re-doing veg garden

scarepanda

Hi all! I'm just wondering if I could get advice on how to redo my veg garden in the best, most efficient way possible.

We tidied up the garden last summer removing all the overgrown trees etc, which meant that a nice spot opened up for the veg garden so we moved it although we didn't get a chance to set it up properly (new baby arrived). I won't have much to reuse as we used some of the soil to fill holes left by the trees and some of the timber was gone past being reusable.

What we will be able to use are 2 8*4 foot beds made from scaffold boards and I'm hoping to make them two boards high if I can salvage enough of it. I'll be adding two more beds of the same size using 9*2 16 foot lengths of timber. These will be the main beds. I'll also have some smaller beds for rhubarb/strawberries/experiment crops.

So.... Iv alot of soil to source and I'm wondering where is the best place to source it? Last time I made up the veg beds I added in peat compost and the beds with the higher peat content were always the best beds/easiest to maintain. We had a large pile of grass cuttings which was spread out when the garden was being done and it's now at a nice stage of decomposition, so I was going to use this as some filler... Good/bad idea? Finally, what's they best way to try protect the timber from rot? I don't plan on moving the beds any time soon, but want them to last as long as possible. I was thinking of lining them with plastic, but I'm not sure if this would be a waste of time/money.

When I made my raised beds I used scaffolding boards too. I made them 2 boards high and 2 boards (2x8ft) long and 5ft wide. i too needed alot of filler....a good deal in fact.
I had some poor soil that was poor topsoil and subsoil mixed from some building work the previous year. Fortunately I had ready and easy access to horse manure and a good quantity of my own aged compost. I rotavated it all together and got a good mix. I also picked up bags of compost and mixed this in too.

I cant see what would be wrong with mixing in the decomposed grass and mixing it in with some soil.

I lined my scaffolding boards with Damp Proof Course (dpc) you can get wide length (I used 24inch wide roll, that meant I could cover the part exposed to the soil, edge of the board and down an inch the side. I used galvanised tacks to secure it.
Ive no idea if its good or bad. I read that it helps keep the dampness from the soil off the board but I also read that it also retains the moisture between the board and the plastic. So I dont know...

laoch na mona

Some plastic or yacht varnish should help the wood last.

For soil call your local builder and ask about top soil, then call your local equestrian center and ask for manure. A mix of the two will give a good growing mix.

putting in rotten grass as filer shouldn't cause any problems

RebelButtMunch

laoch na mona wrote: »

Some plastic or yacht varnish should help the wood last.

For soil call your local builder and ask about top soil, then call your local equestrian center and ask for manure. A mix of the two will give a good growing mix.

putting in rotten grass as filer shouldn't cause any problems

A couple of things there, if you have paint/varnish coming into contact with soil, give some consideration to toxicity.
Make sure the manure is well rotted, or you'll get weed seeds in it.

laoch na mona

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

A couple of things there, if you have paint/varnish coming into contact with soil, give some consideration to toxicity.
Make sure the manure is well rotted, or you'll get weed seeds in it.

I thought of toxicity alright but one coat of varnish would hardly be significant. I could be wrong

baaba maal

Just wondering if you need to go two boards high? It obviously doubles the quantity of filler and labour. If the soil you're basing the raised beds on is ok, I would suggest that would be sufficient depth for most veg unless drainage was a problem?
Open to correction by TheTorment or anyone else....

RebelButtMunch

I went for two boards high, lined with plastic on the inside, stained on the outside. Drawback of two boards, is you'll need double the soil.

I think I got €40 a tonne (I might be remembering that wrong) but 1 tonne filled my bed. I was dissapointed with the soil quality though. It looked like soil from underneath a house. I found a few bits of earthenware in it.

Positive about 2 boards high us the ability to sit on the edge and weed and sow etc. Saves the back !!

Negative is the amount of filler needed but as above you can get topsoil for little cost and a bonus if manure is available.

I didn't put any varnish on mine due to toxic leakage. I know the boards ain't going to last forever but I'll be happy if I get a few years from them. I've treated timber stakes driven into the ground on the outside of the boards to hold them in place so replacing wont be a huge effort.

laoch na mona

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

I went for two boards high, lined with plastic on the inside, stained on the outside. Drawback of two boards, is you'll need double the soil.

