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Garden bed + no dig garden

MiLK_MaN

MiLK_MaN

Went and built a 2.4m x 1.2m garden bed yesterday, and plan on building another one today.

Decided to use a product called eWood, which is made from recycled printer cartridges and other plastic products. It's melted down and formed into a shape similar to wooden sleepers, and normal woodwork tools can be used on it. It's competitively priced compared to wood, won't rot, UV resistant and doesn't leach chemicals into the soil!

Anyway, I did a bit of reading about what I should fill into the garden bed, and came across the whole no dig garden technique. You line the bottom of the garden bed with a good thickness of newspaper to block out grass & weeds, than use alternate layers of Lucerne Hay (called Alfalfa in America?) and manure. Had some horse and chicken manure I bought throughout the week, so I now have a decent size garden bed in the front yard that will slowly shrink as the worms attack it. This should make an excellent soil for when it comes time to plant in October here in Melbourne.

If anyone wants pictures, let me know. It's pretty dreary outside in Melbourne today, might wait for more light before I take pictures.
 
I also mix in some compost and vermiculite, keeps the soil fluffy, next year just add compost to where the old plants were. Ready to plant, and works great.
 
MiLK_MaN said:
Went and built a 2.4m x 1.2m garden bed yesterday, and plan on building another one today.

Decided to use a product called eWood, which is made from recycled printer cartridges and other plastic products. It's melted down and formed into a shape similar to wooden sleepers, and normal woodwork tools can be used on it. It's competitively priced compared to wood, won't rot, UV resistant and doesn't leach chemicals into the soil!

Anyway, I did a bit of reading about what I should fill into the garden bed, and came across the whole no dig garden technique. You line the bottom of the garden bed with a good thickness of newspaper to block out grass & weeds, than use alternate layers of Lucerne Hay (called Alfalfa in America?) and manure. Had some horse and chicken manure I bought throughout the week, so I now have a decent size garden bed in the front yard that will slowly shrink as the worms attack it. This should make an excellent soil for when it comes time to plant in October here in Melbourne.

If anyone wants pictures, let me know. It's pretty dreary outside in Melbourne today, might wait for more light before I take pictures.
Click to expand...
send some pics or post them ,I am wanting to build a raised bed for next year. I am not doing good with 3 gal. containers so I will go back to what I know works for me!!
 
From what I have been able to read about raised beds, you also need some good ol dirt. The hay has a very low Cation Exchange Capacity, compost can have a good CEC. You want and need decent readings (=/>25 percent) if you want the plants to be able to absorb nutrients. But I do not have first-hand knowledge of this - this is my first time trying to grow in a raised bed. I mixed dirt, compost and aged horse manure.

Mike
 
I like it. I will use corrugated metal for the sides of mine. I have a hill in the back yard that really slopes a lot. I will make them 2 ft wide and 20 ft long. hopefully I WILL MAKE 2 THIS FALL AND 2 NEXT SPRING.
 
Pappy,

I would consider 4' wide unless you are only growing plants that have small roots and do not get very large. Four foot is not so wide that you cannot reach the middle but wide enough to get a couple of tomato, pepper or cabbage plants in.

YMMV,

Mike
 
wordwiz said:
From what I have been able to read about raised beds, you also need some good ol dirt. The hay has a very low Cation Exchange Capacity, compost can have a good CEC. You want and need decent readings (=/>25 percent) if you want the plants to be able to absorb nutrients. But I do not have first-hand knowledge of this - this is my first time trying to grow in a raised bed. I mixed dirt, compost and aged horse manure.

Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,

I think just before I plant I'll top the beds up with mushroom compost, and plant the established seedlings in there. After that, I'll probably mulch with whatever loose hay/straw I have available, there are a couple of stock feed places around here that have offered anything lying on the ground for free.

I just had my dad pick me up 200 kgs of sheep dags (the dung stuck to the end of a sheeps butt mixed with wool) and am busily composting that now. Be interesting to see the results with all this composted material as opposed to using commercial soils mixed with sand and perlite/vermiculite that I am used to.
 
And here are some pics finally:

photo%282%29.jpg
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gardenbed-2.jpg
 
Does the hay change the pH at all? Seems like it would be good for attracting worms which would then fertilize the soil, but are you suppose to give it a few months before planting?
 
Farmers around here include clover with the alfalfa for hay. It is often mowed and baled after the flowers have bloomed so there are weed seeds in it. There's a small possibility of a few stray wheat seeds in straw but I have not found it to be a problem. Hay on the other hand - you may have a lot of weeds!

YMMV,

Mike
 
LGHT said:
Does the hay change the pH at all? Seems like it would be good for attracting worms which would then fertilize the soil, but are you suppose to give it a few months before planting?
Click to expand...

No idea on pH, but I won't be planting for another 4 months (mid October) as we still have threats of frosts until then. I'm building another 4 beds in July, so there's a minimum of 3 months for the worms to do their thing.

wordwiz said:
Farmers around here include clover with the alfalfa for hay. It is often mowed and baled after the flowers have bloomed so there are weed seeds in it. There's a small possibility of a few stray wheat seeds in straw but I have not found it to be a problem. Hay on the other hand - you may have a lot of weeds!YMMV,Mike
Click to expand...

I've already seen sprouts come through, and I've picked them when I've seen them. No big deal, the loose straw was free, and the sprouts are easily picked out.
 
wordwiz said:
Pappy,

I would consider 4' wide unless you are only growing plants that have small roots and do not get very large. Four foot is not so wide that you cannot reach the middle but wide enough to get a couple of tomato, pepper or cabbage plants in.

YMMV,

Mike
Click to expand...
I will keep that in mind!!
 
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