le 30/11/03 0:28, David Fenwick à crocosmia@blueyonder.co.uk a écrit : Allotment Beds are of 10cm x 2.5 cm timber, lined with white mypex, with 75mm of woodchip covering the mypex. Allotment2 the area is now covered by three 24m long x 2.8m wide wood framed beds. These will be lined in the next few weeks. The first plot took about 15 tonnes of woodchip, I reckon 20 tonnes for this one. although I must add that the woodchip doesn't actually touch the soil. Dear Dave, I follow with interest your new developments. Be careful the more space you create, the more plants you acquire and then you will need more space and so on. As you will no doubt be aware this is a 'cycle infernale". It is only lack of energy which will in the end will make us slow down. I noticed that the beds you made are not very high. Have you 'raised' it by 10+15cm? Sometime ago you posted a drawing of a raised bed. Unfortunately I cannot retrieve it, please, post it again if you have it hand. As I understand, you have the vertical timber on the outside, lined with "Mypex" (what is this material like?) and then 75mm woodchips (vertical layer?) and is the remainder then filled up with composted material? No soil or sand? "woodchip doesn't actually touch the soil". can you explain please. How deep have excavated the beds? Is your design different for wintergrowers? I follow your operation with much interest. After my South African visit I am now constructing a bed, to house my wintergrowing collection, incorporating what I have seen there. Kind regards Lauw de Jager http://www.bulbargence.com/ South of France (zone 8 Olivier)