Raised Beds and What Not to Do

Raised beds and what not to do has been written on behalf of Notcutts by Ronnie Tyler of Hurtled to 60 and Now Beyond. In this article Ronnie offers you well guided steps to creating perfectly raised beds.

Are you like me and don’t have time to tend to an allotment but want to grow your own vegetables? Last year I decided I would have my own mini-allotment at home.

My garden is relatively small and as space is at a premium, I thought of growing vegetables in with the flowers, but the heavy clay and finding room within the beds was not feasible.

A raised bed seemed an ideal solution; it would give me a plot to grow vegetables, in the best conditions and with good quality soil.

Decision made, I trotted down to my local garden centre and bought treated wood planks that slotted together into a 1 metre square bed.  I also returned home with 3 large bags of organic compost, a bag of manure and enough vegetable seeds to start off a market garden.

However, I suffered a clear lack of forethought and before you rush out to buy your raised bed, think about the following:

1.    Decide where you are going to build your raised bed and make sure that it will look aesthetically right when in situ;

2.    Bear in mind that at ground level your dug base may look ok, but when the raised bed is assembled it could look like something that has dropped out of the sky – mine certainly did;

3.    You need to mark out and dig over the existing soil, it’s no good just emptying sacks of compost into the bed and hoping your vegetables will be happy with this; and
4. Don’t underestimate the number of bags of compost you need.  I had to go back and buy another two bags.

Carried away with the excitement of owning a vegetable plot, I sectioned off nine squares with string and sowed different vegetables in each section with a central wigwam for runner beans.   This was absolute overkill - a one square metre raised bed does not make an allotment.   This year I have been sensible with only four squares for carrots, leeks, Swiss chard and rocket and a row of garlic in the middle.

I recommend you buy a raised bed cover, mine has been invaluable especially this Spring. It means you can start off your seeds in the ground earlier and it provides protection from the elements.

Of course, if you don't want to grow vegetables you could use it for your very own cutting garden.

Ronnie Tyler of Hurtled to 60 and Now Beyond has written Raised beds and what not to do on behalf of us here at Notcutts. Starting her blog six months before her 60th birthday, Ronnie has since re-titled her blog’s name because she has fallen in love with writing and photography, much like our Mr McGregor. From life’s little events to everything horticultural, Ronnie explores every possible angle.

Gardening Guide - Planting French & Runner Beans

Mid May is the time to prepare for planting French and Runner Beans into the garden or large containers. Both these delicious vegetables are frost tender and do best in a sheltered, sunny position away from strong winds, to encourage pollinating insects. Beans need plenty of water once they are established.

What you will need

• Seeds or plants
• 9cm pots (for seed sowing)
• Multipurpose compost (for seed sowing)
• Blended stable manure or garden compost
• Bamboo canes – 240cm (8 feet) are best
• Twine
• Slug and snail control
• Organic fertiliser such as fish, blood and bone or pelleted chicken manure
• Watering can, fork, spade, trowel and gardening gloves

Sowing the seeds

Your local garden centre will have runner bean plants for sale but, given the ‘late’, cold season, there is still time to sow seeds either directly into the ground or into pots for planting out at the end of the month. For best results, sow two seeds into a 9cm pot, using which ever multipurpose compost you prefer, and keep the pots in a cold greenhouse or utility room until the seedlings begin to appear.  It is important not to let the pots get too wet or the seeds may rot - cold temperatures will mean poor germination as well.

Hardening off the plants

Once the seedlings appear, harden them off by leaving the pots outside during the day, in a sunny sheltered part of the garden. Bring them in at night for about a week and then leave them outside until you are ready to plant out. The plants will be big enough to put into their final positions when they have grown two ‘true leaves’.

Pest control

Slugs and snails are particularly fond of bean plants, so make sure that you use a form of control from the moment the seedlings appear until they are well established in their final positions!

Preparing the ground

As mentioned previously, beans need plenty of water to grow and crop well. Adding liberal amounts of organic matter such as blended stable manure will act as a sponge to hold in moisture. The bean trench can be prepared ahead of time, whilst you are waiting for the plants to germinate and grow on! Take out a trench of soil about 120cms wide and however long your rows will be. Fork over the base and then add plenty of blended stable manure or well rotted garden compost to the top of the trench. Replace the soil over the manure.

