Friday 5 April 2013

Tangled in runners and roots


It is a satisfying shape, isn't it? A hyperbola, methinks. Although geometry is not my forte, nor ever was since the first half of the '60s when I wrestled with Mathematics II, and settled for General Maths, the clayton's variety. This geometric curve will be edged with a concrete mowing strip to stop those pesky runners.

The decision about raised garden beds now needed to be fleshed out. I had envisaged timber, or brick, but mentally baulked at the impertinence of colourbonded steel, even though I saw them at every turn. They were so ... so ... unnatural! I envisaged utility AND beauty. A place to sit and contemplate and watch the word go by. But colourbonds were value for money, and had longevity. And won the day.

When all this was but a gleam in my eye, Kirsten had insisted on a plan - to scale. So, I drew one up, based on beds 1.0m in width. Two beds to be 2.5m in length, and two more to be 1.5m in length. In addition, there was to eventually be a trellis bed, 500m wide, and 3.5m long. However, colourbond only did 2.6 x 1.3, so close-enough, we all agreed. But the height was 810mm rather than 510mm. Reduces bending - tick. Plenty of depth for root veggies - tick. Child friendly - nope. Capable of taking a teeppeed-tomato structure - nope.

The area looks like a good rake would get it over the line.

I did not factor in sinking the bed into the soil, and all the roots of the fig tree that lurked beneath the surface.


2 comments:

head in the sun said...

Wish our concrete edging stopped the grass runners! No such luck. Kikuyu is a mental grass - yours looks like the much better behaved buffalo. We used to have buffalo in Melb. but it gave my skin a rash.
I've been looking at those colourbond beds for when we move into my sister's rental house for a year.
What are you going to fill it with?
I read somewhere you can stick a couple of straw bales down the bottom.

Julie said...

I think that even the best of concrete edging needs a vigilant guard with a sharp pair of secateurs! This is the best patch of grass we have, thick and spongy, and I think Buffalo. I have photos of the first colourbond bed coming up, with sizes and price included.

What we have filled it with thus far is some rocks for drainage, and the unadulterated soil that was carved out to form its 'laying-in' spot. Plus we have 500mm walkways all round, and have stipeed that back to more solid layer that will be covered with something. Darren reckons blue metal, but I am not convinced, thinking fine pine-bark better, especially if it gets flung around by the mower.

Yes, you can stick layers of stuff all the way through the bed, that that is more than I can cope with. We might have one experimental bed to see if layered beds produce more. Besides, we desperately need to dispose of the soil.