The Lasagne Vegetable Beds.

I have never showed my vegetable bandage on this blog as it was such a mess . Last year I went to a talk of the town by Alys Fowler about permaculture . A few twenty-four hours later I went to another talk about growing veg in elevate beds and I was thieve . The vegetables got neglected and weeds took over . I lost interest in my irksome old veg plot .

I wanted to make a proper potager with raised beds full of wonderful compost . I desire to arise onions like footballs rather than the ping pong ball I had produced . I wanted long consecutive Daucus carota sativa instead of the stunted , forked misshapen ones that I was ashamed to bestow into the kitchen . I started quantify and design the whole thing on paper and I got a quote for the job . It was just too expensive and I feel quite discouraged .

But then my Knight in Shining Armour stepped in . My lovely Pianist volunteer to make them for me . He is a very enthusiastic and very good Captain Cook and he has taken over all the preparation in our mansion . Although he does n’t see the point in gardening I think he is quite concerned in progress to indisputable that he has a plentiful supplying of interesting fresh vegetable and herbs . I must admit that I had misgivings about him take on this Book of Job though . He has always maintained that he believes in the dignity of labour , but not manual labour . His only DIY so far has been a single ledge in the kitchen for recipe books . His only other attempt to be handy in the garden ended up in him falling from a tree whilst brandishing a chain saw . An image that will last out with me for ever . The only other job he has done necessitate gaffer tape.(Duct tape in American I think . ) He is a great believer in gaffer tape and I was quite keen that no gaffer magnetic tape should be involve in this undertaking .

We decided to make the 8 chief layer 2.4 metres long by 1.2 m wide . Any wider and I would n’t be able to extend to from both sides . We needed posts 75 millimeter square and 45 cm eminent to make the frame . The 2 kernel bed were to be smaller . They were 1.8 metre recollective and 1.2 metre wide . We ordered the wood from the sawmill and had them turn off into length the veracious size so that there would be no sawing . I want them three planks deep so we postulate 120 planks . We had them regale with a non toxic preservative . We want 60 90 mm figure 6 screws per layer ( 48 for the smaller beds ) which seemed an dread tidy sum . The jailer fix needed to be pre - bore .

I was rather disquieted about how he would wield the task . The wood make it and there seemed an dreaded stack of it . I saw the facial expression of panic on his face . I bought him some nice carmine overalls so that he would feel the part and enter into the spirit of the affair . I assoil the ground and made a morsel of a trench for the wood to sit on and away we drop dead .

Here is the Pianist in his new red overalls drilling . Behind him there is a prissy sight of well rot manure from the horse up the road expect to be used . While we had a cup of tea the Vicar come to see what we had been doing . He peer in the box and then climbed on to the compost heap and went to pick an argument with the pheasant next doorway . This is a daily rite at the moment . They pass ages nod their heads up and down and showing each other their rump , saying mine is bigger than yours . To my delight the beds were finished in less than three week . Now came the job of fulfil them . Here is where the Lasagne method acting come in .

Lasagne Vegetable Beds .

The trick is , as the name suggests to layer them . I had been economize cardboard for month and this snuff it at the bottom of each bed .

The composition board was rob with water to encourage worm to take up residency under it and then came the layer of good stuff ; any organic affair I could lay my hands on . You alternate dark-green stuff with brown , such as cardboard , newspaper and fallen leaves ; but it is not an exact skill . I started with the stuff on the compost heap that had n’t even started to waste down . I had a lot of sod because I am always digging up the lawn . I had masses of semi rotted leaves and plenty of grass cutting . The well rotted manure from the horses up the road was an important layer . At last I could see the point of a sawbuck .

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I finished with good , well - rotted compost . I had an enormous compost heap which was encroaching on to the lawn , but it was all hollow up . I had to dig carefully because I find that I had disturbed a very incensed house physician . I was worried he might have a kin still in there .

It ’s all right , the only harm done to this handsome toad was to his dignity .

rather of cursing the counterspy as I usually do , I was quite happy to see mole hills on the lawn . What wonderful pre - sieved soil the seawall digs up for you . The line of work of filling all the bed is very laborious work and it takes an awesome fate of poppycock to fill up them . I get to the degree where I was tempted to go round the browned bins that neighbour put out for the council . I certainly peep into them to see what garden waste they were bedevil away . Who are these people who throw off away their grass cut and leaves ?

The beds were finally ready . They were not exactly full , and I know the level will go down when it adjudicate , but in the autumn I will have passel more stuff to put in . I had already started vegetables off in the greenhouse to put into them . The Solanum tuberosum were chitted . carrot , large-minded beans and lettuces were hold off to go in . I replanted my strawberry and herbs in the two small bed . I bought some asparagus crowns . I have sown all kind of leave-taking in the salad bottom . I have sow in Gallic bean plant in one bed . Can anyone recite what is dig up them up and consume them ?

Here are the finished beds . The wigwam in the centre is for blue runner dome .

banknote from the Pianist .

slacken , this is a business for someone with minimal skills because that ’s all I have . I do it the beds are not all level with each other because to make them so would have affect an tremendous amount of ground - shifty and for what ? So that they front pretty ? Sorry , I ’m not that anal retentive . mayhap you bang that already , I do n’t usually read my beloved ’s blog . What has she been pronounce about me ? The only affair I ’m really proud of is that the order I made to the sawmill over the phone was exactly right . ( Though some of the plank were n’t sawn accurately – pshaw ! ) . It ’s quite nerve - wracking tell £ 700 worth of wood by phone . By the mode , you necessitate a twilled ( main power ) drill . barrage drills run out too chop-chop , even with multiple battery packs in second-stringer and they do n’t have enough king for the turnkey .

Note from Chloris .

I did n’t know he was endure to write all this , I only postulate him to check the measurements .

46 Responses toThe Lasagne Vegetable Beds.

This is so exciting . earnestly impressed!It might be shiner digging up the beans , but keep an eye on that bird !

Oh line of work well done piano player and oh what veg / fruit loveliness to look forrader to this summertime Chloris . I spotted some ok molehills last week when were out and about and wished that we had a sack and spadeful in the car .

The Pianist did a first charge per unit job on those beds ! Well done him . I hope your veggie and herbs thrive , as a payoff for him .

I was amuse and delighted with your story and I ’m extremely impressed with your solvent . Any man who cooks is to be prize – I ’m favorable to have one of those myself . While mine ( a scientist by breeding and training ) is ready to hand , this intend that my requests often get bogged down by review article , as well as his availability , so that handiness is a mixed blessing . I ca n’t help with the question regarding the bean – I ’ve never had those dig up but the usual culprits in my garden are the raccoon and the squirrel and I do n’t suppose you have either , do you ?

I ’m still smile . Thanks for the chuckles . If music hall were animated and well you ’d be the stars .

Wow , what a large undertaking to take on , but I have to say that your raised beds are telling . You must be thrilled with them . Very well done to the Pianist .

Now that is something ! Love the beds , love the overall , have it off the whole determined tone of the thing . We have some raised seam but since I gave over the vegetable growing to Ian he has become more and more determined to colonise the field of battle and seems a signature dismissive about the raised seam . in person I love them and will be very interested to see what you get in yours .

Hello Chloris – thanks for visit my blog . I ’m so happy you did because I ’ve have intercourse reading yours . The raised seam are terrific ; I search forward to seeing them full of veg . I be intimate the Vicar , too and the small salientian !

The Lasagne Vegetable Beds.