I think I got €40 a tonne (I might be remembering that wrong) but 1 tonne filled my bed. I was dissapointed with the soil quality though. It looked like soil from underneath a house. I found a few bits of earthenware in it.

If you can get some well rotted compost or even some bagged stuff from garden centers you could mix it trough.

Start a compost heap and you'll have a good supply for next year

RebelButtMunch

TheTorment wrote: »

Positive about 2 boards high us the ability to sit on the edge and weed and sow etc. Saves the back !!

Negative is the amount of filler needed but as above you can get topsoil for little cost and a bonus if manure is available.

I didn't put any varnish on mine due to toxic leakage. I know the boards ain't going to last forever but I'll be happy if I get a few years from them. I've treated timber stakes driven into the ground on the outside of the boards to hold them in place so replacing wont be a huge effort.

Agreed about the back saving. I saw a good tip about using long corner stakes. They can be used to for support when getting up and down or for hanging things off

scarepanda

Thanks a million everyone for your comments. I contacted the local groundwork contractor yesterday and he knows where he can get me some topsoil. So iv two loads ordered. I'm going to use the rotted grass as filler so now all I need to do is find a deal on bags of compost to add to the soil.

I'm getting timber today to build the beds and I'll hopefully started at that at the weekend.

So now, iv to decide whether to line the timber or not. I feel like it's a catch 22 really - plastic will protect the timber from moisture in the bed, but run the risk of moisture sitting between the plastic and the timber on the other side. Im erring on the side of leaving it be at the moment. While the scaffold planks were rotten, they only fell apart when we moved them. They would certainly have lasted another few years if they hadn't been disturbed.

To be honest, I wouldn't trust the depth of decent soil in the garden. I could see subsoil after the first lads were in with the digger removing the trees and that was only from the tracks twisting and turning on the lawn. Drainage isn't an issue where the veg garden is going, but for soil sept I'd be happer going two high. I'd originally planned on doing it the last time I set the veg garden up, but didn't have the money at the time and also as it was only my second year having a veg garden I didn't know whether I'd keep up the interest. I didn't have any garden going last year because of the tidying up, only had the greenhouse, and I missed pottering about, so going to do it properly now while I'm at it, otherwise it will get put on the longer finger again.

lazybones32

There will be moisture getting at the planks no matter what you put on the inside. They'll eventually rot from inside-out or outside-in...this is Ireland!

scarepanda

lazybones32 wrote:

There will be moisture getting at the planks no matter what you put on the inside. They'll eventually rot from inside-out or outside-in...this is Ireland!

I know! :-) that's why I don't think I'll bother. If I get 5/6 years out of them I'll be happy.

Holy Diver

scarepanda wrote: »

Thanks a million everyone for your comments. I contacted the local groundwork contractor yesterday and he knows where he can get me some topsoil. So iv two loads ordered. I'm going to use the rotted grass as filler so now all I need to do is find a deal on bags of compost to add to the soil.

I'm getting timber today to build the beds and I'll hopefully started at that at the weekend.

So now, iv to decide whether to line the timber or not. I feel like it's a catch 22 really - plastic will protect the timber from moisture in the bed, but run the risk of moisture sitting between the plastic and the timber on the other side. Im erring on the side of leaving it be at the moment. While the scaffold planks were rotten, they only fell apart when we moved them. They would certainly have lasted another few years if they hadn't been disturbed.

To be honest, I wouldn't trust the depth of decent soil in the garden. I could see subsoil after the first lads were in with the digger removing the trees and that was only from the tracks twisting and turning on the lawn. Drainage isn't an issue where the veg garden is going, but for soil sept I'd be happer going two high. I'd originally planned on doing it the last time I set the veg garden up, but didn't have the money at the time and also as it was only my second year having a veg garden I didn't know whether I'd keep up the interest. I didn't have any garden going last year because of the tidying up, only had the greenhouse, and I missed pottering about, so going to do it properly now while I'm at it, otherwise it will get put on the longer finger again.

Provision of plastic will allow you to treat the timber any way to want though without fear of toxicity