Providing supports

You will need to make a support for your beans to climb up and the method used depends on room. For a small area or if you are growing in a container, make a ‘wigwam’ of bamboo canes. For the vegetable garden, a long row of crossed bamboo canes with others tied in horizontally is probably a better method. This should be put in place before you plant out or sow the seeds directly.

Planting out

Before you put the plants into their final positions, dust the ground with a light sprinkling of fish, blood and bone or pelleted chicken manure and gently work this into the surface, taking care not to disturb the manure below. Plant the beans two to a cane and water in well. They will soon begin to climb the supports.

Aftercare

Make sure the plants are watered well in dry weather and begin picking as soon as the beans are long enough. If the plants look yellow (this can happen in cold weather) or need a boost, feed with a liquid fertilizer such as Notcutt’s Pour and Feed. Use scissors when picking, to avoid damaging smaller beans and flowers that will still be developing. To test if a bean is ‘stringy’ snap it and if it breaks cleanly it is perfect to use. Pick regularly to ensure a longer cropping season and use any surplus for chutneys or freeze them for later use.

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Summer Containers

Mrs McGregor and I had another trip to our local garden centre today and we were amazed at the variety of bedding plants available for summer colour! The range seems to grow each year and we are always keen to try something different in our pots.

‘Half hardies’ are raised from cuttings and will flower until the first hard frosts of winter. I like to bring some of the containers into the greenhouse over winter and many of them have survived, including Diascia which I have even overwintered outside in a sheltered area near the house. They are easily increased from soft wood cuttings taken early in the spring and will flower well in the first year.

This year we have been taken with Calibrachoa (Million Bells), which have flowers that look tiny Petunias and small, rounded leaves. The plants have a mound like, slightly trailing habit and come in a wide range of colours from white and pale lavender to coral pink and terracotta orange, often with a darker centre to the flowers. In previous years, we have grown the rightly popular Surfinia Petunias, with their large, velvety flowers and long trailing stems, but they tend to be very vigorous and can swamp other plants in the same containers!

The trailing Verbenas have stiff stems and clusters of flowers in flat heads, which are much loved by insects including the Hummingbird Hawk Moths that we get in the garden occasionally. They really do look like a tiny Hummingbird and it is always a thrill to see them darting about from flower to flower! Mrs McGregor is particularly taken with the bicoloured varieties of Verbena in pink and white and another with crimson and white striped petals. Teamed with some golden leaved Helichrysum and a darker flowered Calibrochoa, a pot of these will brighten up the area by the back kitchen door.

We have just had the front door painted a blue green colour and I have bought three Ivy Leaved Geraniums (Pelargoniums), which have bright, coral orange flowers that will give a lovely contrast in the open porch. Plants by our front door are often sadly neglected; when we are rushing out we always think ‘I will water that when I get home!’ and then the job is not done. Pelargoniums are extremely drought tolerant, so they will be well suited to that hot, dry position!

I always like to change the compost when I plant up my summer containers, to get rid of any soil borne pests and eggs that they may have laid. The plants always seem to grow better in new compost. I also add a moisture retaining gel, to help cut down on the watering, and some Osmocote slow release fertilizer to help feed the plants over the summer. Once this is all mixed together, we can start to plant up the containers. If frost threatens, I cover with some newspaper or horticultural fleece and of course we are always on the lookout for slugs and snails!

Happy Gardening,

Mr McGregor

Gardening Guide - Taking Soft Wood Cuttings

Now that the garden is springing into life, there is plenty of fresh growth on perennials such as Phlox, Sedum, Cat Mint and Aster, which will flower later in the summer and early autumn. Giving these plants a trim in May, sometimes known as the ‘Chelsea Chop’, produces bushier plants with more flower stems. An added bonus is plenty of soft wood cutting material so that you can increase your stocks easily to replace old plants or simply use a favourite one in other areas of the garden.

Phlox cuttings cut to a node, lower leaves removedHere is a quick guide to taking soft wood cuttings successfully so that you get results like a professional!

1. Choose vigorous, non flowering shoots that are ‘true to type’ so that an even batch of cuttings is produced.

2. Collect the cutting material just before you are going to use it and pop it into a damp polythene bag along with a label detailing the plant name and date. Any plants in containers should be well watered the night before the cuttings are taken.

