One of the problems of filling raised beds is the shortage of topsoil and compost to fill them.
Regular readers of this blog know I repurposed my raised beds by cutting old plastic heating oil tanks and drilled drainage holes in them.
Then I use the German Hugelkultur method of filling the bottom with logs, shrub twigs and branches and then I forked in home made compost and our fym and I have been weeding the veg plot and filling up two beds with them.
I then topped them up with tubs of fym and will plant them up next spring/summer.
Repurposed oil tank raised bed topped up with 4 big tubs of fym. It will be well rotted and ready to plant up for new potatoes 🥔 😋 next Spring. I may even cover it with a tarp or old cardboard and use it for a plant stand for my potted perennials. It will also hopefully work like an hot bed and make them grow.
Anyone else use weeds and fym to fill up their raised beds?
You don't need to buy topsoil if you use organic natural materials.
I don't suppose the worms mind that smell too much 😊
ReplyDeleteNo JayCee. It's good to see big fat, healthy juicy worms in the fym. Due to mainly modern farming practices the earth worm is said to be on the decline. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers all contribute to their decline and the native birds numbers also decline. There is a lot to be said for organic gardening and farming.
ReplyDeleteI do put some weeds in my composter, not any which are too vigorous, as i worry if any seeds get in there. I don't have room to make more beds here. We have had dome welcome rain overnight.
ReplyDeleteWeeds make good compost Marlene and they soon decompose in my raised beds. Heavy rain here today. I am looking for more old oil tanks to repurpose for raised beds. Raised beds give you good drainage and deep soil. Also you are gardening at knee or waist height instead of down on the ground and the water table can be very high like now with all the downpours.
ReplyDeleteI do love my raised beds, as you say much nicer on your back, we have heavy clay here, so there soil in the beds are much nicer.
DeleteI think raised beds are definitely the way to go on heavy ground and none of us are getting any younger. Clay is cold and takes a while to warm up but it does contain lots of nutrients unlike lighter sandy soils. I am very pleased with my repurposed plastic oil tanks/raised beds.
ReplyDeleteI'll have top up my one raised bed at the end of summer. There should be a lot of dried up pumpkin plants and some almost-compost. We have been throwing out lots of melon and watermelon rind.
ReplyDeleteAnything organic all makes good compost and plant food Linda.
ReplyDeleteWe are so free draing here (and have to survive the summer on stored rainwater) that I'm going for no dig instead - just covering the ground with layers of seaweed, manure and rotten hay/straw. I hope it will reduce evaporation from the soil surface and avoid having to disturb the soil structure and soil microbes etc can go to work on making more soil out of all that. Weeds into compost? Hell yes. Weeds are all I have at present.
ReplyDeleteI believe wicking beds are often used over there to conserve water TM. We have more than our fair share of rain. Raised deep beds with good drainage definitely help. I still grow potatoes directly into the ground. Every year I make more raised beds. I will be able to garden into old age. Even if it is with a trowel other than a spade. Seaweed is great. It's weed free and contains at least fifty trace elements.
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of creating a raised bed in the autumn ready for next year and I will take some of your ideas on board Dave. I have plenty of decking wood I can use as we abandoned that project when the missus changed her mind mid-stream as it were and we ended up with a stone-paved patio area instead.
ReplyDeleteThanks YP for using some of my ideas for raised beds. I remember you saying have heavy clay soil. I have raised beds made from old decking planks. I also use old plastic heating oil tanks cut in half and drainage holes drilled in them. I also use old plastic baths, mussel barrels, a Belfast sink, crates, tractor tyres. Most of my planting containers cost nothing. It's amazing what you find in builders skips, beaches and waste transfer stations. Raised beds definitely make gardening easier once filled.
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