Now I've managed to build nearly all 12 raised beds at the top of my
garden (a scaffolding plank long and 4 foot wide) I would like to cover
at least part of one or two to start early crops.

Can anyone with more experience of growing vegetables this way suggest
the best/most efficient means of warming the soil and/or growing under
plastic/fleece?

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Janet Tweedy
writes
Now I've managed to build nearly all 12 raised beds at the top of my
garden (a scaffolding plank long and 4 foot wide) I would like to cover
at least part of one or two to start early crops.

Can anyone with more experience of growing vegetables this way suggest
the best/most efficient means of warming the soil and/or growing under
plastic/fleece?

If we want to push a raised bed on a little early, we cover it after
seeding with a sheet of clear PVC. We weight the sheet down to prevent
it blowing away and we remove it as soon as small seedlings can be seen
pushing up under it. That reduces germination and growing time by 7-12
days depending on circumstances.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

Janet Tweedy wrote:

Now I've managed to build nearly all 12 raised beds at the top of my
garden (a scaffolding plank long and 4 foot wide) I would like to cover
at least part of one or two to start early crops.

Can anyone with more experience of growing vegetables this way suggest
the best/most efficient means of warming the soil and/or growing under
plastic/fleece?

Janet
I bought round plastic electric conduit and plastic water pipe. Cut two
lengths of conduit then push into each end of a length of piping. Push
the free ends of the conduit into the ground and you now have an
inverted U shaped frame astride your bed. Cut the pipe and conduit in
lengths to suit your requirements. Repeat this for the other end of the
bed, and in the middle if they are long. This works well, I have been
using mine for several years and covering them with polythene, fleece or
netting as required. To anchor the end I screwed stable bolts (Wood
screw one end threaded bolt the other)into the tops of the planks and
used these to secure wood strips to hold the cover down on the sides and
ends of the beds. I bought mine from screwfix, well worth it if you are
going to make a number

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Now I've managed to build nearly all 12 raised beds at the top of my
garden (a scaffolding plank long and 4 foot wide) I would like to cover at
least part of one or two to start early crops.

Can anyone with more experience of growing vegetables this way suggest the
best/most efficient means of warming the soil and/or growing under
plastic/fleece?

Janet
Hi Janet,
we picked up a brilliant tip from another poster last year.
We have drilled holes at a mild downwards angle (about eighteen inches
apart.) in the two long sides of the raised beds.
We push 5ft or 6ft bamboo canes into the holes on each side which forces
them to arc up and over the bed.
Then we cover with a sheet of polythene. Hey Presto - instant polytunnel!

We also use black ground cover fabric at £3.99 a roll from Poundstretcher on
all our raised beds, cutting a slit to plant through.
This is proper fabric, not that strange woven plastic stuff for laying under
gravel.
It breathes and also lets water through but stops weeds from developing. It
lasts for several years before you need to replace it.

On Sun, 6 Feb 2005 12:52:24 -0000, "Tumbleweed"
wrote:

~
~"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
~ Now I've managed to build nearly all 12 raised beds at the top of my
~ garden (a scaffolding plank long and 4 foot wide) I would like to cover at
~ least part of one or two to start early crops.
~
~ Can anyone with more experience of growing vegetables this way suggest the
~ best/most efficient means of warming the soil and/or growing under
~ plastic/fleece?
~
~ Janet

It's really odd, but I've just been asking some fellow lottie folk
that question this week! (And for exactly the same reason!)

~Hi Janet,
~we picked up a brilliant tip from another poster last year.
~We have drilled holes at a mild downwards angle (about eighteen inches
~apart.) in the two long sides of the raised beds.
~We push 5ft or 6ft bamboo canes into the holes on each side which forces
~them to arc up and over the bed.
~Then we cover with a sheet of polythene. Hey Presto - instant polytunnel!

The advice I was given was to use stiff hosepipe, and curve it round
in an arc, just pushing it into the sides of the bed to anchor. No
drilling required, and you can make the polytunnel as tall or as flat
as you want and with no sharp edges on the supports. You could
strengthen it by tying green twine between hoops and anchoring the
ends into those little tiny vine eyes you get for net curtains, put
into the wood at the bed ends.

