can sweep a paved
path,
you can't sweep gravel.
Practical or not?
Just a thought!
Pam in Bristol

I find that spilt soil washes down through the gravel..........

Making weeds feel really at home.

--
Mike.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com