Raised veg bed questions

Fishy1

Hi All,
New to this section of Boards & am hoping that all of you experts will be able to get me going with my plans for a raised veg bed. I've a small garden, but have always grown lettuce in window boxes, cherry tomatoes in growbags, herbs etc.

Anyway, this year I've decided to have a go at a raised veg bed, with a view to growing a few potatoes, carrots, peas & beans, maybe a cucumber plant or two & anything else you people think I should try.

Big problem, we have loads of slugs in the garden (who doesn't I suppose!). I can't/won't use slug pellets (small dog) & am also trying to be as organic as possible.

How do you control slugs?
Any tips for what I should plant in the plot? Want to get as much out of it as I can for the family.
Thanks in advance.

Minder

There is a slugs thread here with some useful tips. I've tried most methods and find picking them off and scalding them is the easiest method. A pair of gloves, a bucket of boiled water and 30 minutes an evening. Saying that, I also use nematodes, beer traps, copper tape and have recently bought the pellets that are supposed to be child and pet safe. Will see how they work out.

As for suggestions for veggies, i'd also like to hear any suggestions. I have some deep raised (lasagne) beds make up in layers of green and brown material - they will be ready for planting in March.

From my little experience, peas, beans and cucumbers need climbing frames - so a bed next to a wall or fence is a good start. Successional planting - same crop, weeks apart - will give you a good spread of produce.

There are some useful threads here for a search.

Good luck with the slugs.

worded

Minder wrote: »

There is a slugs thread here with some useful tips. I've tried most methods and find picking them off and scalding them is the easiest method. A pair of gloves, a bucket of boiled water and 30 minutes an evening. Saying that, I also use nematodes, beer traps, copper tape and have recently bought the pellets that are supposed to be child and pet safe. Will see how they work out.

As for suggestions for veggies, i'd also like to hear any suggestions. I have some deep raised (lasagne) beds make up in layers of green and brown material - they will be ready for planting in March.

From my little experience, peas, beans and cucumbers need climbing frames - so a bed next to a wall or fence is a good start. Successional planting - same crop, weeks apart - will give you a good spread of produce.

There are some useful threads here for a search.

Good luck with the slugs.

nematodes - what do you think of the product? where to buy it?

Minder

The nematodes work - the damage on the slugs is apparent. The nematodes are expensive as a pest control - particularly when applied twice a year, every year. I live in the UK and buy it from the Organic Gardening Catalogue - online. One other point - the nematodes don't affect every type of slug and do nothing to snails.

Edit: After reading Sonnenblumen's post #5 below, I thought I better add that while the damage on the slugs from the nematodes is apparent, I also use other control measures: beer traps, copper tape and rings and a regular trawl round the garden with a pair of gloves and a bucket of boiling water. Last year I felt that my garden was like a slug black hole - drawing the bloody things in from the surrounding area. There were just so many of them. This year we will continue with all the measures and also try some sacraficial plants - give them something to eat and they might leave my hostas alone.

Sonnenblumen

Nematodes sounded like a dream solution for me, but they after running a reasonably long trial period, I must admit I was disappointed with the results.

I know ground conditions, temperatures and even the weather can affect results, but considering the cost (they are very expensive) and indeed the limitations, I have reverted to using basic control measures.

If they work for you, Nematodes are potentially fantastic, but my experiences are not uncommon. But everything should be tried at least once.

Fishy1

Hi Minder,
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Plenty of tips there for me! The nematodes sound interesting. I may look into them if the plot becomes over run with slugs.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer.

michael196

go ahead with potatoes, earlies first around end of march and late potatoes, could also be sown abouth the end of march. then assess your slug problem during the potatoe growing. Have a sprayer and dithane ready to spray for anti blighting

Minder

A couple of suggestions for a raised bed. If you have the space, dedicate one raised bed to asparagus (assuming you like to eat asparagus). It is a perennial and will last for up to 20 years. Apparently it can take three years to establish from seed, so buy crowns at 1 or 2 years old.

