Raised Beds

Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

Raised beds offer many benefits to your garden bed, assisting you in keeping your planting areas tidy and well organised, as well as helping with drainage. Having a raised garden bed of compost on top of your existing soil will give your plants access to all the nutrients they need whilst making sure they aren’t waterlogged.

Keep your veg patch well organised with raised beds which can really help you plan your growing season and organise your seeds & bulbs. Combine with dividers like garden edging to separate your brassicas from your bulbs and cucumbers from your calendulas! Easy access to a raised garden bed can help you with planting, all the way to digging and harvesting.

What Materials Do Raised Beds Come In?

The traditional material for a raised garden bed is wood. Wooden garden beds have a natural look and will aid with the drainage that a raised bed can provide for your plants, and are easy to maintain with exterior wood treatments.

For a low-maintenance garden bed which is easy to install, plastic and metal raised beds are available to easily organise your flowerbeds. These materials can weather storms and are easy to transport if you change your mind at the end of the season. Combine your raised garden bed with trellis and garden canes to support climbing plants!

FAQs

What do you put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

You don’t have to put anything at the bottom of a raised bed if it’s sitting directly on top of soil, as it’s there to provide extra drainage and tidiness to your borders. If you want to give weeds a hard time, laying down some unbleached cardboard creates a good barrier which will naturally decompose. If it’s a self-contained planter, sticks & twigs at the bottom will help with drainage.

Should I line a raised bed with plastic?

If your raised bed is sitting on top of soil, you don’t need to line it, though you may want to add some liner around the inside if it’s a wooden planter.

How far apart should raised beds be?

You want enough room for them to spread out and bask without casting shade on each other. You also need something comfortable to walk between working on the raised beds!

How do you maintain a raised bed?

Pull up any weeds and regularly quench their thirst when the soil starts to dry. Add compost, garden soil to keep the soil healthy for happy plants. Keep an eye out for pests!