I have decided to purchase raised beds to start my gardening year.
I'm a novice but have heard and read good things about raised beds.
I was going to buy the kits from Dobies which are 1mx1m and 10in in height, but a brochure in a recent 'Grow Your Own' from Harrod has kits which are 1mx1m and 6in in height for nearly half the price.

Can anyone tell me whether that extra 4 inches matters, and no smutty answers please?

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.................................................. ..............
"Iamhanuman" wrote in message
...

I have decided to purchase raised beds to start my gardening year.
I'm a novice but have heard and read good things about raised beds.
I was going to buy the kits from Dobies which are 1mx1m and 10in in
height, but a brochure in a recent 'Grow Your Own' from Harrod has kits
which are 1mx1m and 6in in height for nearly half the price.

Can anyone tell me whether that extra 4 inches matters, and no smutty
answers please?




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Iamhanuman

You will see that someone is using old doors to make raised beds which mean
they will by 3 foot high!!!!!!

Our raised beds are about 6 inches high.

'Scrap wood' or old scaffold boards are a much better product rather than
spending silly money on something fancy.

Our neighbour's raised beds are a one depth concrete block, but he was a
builder.

Mike

it depends on your needs my beds have no fixed edges at all, they are
about 8+"s high. the price difference to me would seem because on kit
is shorter than the other so there is less material supplied.


On Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:00:05 +0000, Iamhanuman
wrote:

snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"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/

In message , Iamhanuman
writes

I have decided to purchase raised beds to start my gardening year.
I'm a novice but have heard and read good things about raised beds.
I was going to buy the kits from Dobies which are 1mx1m and 10in in
height, but a brochure in a recent 'Grow Your Own' from Harrod has kits
which are 1mx1m and 6in in height for nearly half the price.

Can anyone tell me whether that extra 4 inches matters, and no smutty
answers please?

I don't know what you plan to pay nor how much space you have for the
beds but I suspect you can make a raised bed for much less than you will
be paying. I have 5 measuring c. 14 ft X 4ft each 14 ins high. I used
old joists left over from some building work we had done. After giving
them a coat of friendly preservative they were set up very easily and
have lasted 7 years without any rotting or damage. And the whole thing
cost me less than a fiver. But I realise that timber of that type is
expensive however I'm sure that you should be able to find a friendly
builder who is demolishing or extending an existing building who would
part with the old wood - maybe for nothing if you take it away.

I recognise that this may not convenient or what you want so - in answer
to your actual question (finally!) I would make raised beds as deep as
possible (within reason) ...i.e. 10ins rather than 6ins. Of course it
depends what you plan to grow in them.... root vegetables (spuds,
parsnips, many carrots etc.) would appreciate a decent depth of soil.

Regardless ... good luck! You'll find it rewarding.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Thanks to all for your advice.

I am toying with the idea of actually making them from some bits of wood.
It's just that i've read good stuff about the plastic ones and I like the portability due to the fact that i'm in rented accomodation.

It is an extra expense but i'm a beginner with little resources, so i'm not sure.

I'm going to have to continue to think about it!

We have several raised beds made out of oak sleepers. They are not cheap - but they are easy to make, and are high enough to prevent the carrot fly from getting in there.

Basically, each long side is made up of 2 sleepers, and the ends are two half sleepers on top of each other. Therefore it takes 6 sleepers to create a very substantial raised bed. They're screwed together, via brackets, on the inside and then filled with good quality topsoil. [it takes rather alot of soil, so this can be a hidden cost which people dont' think about.]