Urban Gardening - Raised Beds

We commissioned our gardener to make us a raised bed out of some recycled hardwood lab bench tops we bought at an architectural salvage yard. However we completely failed to convey our requirements and what he built was nothing like the picture in our heads.

The wood had a variety of tap and sink holes. We intended that he cut a number of long thin planks that ran the full length. Instead he cut across to get the full width where he could. The result is a shorter, taller bed with a single-sheet slab side instead of a longer lower bed with more attractive planking sides. Ho-hum, it’s done now.

So we moved it out of sight down the side alley and planted potatoes in it.

Next it was a trip to Home Base to buy some substantial, commercially made, assemble-it-yourself beds. That took a lot of drilling and screwing together - thank goodness for the power screwdriver.

Mary wanted them to be moveable so that meant wheels and a base to support the lining. That meant more trips to Home Base and more sawing and drilling and screwing.

The result, although I say it myself, is two fine, sturdy and smooth moving beds. Mary loves to rearrange furniture (it’s a girl thing) so that suits her just fine.

Now they are all planted up with herbs and we just have to find names for them. I’m favouring Torvill and Dean.

Previous namings:
Compost bins: Tom, Dick and Harry, Gertrude, and “The Bin With No Name” 
Big shed: Jabba the Hut
Small pair of sheds: Arthur and Jackson