I have recently planted garlic in one raised bed. The individual cloves need a frost to split them and form a head of garlic as we know it. Shop bought garlic is treated to retard growth, so get it from a garden centre or online supplier.

Fishy1

Am really looking forward to growing potatoes. There's nothing like the taste of home grown spuds !
Thanks also for that tip about the garlic. I had tried a few times to grow it, using shop-bought cloves of garlic. Now I know why it didn't grow! I'm learning so much already. Thanks everyone.:)

cligereen

Excellent info folks. My question is, where can I get the scaffold planks / floor boards etc to make the sides of the beds? I really don't want to have to buy new timber but don't seem to be able to find any suitable timber to re-use. I'm in Tullamore by the way.

Minder

Get the golden pages out and ring the scaffold contractors in your area - they will probably let you have planks at a big discount to shop bought timber.

littlebug

What size vegetable bed are you planning fishy1? I'm just thinking about starting mine but have no idea how big to go? i'd love to have some spuds but have no idea about required space- amount of plants etc. I grew up with a whole field for a vegetable garden so i'm having trouble figuring out what I can fit into a small bed!

Where to put it is the first decision to make and I'm even having trouble with that one:rolleyes:

Fishy1

Hi,
The raised bed is 10ft x 4ft & is surrounded by a wooden frame (pressure treated). We also put patio slabs around the timber frame, as the bed is in the middle of our (small) lawn. This should make cutting the grass easier & also keep the place tidy looking. I am absolutley no good at DIY so got a local guy in to do the work. He did a great job & I can't wait to get planting!

I did a bit of research first, and all the experts warn not to use railway sleepers because of the creosote (it can leach into the soil & contaminate the veg)

I'm going to get clear perspex sheets tomorrow & lay them over the timber to help to heat up the soil. I'll put a few heavy stones on it, to stop the perspex blowing away

I've bought a small bag of seed potatoes & will chit them before planting them. I also bought loads of packets of seeds (lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, yellow beans, peas, spinach etc). Now I'll just have to wait patiently for the weather to improve a bit. Might have a long wait . . . . .

Thanos

Patatoes are nice but they do take up a lot of space, so if space is an issue then maybe some other veg may be better suited.

I have grown onions for the last few years and found that they have done very well, big bulbs and are really strong taste, great for cooking.

I also find beetroot does well (not everyone's taste) as do peas, runner beans and broad beans.

Lettuce and scallions are good for the salads.

Tomatoes, cucumber and peppers seem to do better in a green house or the like.

hedgeh0g

Fishy1 wrote: »

Am really looking forward to growing potatoes. There's nothing like the taste of home grown spuds !
QUOTE]

Do the taste that much better?

Thanos

hedgeh0g wrote: »

Fishy1 wrote: »

Am really looking forward to growing potatoes. There's nothing like the taste of home grown spuds !
QUOTE]

Do the taste that much better?

Well......................

I would say yes, after all, they will be fresh, really fresh, not sat in a shead or been brusied in transit and sat on a shelf for a while.
So there is a better taste.

There is also another thing to think about. I call it the 'self grown' factor. Eating something you grow yourself always seems to taste that bit better.
You have got the soil ready, planted the seeds, taken care of them. This part may all be in your head but it does add to the experience.

Benster

About the slug problem, I was going to try seaweed. I heard laying a line of it on the perimeter of beds keeps the buggers away because of the salt content of the plant. If you spread it around the bed it's supposed to act as an organic compost as it breaks down too.

Anyone else tried that?

Fishy1

Hi Thanos,
Thanks for taking the time to reply. You've some really good suggestions there. I've bought a small bag of seed potatoes & am chitting them on my kitchen window at the moment. You're right, they do take up a lot of space, so I won't grow too many.

I intend to grow lots of salad crops & have also bought some onion sets. I'm thinking of growing some leeks from seed, as they could be spread out later in the year & would continue to grow through the winter (I think).