~We also use black ground cover fabric at £3.99 a roll from Poundstretcher on
~all our raised beds, cutting a slit to plant through.
~This is proper fabric, not that strange woven plastic stuff for laying under
~gravel.
~It breathes and also lets water through but stops weeds from developing. It
~lasts for several years before you need to replace it.
~
Apparently there's a very good garden centre in Berkhamsted that sells
very reasonably priced plastic, though I'd have to check to see if
they did clear as well as black.

Here's to a good season!

--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!

In article , Alan Gould
writes


If we want to push a raised bed on a little early, we cover it after
seeding with a sheet of clear PVC. We weight the sheet down to prevent
it blowing away and we remove it as soon as small seedlings can be seen
pushing up under it. That reduces germination and growing time by 7-12
days depending on circumstances.


Doesn't the weight flatten the seedlings?

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Broadback
writes
Janet Tweedy wrote:

Now I've managed to build nearly all 12 raised beds at the top of my
garden (a scaffolding plank long and 4 foot wide) I would like to
cover at least part of one or two to start early crops.
Can anyone with more experience of growing vegetables this way
suggest the best/most efficient means of warming the soil and/or
growing under plastic/fleece?
Janet
I bought round plastic electric conduit and plastic water pipe. Cut
two lengths of conduit then push into each end of a length of piping.
Push the free ends of the conduit into the ground and you now have an
inverted U shaped frame astride your bed. Cut the pipe and conduit in
lengths to suit your requirements. Repeat this for the other end of
the bed, and in the middle if they are long. This works well, I have
been using mine for several years and covering them with polythene,
fleece or netting as required. To anchor the end I screwed stable
bolts (Wood screw one end threaded bolt the other)into the tops of the
planks and used these to secure wood strips to hold the cover down on
the sides and ends of the beds. I bought mine from screwfix, well worth
it if you are going to make a number


Sounds like as good idea. How far apart are your pipes? My actual beds
are 12 foot long.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Hi Janet,
we picked up a brilliant tip from another poster last year.
We have drilled holes at a mild downwards angle (about eighteen inches
apart.) in the two long sides of the raised beds.
We push 5ft or 6ft bamboo canes into the holes on each side which forces
them to arc up and over the bed.
Then we cover with a sheet of polythene. Hey Presto - instant polytunnel!

We also use black ground cover fabric at £3.99 a roll from Poundstretcher on
all our raised beds, cutting a slit to plant through.
This is proper fabric, not that strange woven plastic stuff for laying under
gravel.
It breathes and also lets water through but stops weeds from developing. It
lasts for several years before you need to replace it.



Both good ideas, though I think the polytunnel might catch the wind a
bit!

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , jane
writes

Apparently there's a very good garden centre in Berkhamsted that sells
very reasonably priced plastic, though I'd have to check to see if
they did clear as well as black.

Here's to a good season!



Think you must mean Woods? In the High Street. Prices not very low but
sells individual potatoes as sets, you fill a bag for £3.00. We take
plastic bags and labels so can put four of each variety in the one paper
bag.

janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article , Janet Tweedy
writes
In article , Alan Gould
writes


If we want to push a raised bed on a little early, we cover it after
seeding with a sheet of clear PVC. We weight the sheet down to prevent
it blowing away and we remove it as soon as small seedlings can be seen
pushing up under it. That reduces germination and growing time by 7-12
days depending on circumstances.


Doesn't the weight flatten the seedlings?

We ensure that the sheet is not pressing tight to the soil. The holding
weights are beyond the sowing area. We leave the sheet on as long as
practical, but not so long as to inhibit growth of the seedlings. The
only tricky bit can be a hardening off one if the weather suddenly turns
colder at the time when the sheet is due to come off. Even in that case
the growth rate of the seedlings slows enough to allow the sheet to
remain on until the cold snap passes.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.