Ideas to what to grow in a raised bed?

Shoxt3r

Hi all,

So I'm thinking of what to try to grow in our raised bed next. At the moment we have 2 raised beds - one is taken over with strawberry plants (which are still lying dormant at the moment), while the other was used to grow cucumbers last year which I cleared before winter and just left the old compost there to grow things this year.

I did try beetroot in some small, shallow (4 feet long, 1.5 feet wide, 2 feet deep) rectangular troughs but they weren't very successful and I think this is mainly due to the lack of depth and general space to grow.

I still have plenty of beetroot seeds left and also cucumber - I'm looking to halve the number of cucumber plants this time though as we were a bit overrun (about 15 plants which produced 100-150 cucumbers in just a few weeks...for 2 people!). We made plenty of soup and chutneys which was very useful in money saving for Christmas presents but I think we've had our fill of having so many of them for the year ahead! About half the amount will be plenty (as everyone on here recommended to me in the first place hahaha!!).

The raised bed measures about 6 feet x 3 feet, with a depth of about 2 feet above the ground. The compost in the bed was topped up last year but has been on the go for about 2-3 years now roughly.

Any thoughts what would be good to grow in the second raised bed?

Thanks as always!

AnniD

First question is, what veg do you like to eat ? 

Shoxt3r

AnniD said:

First question is, what veg do you like to eat ? 

Pretty well anything really! We mostly use potatoes, onions and garlic in the kitchen but also peppers, tomatoes...allsorts! We don't have the facility to add lighting to keep the veg warm (like I've found while looking into what's needed to grow onions).

It would be nice to give the beetroot another chance but I also like carrots and use them regularly.

DampGardenMan

Garlic?

Lizzie27

I'd go for carrots - add a bag of hort. sand to your soil first and mix it in well. Also salad leaves, spring onions, peas.

josusa47

I have three raised beds, which I rotate: one is for tomatoes, of which I usually grow three varieties, one for spuds, half earlies, half maincrop, the other for peas and beans.  I have two metal obelisks which I put in opposite corners of the bean bed, these support runner beans, and a piece of plastic mesh for the peas to climb. The third corner has broad beans in it and the fourth one, French.

RedSquirrelAbroad

Chard is wonderfully easy and also has the advantage of looking great, if you choose the varieties with multicoloured stems. Mine kept going from early summer all the way through to mid winter! It certainly pays its keep. 

Allotment Boy

Sald- easy to grow quite expensive to buy. Pick off outer leaves rather than taking whole head they will last almost the whole summer. Sweet pepper, Tomatoes, more beetroot. All these taste much better when fresh picked.

Shoxt3r

Thanks for the recommendations everyone!
I think I might opt for carrots since I seem to be in perfect timing for the start of their season - a guide I found says to put seeds in about 5 weeks ahead of the last frost (which is end of April in my area apparently).

I've looked into horticulture sand and my local Homebase seems to have several types such as silver, grit and sharp but all for the same price. What would be the best one to go for and how much of it would I need? Also, any recommendations for the variety of carrot seeds to go for? Bear in mind that I will only be using half of the raised bed for carrots - the other half I've decided will be for cucumbers.

In addition to above, is there anything anyone could recommend I try in my grow bags or in the small troughs?

AuntyRach

Exciting to be able to plan a veg bed.
I can recommend Chantenay carrots as their shape is good for small spaces - I did those in pots last year. 
I find grow bags are a bit shallow and dry out easily but I know plenty of people have success with all sorts. I did courgettes in grow bags once. You can always use the grow bag the other way up too. Herbs would be nice in the troughs - if they are moveable then The Mediterranean herbs will need sun but mint, thyme, parsley will be ok in a less sunny site. 

Nanny Beach

That is plenty deep enough for beetroot.  Yes, grow what you like, we didnt bother with spuds last year, they do take up a lot of room, thought I would grow lots of beans and pease because I could freeze th, and then the weather, hot and dry which they hate! I have 2 large raised beds divided into 4 sections so I can rotate.   Last year grew 3 courgettes in black buckets, on top of a tall pallett, to keep them away from the slugs, had the most massive crop.