7
MATERIALISSUES
Timberboards,
stone,brick,
concreteblock,
untreatedmacrocarpaand
corrugatedsteelareallgood
options.Ground-treated
timbershouldbelinedwith
polythenesothechemical
preservativesusedtostop
rotwon’tleachintothe
soil.Untreatedmacrocarpa
andothertimberssuchas
cedarcontainnaturalanti-
fungicidaloilsthataresafe
for growing edibles.8
Sizecheck
Themostimportantdimension
forraisedbedsis width,to
ensureyoucaneasilyreach
acrosstothemiddlefromallsidesfor
weedingandharvesting.Foraccessfrom
threesidesonly,theidealwidthis about
1m;fromallsides,about1.5mwide.The
lengthis uptoyoubutit is cheaperif
youbuildtofitstandardtimbersizes.The
depthdependsonthevegesyouwant
togrow.Aimforaround500mmforroot
cropssuchascarrotsandpotatoes,but
forshallow-rootedcropslikeleafy greens,
beds can be 300mm deep.5
Howmany?
Fornewgardeners,3-4small
raisedbedswillbeplentyofwork
tostartoffwith.You’rebetter
tobeginsmallandhavegardensthatare
wellmaintainedandproductivethantry
tomanageseverallargerbeds and give up
becauseit’sall too hard.6
Inthemix
Therearelotsofoptionswhenit
comestovege-growingsoilmixes,
butthechiefrequirementis thatit’s
nutrient-richandfree-draining.Tomakeyour
own,usesterile(noweedseeds)topsoilmixed
withhomemadeormushroomcompost,sheep
pelletsorotheranimalmanure,hay,barkfines
(a fine bark blend) and other organic material.TIP
Winteris thebest
timetobuildgarden
structuressuchasraised
vegetablebedssothey
arereadyforspring
planting.148 |yhg