3. Use a sharp pair of secateurs or scissors and cut the material longer than needed – it can be cut to size when you make the cuttings.

Leaves cut by half to reduce water loss4. If you are using pots to strike your cuttings, mix multipurpose compost with Vermiculite or Perlite at roughly half and half quantities to ensure good drainage and water well. Notcutts also sell a range of Jiffy pots, which are watered to expand the peat in them. The cuttings can then be placed in these individually.

5. Make the cuttings by using the top five to eight centimetres of growth and cutting on a leaf joint (node). Remove the lower leaves with a knife or scissors, taking care not to damage the main stem. Leave the portion of stem that will be in the soil bare to help stop the cutting from rotting.

6. Plants with large leaves, such as Phlox and Penstemons, should have their upper leaves trimmed by half to prevent water loss whilst the cutting is rooting.

Potted into small pot of compost and vermiculite ready to go into propagator7. Dip the bare stem portion of the cutting into rooting powder and insert it into well watered pots of compost or Jiffy pots or strips. Remember to label the container with the date and plant name! Cover the cuttings with a propagator lid or polythene bag kept clear of the leaves, to help prevent them drying out.

8. Once the cuttings have been taken, they can go into a propagator in your greenhouse or a windowsill propagator in your house. Use a hand sprayer set on a fine mist to keep the leaves of the cuttings moist, if necessary, until they are rooted.

9. The cuttings will soon show signs of rooting and will begin to grow away. Once the roots are seen at the base of the pot or coming through the Jiffy pots, they can be potted on individually into a small (9 cm) pot and grown on ready for planting out into the garden!

Many perennials and summer bedding plants such as Pelargoniums (Geraniums), Marguerites (Argyranthemums) and Osteospermum (Cape Daisies) can be increased from soft wood cuttings, so why not try this rewarding technique for yourself?

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On the Allotment

Much like my garden, my allotment is springing in to life, with the first sowings of Broad Beans, early Peas and salad leaves coming up, along with Radish and the first of the early potatoes. All of the digging and waiting patiently until the soil had warmed up has been worth it! The onion sets are also starting to grow away and I am now walking down with my ‘swoe’ whenever the soil is dry enough, to hoe between the rows and keep the weed seedlings at bay!

Flea Beetle damageI am also watching anxiously for any damage by mice. Last year they took out all of the broad beans on a neighbouring plot and a couple from my first sowing. The shoots were left standing in the ground but there were no seeds beneath them! Mice can also affect Sweet Peas and eating Peas in the same way; I lost a whole row of Mange Tout to them! This year I have planted the rows further from the hedge, hoping that the lack of cover will make them think twice about their foraging trips! Covering the rows with spiny sticks can help deter them and an old farmer said I should soak the seeds in paraffin before planting them.

Last year my salad leaves of Rocket and Mustard were badly attacked by Flea Beetle, which nibbled the leaves and left pale brown spots on them. This didn’t affect the flavour but made them look less appetising. I have noticed that the same pest is again having a feast and when I gently brushed the seedlings with my hand, the shiny dark beetles dashed out leaving no doubt whatsoever! I have decided not to plant these leaves on the allotment anymore, but have sown some in containers by the kitchen door – no flea beetle and more convenient for picking! Radish are also affected, but only the leaves so I will still have the tasty ‘French Breakfast’ to add to my salads and sandwiches through the summer!

Loose leaved lettuce seedlings growing on!The early potatoes are beginning to come through their earth mounds, so I have earthed them up this week, to bury the tubers more deeply and protect the young growth from frosts. I still have some second early and main crop potatoes to plant and hope to get to this during the week, as well as sowing more seeds - the first of my carrots and beetroot included!

I like to sow my lettuce in modules every two weeks and plant them out in any spare gaps once they are big enough to fend for themselves, along with a sprinkle of organic slug pellets! Mrs McGregor likes to have a supply of loose leaved Lettuce so I sow the red leaved ‘Lollo Rosso’ and frilly green ‘Can Can’ in old bedding plant six pack trays. The leaves on these can be cut off individually or I cut a whole plant, wash the leaves and store them in the salad spinner in the fridge where they will keep for a week and taste just as fresh!