WHAT TO GROW IN AND WHERE - Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Growing in Small Spaces - page 7

prices, including beds designed to fit into a corner. You can also get cloche and netting kits
specifically designed to fit on top of the beds.
Plastic raised bed kits are another option. The best I've found on the market are Link-a-
bord™. These come in a modular component form so you can construct different sizes and
depths of bed along with add-on kits to provide cloches and net butterfly protection, etc., as
with the wooden kits above.
The reason I really like Link-a-bord, as incidentally do a lot of the show growers, is the
boards are two sided which means they are less likely to warp and bend under the pressure of
the soil. The gap in the middle provides an insulating air-gap as well, helping the soil to keep
warm at the end of the season.
There's nothing to stop you constructing brick sides to raised beds, particularly if you want
an unusual shape like a curved bed. Do ensure the bricks are well grouted on both sides to
avoid providing a home for pests.
We once constructed a raised bed edged with natural stone like the stone walls found
edging country lanes. Unfortunately, this was a disaster. It held the soil and looked very at-
tractive but it also provided housing for millions of slugs and snails. A lesson learned.
Another unusual edging I've seen used was wine bottles placed neck-end down. Not im-
mensely practical but attractive none the less. Of course it's quite a job drinking all the wine,
but it can be done.
Because the beds are raised, once built they're easier for those of us with bad backs, etc.
You can get a handy kneeler stool so you can sit or kneel next to the bed and use the handles
to get back up.
Incidentally, with all raised beds, one important principle is that you never tread on the
beds. The reason is that treading will compact the soil structure and so you'll need to dig over
to get air into the soil and maintain the structure. Much easier just not to tread on it and rely
instead on the cultivation of your crops to keep the soil light.
Building A Raised Bed
However you edge your bed, the construction method is basically the same. Mark out the area
using peg and line and check it's square. To check a corner is square we use Pythagoras's
theorem known to joiners the world over as a 3, 4, 5 square. From the corner mark a point
3 units - feet or metres doesn't matter as long as you use the same throughout. On the other
straight edge mark a point 4 units from the corner. The diagonal that connects them should
be 5 units if the corner is a right angle.
If you're converting a portion of lawn into a raised bed, remove the turves about 2 inches
(5 cm) deep and place to one side. Next take up any good top soil and place that to one side -
in a barrow or on a tarpaulin is idea.