No Dig in Raised Beds… Why No!?

[RichardParticipant]

I’m 63, deaf, disabled and a wheelchair user, but just given new lease of life, with a new garden!

I’ve had to move, but the good thing is, l now have approximately 12m x12m (35 foot in old money) of what is called a garden. It has path up the middle, with nice washing line post at each end, lawn on both side; predominantly moss and ants, and a mishmash of all sorts of green stuff that has just gone mad!

My aim is to have this cleared and ready to start growing by early autumn. Now, you might be thinking, he knows what he’s doing, but the truth…. I’ve only grown a few things before, or should say tried and with somewhat limited success! If you know what I mean!? Added to this I’m in my wheelchair and although my arms are ok, I could dig for Britain, most of my stuff will need to be done in raised beds.

The raised beds are not going to be a problem, as I have contacted my local recycling centre and they will let me have as many old recycling bins as I need. These bins are 20” x 15” and 11” deep, approximately. The reason these are available, these bins were replaced by the large bins that now dominate our back yards and have become a lovely feature of our local streets.

I was concerned about using plastic, but on checking, the plastic used is grade 2 and therefore inert and safe to use. Great!

So, I have my garden and raised beds ready to deploy… so now what do I do!?

Online, doing the research and clicking like mad through YouTube… ‘like that, not sure about that, that’s impossible…. I’ve got to get a life… oh that’s nice, and on and on. Then I found this fella, Charles…. after just a few hours of his YouTube’s, I was hooked! Bit strange when he is looking the other way, but talking to us… I kept trying to see who he was talking to, but the simple clear content made up for that and he only did it a bit. Howevr, his pragmatic, down to earth, ‘no pun intended’ and realistic approach, which he backs up all the way, was great and just what I was looking for, but my question… Can it be done in raised beds? There doesn’t seem any reason why it wouldn’t work. I am only growing for myself and maybe few friends, if they’re lucky, so I think I have enough space. I don’t intend to grow everything that’s available, so that should help too. So, I now need a plan. I’ve bought all the books and they are really good, but still would like to hear from those that have tried it and maybe used raised beds?

Sorry to go on a bit, but that’s what I tend to do when I get a captured audience. 🙂

Many thanks for you time and hopeful help!

[RichardParticipant]

The garden and the bin..

[colinParticipant]

There is a lady that uses the plastic trays fishermen use for thier catch and has a great success. She uses empty ones to raise the hight of the growing tray to her prefered level.

[SandraParticipant]

I don’t see why you couldn’t use the recycling boxes Richard, except that you will need to water your containers more than you would an actual garden bed, they would dry out easily I presume, that’s if we have any more hot weather – we haven’t seen the sky here for 3 days again because of low cloud.

Things like potatoes can be grown in compost bags standing on end and you add more compost as the foliage grows I believe, though I haven’t tried it myself.

Good luck with your trials.

[RichardParticipant]

Hi Colin and thanks for taking the time to reply!

Do you have a link to this lady?

[RichardParticipant]

Hi Sandra and big thank you for your input!

I was thinking about the constant watering, especially if I’m using a lot of these for raised beds. The boxes are about a foot high, approximately 30cm, and this is a good height to reach from my wheelchair so, I was thinking if I cut the bottom out of the boxes this could help!? What do you think?

I don’t know where you are, but I’m in Alvechurch, just south of M42… think we might have a bit more sun this year and got my fingers crossed for next year too.

[CleansweepParticipant]

Hi Richard,
Like the idea, but appreciate that you may need to enlist a helper or 2 to fill and/or move the filled boxes. A single row,ie stacked along the path would take approx 30 boxes,(375*30=11.25m) if in a ‘portrait’aspect*. They would require approx 1.7cu metres of growing medium, which could topsoil with a compost layer, 2″. It would be simply a need to bore perhaps 6 x1″ holes through the bottom of each box using a holesaw in a cordless drill. Permitting drainage and worms to migrate.This would potentially allow the boxes to be moved while full, albeit weighing perhaps 40 kilos each when full.Have you considered microporous hose which could be threaded through the row of boxes and connected to a butt or tap to trickle irrigate, possibly with a timer?
Possible drawbacks? Initially resource hungry in terms of labour, creating ideal home for slugs and snails below/between boxes.
Positives are many, easy to manage. One box per day? Scope for ‘square foot gardening’ to intensify planting/cropping. Good luck with this, please report progress
Regards
Cleansweep

* when viewed from the path

[SandraParticipant]

Charles, you say it so much better than I can and with a lot fewer words!

[SandraParticipant]

Richard, I am on a (small) mountain in North Wales, about 1,000 up. I don’t want another year like this one, it has made the plot grow beautifully, but watering was very difficult with no mains water, the mountain heather caught fire on 25th of June and carried on for a couple of days and we were evacuated – along with 4 dogs and a cat. We still haven’t got the fibre cables or the telegraph poles replaced yet which were destroyed. It has been very difficult altogether, nothing was plain sailing.

I hope you are beginning to get your container garden up and running Richard and that it is keeping you occupied, you still have the hot weather down there don’t you?

[RichardParticipant]

Hi Cleanship!

Sorry for delay in replying… paying hospital a little visit again 😊

You are right about effort in getting it ready. My aim is to have it complete by autumn. I will take a picture and post it here; it’ll be good to hear what you think?

I’ll need to make a plan of what to grown.

I’ve got the first 18 boxes, so I will start setting them out and work out best position. I don’t think I will be moving them much, from year to year.

I’m planning to cut the bottom of each box and sink them into the ground about 2”. I want each box to have a link with the ground below. I will add some mycorrhizal fungi to establish bond between contents of box and surface earth below. Then I will leave them in position and use the no-dig method, or that is my hope.

Thanks again for your input, much appreciated!

[RichardParticipant]

Hi Sandra!

Your place sounds amazing, but a bit different from reality I guess!?

There is just me a Finn, my support dog and always wanted my own space. My neighbors are nice, but! We use to live in a boat and then a small motor home and those times were fantastic. You don’t need much to be happy!

Hope you are all ok and back to enjoying your space.

Still working my new garden out and will post picture here when done.

All the best up your mountain 👍

[colinParticipant]

Sorry Richard lady not on line just see her & her garden when passing.

[Tony PParticipant]

I remember growing a few sweetcorn plants in one of those tubs a few years ago – it worked but the results weren’t as good as in the ground 🙂 I’m sure it’d be fine for smaller plants though!

[Author]

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