What are you doing this weekend?

[FSM with Cheddar]

Hopefully I will be setting out my rasied beds, and planting out this seasons potatoes.

Ahhhhh, I built three 1.5m X 1.5m raised beds a few months back. Thought it would take a few hours, took 2 days (including moving 2 tons of soil from driveway to fill the beds).

[EternalOptimist]

Hopefully I will be setting out my rasied beds, and planting out this seasons potatoes.

Whats the point of a raised bed ? In the olden days we used to dig the soil, plant em, then rake up through the year. Can someone explain raised beds to an old codger ?

[Netraider]

(including moving 2 tons of soil from driveway to fill the beds)

That's the bit I'm not looking forward to. The top soil has been placed quite close to the where the beds will be though.

[Netraider]

Whats the point of a raised bed ?

I don't know about FSM, but most of my garden is sitting on a very poor soil base - lots of large boulders etc. Putting a raised bed in gives me a decent sized area for growing veg etc, without the hassle of breaking down and digging tons of unusable earth.

And as an old codger myself, the less back breaking work I have to do the better.

[BrianSnail]

Packing tonight, moving house tomorrow, setting tv up, drinking beer and eating gf snail's roast on Sunday!

[conned tractor]

Whats the point of a raised bed ? In the olden days we used to dig the soil, plant em, then rake up through the year. Can someone explain raised beds to an old codger ?

It allows the soil to drain easier (good for certain soil types etc) and for it to also warm up quicker - although this does have the downfall of also cooling quicker, although only marginally. And its easier on the back. If you have really crap soil then you can fill your raised bed with imported good stuff. Not that I am both a nerdy type and also into gardening, honest guv. But no harm in just plonking them in the ground

[rootsnall]

I'll also be planting out my spuds, weather permitting. Good to see other sad middle aged types on here who don't waste their weekends p*ssing it up against a wall ( recently retired after 20odd years of doing it ).

Once I've planted my spuds I'll be rebonding with my kids, not sure about this bit as I've not worked away for 5 years until this week. I'm expecting a bit of grief from the older one

[conned tractor]

I'll also be planting out my spuds, weather permitting. Good to see other sad middle aged types on here who don't waste their weekends p*ssing it up against a wall ( recently retired after 20odd years of doing it ).

Who's middle aged? Not me, just a bit of a saddo, and it keeps the missus happy, I just end up doing all the graft. But it helps with Engineer belly.

[rootsnall]

Who's middle aged? Not me, just a bit of a saddo, and it keeps the missus happy, I just end up doing all the graft. But it helps with Engineer belly.

The veg patch was my Mrs' idea, there is enough graft in the garden without growing anything extra. Guess how much she's done so far !

I am well on the way to being a garden saddo, the main design aim is no bedding plants/annuals so it just needs a good hack and tidy up once a year and then gets left to it.

I can feel 'contractors' belly re-emerging after 1 week of cooked breakfasts

[EternalOptimist]

Holiday in Oz last year and I needed to buy lots of pressies, they had to be light, compact but interesting. So I brought back a whole load of seeds. They will be getting planted round about now, up and down the country