I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks. 4ft x 12ft. If the weather's reasonable I'll try to make one
of them this weekend, but before I do the next one I have to decide on
the width of the gap. Was going to say 3ft, but laying it out on the
existing lawn, that seems unnecessarily wide and wasteful. Will I be
forever annoyed by 2ft6? Can I go even smaller?

Peter

In article ,
says...

I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks. 4ft x 12ft. If the weather's reasonable I'll try to make one
of them this weekend, but before I do the next one I have to decide on
the width of the gap. Was going to say 3ft, but laying it out on the
existing lawn, that seems unnecessarily wide and wasteful. Will I be
forever annoyed by 2ft6? Can I go even smaller?

Peter


I'd go for 3 ft. Plenty of space to wheel a laden barrow, or
sit/kneel on your garden kneeler to weed the beds,

Also, you want to be able to walk between the beds after rain,
without getting soaked by wet plants.

Janet

On 29 Sep 2017 21:57, (Peter Robinson) wrote:
I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks. 4ft x 12ft. If the weather's reasonable I'll try to make one
of them this weekend, but before I do the next one I have to decide on
the width of the gap. Was going to say 3ft, but laying it out on the
existing lawn, that seems unnecessarily wide and wasteful. Will I be
forever annoyed by 2ft6? Can I go even smaller?

Why do you want raised beds? Problem with existing soil? Bad drainage?
Bad back?...

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Bob Hobden wrote:

On 29 Sep 2017 21:57, (Peter Robinson) wrote:
I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks. 4ft x 12ft.
[...]
Why do you want raised beds? Problem with existing soil? Bad drainage?
Bad back?...

My back is fine - touch wood. This is for fruit/veg. My soil is thick
clay, and squelchy in the winter, so that is one reason, but more for
containment.

My existing "temporary" veg bed - which is 3 years old now - is just cut
out of the turf and cultivated. Digging, adding lots of rough compost
and mulching means the level is raised and so soil is much better, but
I'm left with a 6in sloping 'dead zone' all the way round. The local
squirrels, cats and blackbirds love to move the compost/mulch to the
lawn, and the grass and buttercups invade from the lawn the moment my
back is turned. Being one large bed I have to walk on it, which I hate.

Peter

On 2017-09-30 08:23:28 +0000, Peter Robinson said:

Bob Hobden wrote:

On 29 Sep 2017 21:57, (Peter Robinson) wrote:
I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks. 4ft x 12ft.
[...]
Why do you want raised beds? Problem with existing soil? Bad drainage?
Bad back?...

My back is fine - touch wood. This is for fruit/veg. My soil is thick
clay, and squelchy in the winter, so that is one reason, but more for
containment.

My existing "temporary" veg bed - which is 3 years old now - is just cut
out of the turf and cultivated. Digging, adding lots of rough compost
and mulching means the level is raised and so soil is much better, but
I'm left with a 6in sloping 'dead zone' all the way round. The local
squirrels, cats and blackbirds love to move the compost/mulch to the
lawn, and the grass and buttercups invade from the lawn the moment my
back is turned. Being one large bed I have to walk on it, which I hate.

Peter


It isn't too late to corret the error. Dig out adequate clay and
transport to a suitable site or, if none is available, most councils
offer facilities for disposal.
The overall level of the area will fall to match the surroundings and
there will be no need to compound the problem by having raised beds all
over the place. It will be a lot of work compared with digging out the
clay in the first place but in the absence of a time machine, the
result will be the same.


--
Asha

http://nature.opcop.org.uk
The flora and fauna of Buchan

On 30/09/2017 20:51, Asha Santon wrote:
On 2017-09-30 08:23:28 +0000, Peter Robinson said:

Bob Hobden wrote:

On 29 Sep 2017 21:57, (Peter Robinson) wrote:
I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks.Â* 4ft x 12ft.
[...]
Why do you want raised beds? Problem with existing soil? Bad drainage?
Bad back?...

My back is fine - touch wood.Â* This is for fruit/veg.Â* My soil is thick
clay, and squelchy in the winter, so that is one reason, but more for
containment.

My existing "temporary" veg bed - which is 3 years old now - is just cut
out of the turf and cultivated.Â* Digging, adding lots of rough compost
and mulching means the level is raised and so soil is much better, but
I'm left with a 6in sloping 'dead zone' all the way round.Â* The local
squirrels, cats and blackbirds love to move the compost/mulch to the
lawn, and the grass and buttercups invade from the lawn the moment my
back is turned.Â* Being one large bed I have to walk on it, which I hate.

Peter


It isn't too late to corret the error. Dig out adequate clay and
transport to a suitable site or, if none is available, most councils
offer facilities for disposal.
The overall level of the area will fall to match the surroundings and
there will be no need to compound the problem by having raised beds all
over the place. It will be a lot of work compared with digging out the
clay in the first place but in the absence of a time machine, the result
will be the same.


If your ground is wet then stick with the raised beds, they will make
for much better growth. Keep to 3 ft paths, you will find that they are
not to wide once you have things growing

On Fri, 29 Sep 2017 21:57:36 +0100, (Peter Robinson) wrote:

I'm in the process of building a couple of raised beds from scaffolding
planks. 4ft x 12ft. If the weather's reasonable I'll try to make one
of them this weekend, but before I do the next one I have to decide on
the width of the gap. Was going to say 3ft, but laying it out on the
existing lawn, that seems unnecessarily wide and wasteful. Will I be
forever annoyed by 2ft6? Can I go even smaller?

Peter

Mine have about 18 inches - which I find fine. You can also sit on the edge of
one of the beds whilst you tend its neighbour.

The only time I had a very slight problem was when I had runner beans in two
adjacent beds : I had to push them to one side as I went between them.

fAsha Santon wrote:

On 2017-09-30 08:23:28 +0000, Peter Robinson said:

[...] My soil is thick clay, and squelchy in the winter, so that is one
reason, but more for containment.

My existing "temporary" veg bed - which is 3 years old now - is just cut
out of the turf and cultivated. Digging, adding lots of rough compost
and mulching means the level is raised and so soil is much better, but
I'm left with a 6in sloping 'dead zone' all the way round. The local
squirrels, cats and blackbirds love to move the compost/mulch to the
lawn, and the grass and buttercups invade from the lawn the moment my
back is turned. Being one large bed I have to walk on it, which I hate.

It isn't too late to corret the error.

No. The current plan is to convert that to a couple of raised beds too
- after it is empty. Overwintering crops can go in the new one this
year.

Dig out adequate clay and transport to a suitable site or, if none is
available, most councils offer facilities for disposal.

Even if I could bring myself to throw away my top soil, I think we would
be talking about a skip. I am skeptical that that would be easier than
conventional raised beds, and it still wouldn't really solve the
'containment' issue.

Peter

David wrote:

If your ground is wet then stick with the raised beds, they will make
for much better growth. Keep to 3 ft paths, you will find that they are
not to wide once you have things growing

Thanks for the advice David (and others).

Peter

On Fri, 29 Sep 2017 21:57:36 +0100, (Peter
Robinson) wrote:

but before I do the next one I have to decide on
the width of the gap.

We are in the middle of putting in 24 beds, we are going for 3ft wide,
but only because we need wheelchair access, at home 18" was fine for
me.
Why beds, its so we can manage the up keep/weeding/planting, our
drainge and soil, is fine.
Its all about defining where we need to work next.