Raised Vegetable Planter

11fernsroad

Hi
We would like to get few raised vegetable planters as our previous attempts at vegetable patch was a failure thanks to slugs and my back pain.
Just few queries regarding these:
1.Doe it need to have a base or liners?
2.What is used to fill these planters?
3.And more importantly are we to empty and replace the contents of the planters after a year?


many thanks

Farway

Depends what you call planters, if large pots then base etc is part of the design / manufacture

If you mean raised beds then a base is not strictly required but IMO would be advisable to stop strong weed roots coming up. If this is what you mean then no doubt someone will advise on a suitable weed proof
membrane

Filling, anything you like, ordinary garden soil would do but dormant weeds could be a problem. If you've the money then buy potting compost as this will at least be weed free

Personally I carry on using same old contents year after year, the plants need feeding anyway, the plant types vary. Again depends what you are growing, sometimes virus or diseases can carry over

andygb

I made raised beds in the back garden around 7 tears ago, using scaffold boards. I used wood sealnt/stain on them, dug the beds out to a depth of 18" and lined the hole with black membrane fastened using heavy duty staplers. I then filled the beds with a mixture of soil, peat and suitable compost depending on what was going to be grown - ericaceous for Azaleas and Hydrangea, and a mixture of manure and compost plus soil for the roses, all with a good quantity of grit mixed in.

Money_Tree_Faerie

I have four raised beds. Two were placed on grass and two on a soil. I've had no problems with weeds coming through (my beds are 14in high).

I ordered the cheapest compost I could find online (which came in 70l bags because I don't have a driveway for a bulk load) which worked out at around £65 per bed. If you have your own transport you may be be able to do this much cheaper.

I've been successfully growing vegetables in these (in semi-shade) for four years without changing the compost.

One of the reasons I enjoy my raised beds is because it is easier to manage my garden's snail problem. Sure, I still have to go out in the evening with a torch and remove them all from my beds, but if I didn't it would be carnage!

Arthog

We have several home-built raised beds. The wood was all free from people who offered it for our wood burner! Lengths of old, not recently treated larchlap fencing, decking etc. Ask on Freecycle too. Large tubs and boxes are usable too.
The beds are sized around standard sizes of fleece, mesh etc to protect the crops, and with thinner wood sides, the mesh can be clipped in place with those strong black clips from the pound shop. For thicker wood, hammer in large staples to clip to. These sizes are also good for reaching across the bed.
We've subdivided some of the beds, very useful for a small number of plants. This is a length of wood hammered in for a few inches.
I sometimes use a new raised bed as a compost bin for a season then fill it right up with compost ready for planting.
Important - the corners have to be very very strong as the soil is heavy and pushes sideways.
You'll have to top up the soil but won't need to empty the beds. Rotate the crops as normal.
There are other threads about what to put between the beds to suppress weeds. We use cardboard boxes, plain side out. It does the job and looks nice.
You'll enjoy raised bed gardening!

andrewf75

I'm surprised people line the base of raised beds. Surely any benefit of stopping weeds is cancelled out by making it harder for worms to get in?