Raised beds for a flower cutting patch?

louise.whittington100

I am researching the various sorts of raised bed for a small cutting patch (3 m x 1 m/ish), maybe 2 @ 2m x 1 m.  These are to go straight onto lawn, clay soil.  Can anyone offer advice on what height is best and also what material.  I've read that wood attracts slugs and snails etc., so maybe metal is better.  There are the corten steel types and galvanised steel types.  Never having made or used a raised bed before any advice would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

februarysgirl

I have timber raised beds for shrubs/perennials/annuals/fruit trees that I built straight on top of the soil. I don't know what the ideal height is, mine are 35cm. Couldn't tell you whether or not they attract more slugs than other materials though.

philippasmith2

Timber is usually the best material for raised beds. Best lined on the inside with suitable plastic ( compost bags are a favourite ) - if laying directly onto grass, a weed membrane fabric is useful as it allows drainage.
As to height, 1 metre maximum is adequate for the type of plants you are considering.  The width is probably the same tho you need to consider how far you can stretch comfortably to cut your flowers if you have access from 1 side only.  If from both sides, it would be reasonable.
Slugs and snails will inevitably appear at some point ( the worst being the little slugs which live in the soil itself.)  I doubt whether metal would be any more of a deterrant than wood.

Fairygirl

The height wouldn't need to be more than about a foot [30cm] as per @februarysgirl's description if it's for flowers.
The depth- ie front to back, depends on your access. 1 metre will be fine either way. 

I'd agree with @philippasmith2 - line the timber and use a base to help prevent the bottom of the boards rotting easily. You could also opt for a layer of brick, or even a small concrete edge, for the beds to sit on. You can buy ready mixed concrete now and one bag would probably be enough to do a small layer round a bed of about 2x1 metres. I've used it for something similar, but also as a 'lip' for the entrance to my driveway, which is gravelled. Works very well, and easy to use. 

louise.whittington100

Hi All, thanks for the above replies!  I don't want tall raised beds and have found a corten steel type but it is only 200mm high?  Is this too shallow? It is from a very reputable and well-known company so I would hope it would work?

Fairygirl

It'll largely depend on the plants you want to grow. Too shallow really for sweet peas for example, unless they can access the ground below. 
That might be what you'd need to do - ie lift the turf and put your beds on top of the soil. It may need a bit of work to get it into good health though. The ground might be a bit compacted if it's been grass for a long time, and as it's clay, it may need some work to ensure the drainage is fine for your plants     

louise.whittington100

Hi no not sweet peas I have a wall to grow them up. Mainly annuals really.  I was thinking of trying "no dig" - would that be better depth-wise if I wanted to plant some Perennials in the bed alongside the annuals  Just learning!

Fairygirl

You would certainly need to add organic matter - manure, compost, leaf mould etc. That will help the soil structure, but it's not an instant thing. It will always benefit the bed itself, and you'd tailor the growing medium in that according to what you grow. You can also use a barrier to separate your beds, so that you can have plants which like light free draining soil next to ones which like consistently damp soil.  
I only mentioned s. peas because of the depth available. Many plants have deep roots, so it would be important for them to be able to access the ground below if you only had around 8 inches above ground. 
Again - perennials are fine along with your annuals, but it comes down to the plant choices, and their requirements, so you'd need to stick with ones that don't have a deep tap root etc, until the base soil is in good condition. Next year, it should be fine. The aspect, and your general climate will also dictate the choices for your cutting areas   

louise.whittington100

Thank you again for your detailed replies, all very much appreciated!  I don't suppose you could answer one more question - what is the difference between "no dig" bed and a raised bed apart from the wooden/metal sides?????  They can both go directly onto lawn I assume and I assume that a raised bed could have cardboard to help suppress weeds same as with "no dig".  Just trying to get my head around it.

Fairygirl

No dig just means what it says on the tin - you don't turn over the soil with a spade, you just add organic matter, then plant into it.
A raised bed means you can create the growing medium to suit what you want to grow, and is an artificial bed, for want of a better description.
It's particularly useful if your ground is difficult in any way. I garden on clay in this site, and it was solid and compacted as it had been gravelled and paved, so raised beds were much easier. I've done it many times over the years in various gardens. The only part of this garden which I didn't do that with is one boundary which was compacted grass. I removed the turf and added manure. 6 months later it was ready for planting. That was a no dig site 

louise.whittington100

Thank you so much!  Very clear.