Hedgeghog, perhaps it's just the pleasure of growing & then digging up your own potatoes, but I really do think that they taste nicer. I grew them a few years ago in large catering size mayonnaise tubs, and my kids were amazed to see the potatoes when we emptied the buckets in July. We're townies you see, and they'd only ever seen potatoes in plastic bags in the supermarket up to then !

Benster, the seaweed idea sounds like it could be worth trying. Anything to keep those rotten slugs away !

Keep the suggestions coming everyone. Listening to the radio, it sounds like lots of us will be trying our hand at growing veg this year, to help us through the dreaded RECESSION

Thanos

Fishy1 wrote: »

Hi Thanos,
Thanks for taking the time to reply. You've some really good suggestions there. I've bought a small bag of seed potatoes & am chitting them on my kitchen window at the moment. You're right, they do take up a lot of space, so I won't grow too many.

I intend to grow lots of salad crops & have also bought some onion sets. I'm thinking of growing some leeks from seed, as they could be spread out later in the year & would continue to grow through the winter (I think).

Onion sets can go in fairly early, once we are clear of the heavy frosts (April sometime I guess) and your patch has had time to rest after turning it and adding in your compost.

Leeks are a great idea and your right, they keep going through the winter. Other things to think about for the winter are winter cabbage and broccoli. The broccoli can keep on producing until about June too!

Also on the space issue crops that will keep on producing are also good for maximising space. Runner beans are great, grow up and straight and if you keep picking them when the are small they will keep on producing, just remember to keep them watered or the flower will drop off and not set. Same for mange tout.

willy_eduardo

Hi all,

I have successfully gotten rid of slugs by attaching a thin copper tape all around the flower bed, Slugs wont go over it.

Good Luck

Willy_eduardo

<snippity read your sign up email on promoting your product and/or service pls chrstxbye>

Minder

willy_eduardo wrote: »

Hi all,

I have successfully gotten rid of slugs by attaching a thin copper tape all around the flower bed, Slugs wont go over it.

Good Luck

Willy_eduardo

[Where the link used to be before being snippitied]

Whats the link for?

Fishy1

I had read that putting copper around pots of hostas etc prevented slug damage. I think I read that it gives the slugs some type of electric shock?

Would it be very expensive to put copper tape all around the perimeter of a raised bed?

If not, where could I get some?

All out war being declared on slugs . . . . posters have suggested nematodes, seaweed & now copper strips. We should conduct a survey & see which method is most effective !

Minder

Try ebay for the copper tape - cheaper than the garden centres. As for spuds - I used 40 ltr buckets last year with some good success - this year I'm using a mixture of topsoil and compost and planting three plants per pot. I had one bucket that was left until december - the top part of the plants had died ages before but the potatoes were still good, not soft or mushy - but they were a bit scaly.

NextSteps

Benster wrote: »

About the slug problem, I was going to try seaweed. I heard laying a line of it on the perimeter of beds keeps the buggers away because of the salt content of the plant. If you spread it around the bed it's supposed to act as an organic compost as it breaks down too.

Anyone else tried that?

Seaweed works and it's a great fertiliser, but it rots down to a slimy, smelly mess if it's not dug in.

hedgeh0g

Fishy1 wrote: »

Hi Thanos,



Hedgeghog, perhaps it's just the pleasure of growing & then digging up your own potatoes, but I really do think that they taste nicer. I grew them a few years ago in large catering size mayonnaise tubs, and my kids were amazed to see the potatoes when we emptied the buckets in July. We're townies you see, and they'd only ever seen potatoes in plastic bags in the supermarket up to then !


Fair play to you. The lass wants to grow the spuds so Im not going to stop her. Im interested in cherry tomatoes, they are expensive to but and will be lovely. Some grow downwards in hanging baskets.


Benster, the seaweed idea sounds like it could be worth trying. Anything to keep those rotten slugs away !

Ive used sea weed and its not too smelly and does the job.

.

hedgeh0g

Electric fence for slugs!

http://cgi.ebay.ie/PLANT-GUARD-SLUG-SNAIL-ELECTRIC-FENCE-10-Metre-NEW_W0QQitemZ170279392467QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV?hash=item170279392467&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318