cheapest way to edge beds.

LilacPixie

I have recently got an allotment that is 15m long and 7m wide. I want to seperate it into 7 seperat areas One for fruit bushes which i won't be edging, one as a flat area between shed and greenhouse That I was hoping to aquire some old slabs for and then sit my pots/tattieplanters and strawberry planters on. The rest of the space I was going to divide into 5 beds, one permenant and the other 4 for crop rotation.

What would be the cheapest way to do this. I currently have been trying to mark out using stakes and twine but the kids seem to keep tripping over it when wandering about so I was hoping for something a bit more substansial. No where near us is disposing of old scappolding boards which was my first thought. ANyone have any other suggestions. Money is tight so cost as little as possible would be good

forgotmyname

I have been looking on ebay for the same and they seem to be about £6 ish.

The price soon adds up if you need a few of them. Then there is the issue of collection
or delivery.

stilernin

Do you have an allotment committee? Ours contacted local businesses and found a supply of scaffolding boards which were delivered. The 'shop' then sold them on to allotment members.

Lotus-eater

The cheapest way is just to have grass edges. But that can be a pain keeping the edges cut.
Or the next cheapest way, is to get whatever free materials you can to make them, your only cost is on the transport. Freecycle, skips, anything you can find lying about, it might not all look the same and you may not be able to do it all at once.

LilacPixie

We do have a committee, its a brand new allotment site so we are all brand new tried local companies for boards stressing it was for edging beds and they said they had none availible. been checking ebay nothing nearby, also put an add on freecycle/freegal and no luck.

Think i need to go back to the drawing board.

Zazen999

For our first year we put weed fabric down for the paths and just left the bed sides at the edge of the weed fabric. You can slope the soil up if you really want sides but they aren't the be all and end all....the main thing is to get things growing. I wouldn't bother with string - just make sure everyone just uses the paths to walk on and the difference soon becomes clear [and no tripping up!]

Put the edges on as and when you can afford/obtain them.

For our rasp beds, I have collected all the chive heads as they change to seed heads and planted them along the edge about 6 inches apart. They form their own edging in time and no outlay!

[My first 70 boards for edging came from seeing a bloke with a car load of wood heading through town, I took a chance and followed him and he drove straight to the tip - I nabbed him and we loaded my car up with the boards, they were from an old fence he was removing - and I got 70 boards for free...so keep your eyes peeled].

Kay_Peel

Yes, I'd make the same suggestion as Zazen - a no-cost solution at first while you're waiting for something to come up on Freecycle (or Freegle as it's called around here) or when you hear of something by word of mouth.

Dig a trench between beds and around the edges, sloping the soil backwards, for now.

cootambear

would the council tip let you have some wood?

LilacPixie

OO Cootambear I didn't think of that. I really am trying to be as close to zero cost as possible. They are knocking down a school in Dundee that is on my way to my kids childcare. I keep meaning to ask there.

icecreamdogpark

I once used old bricks laid in the ground flush with the level of the grass long side by long side, looks really smart even with old bricks, meant i could roll lawn mover over the bricks when cutting the grass.

Optimisticpair

LilacPixie wrote: »

OO Cootambear I didn't think of that. I really am trying to be as close to zero cost as possible. They are knocking down a school in Dundee that is on my way to my kids childcare. I keep meaning to ask there.

Why not tape a note on your dashboard to remind yourself to go ask? It struck me about midnight last night to suggest the odds and ends pile they can't sell from a reclamation yard or skip dive and ask on freecycle for bricks or paving slabs or floorboards.