Raised beds are a great way to garden. For space efficiency and high yields, you won’t find a better system than a veggie garden grown in raised beds. Due to the fact that the soil is raised above the surrounding ground level drainage is drastically improved. This also helps increase the soil temperature, since better drained beds mean they warm up faster in the spring. The increased soil temperatures also mean that you can wait was late as mid-autumn to star building a raised bed.

Another great advantage is the wider range of plants that are available to grow in raised beds. With the ability to match the soil to the plant rather than being dictated by nature, you will be able to grow plants in your garden that would have otherwise died. You will also be able to improve root health by filling the bed with organic matter and good topsoil enriched with fertilisers.

They are also perfect for gardeners with mobility problems. Because they are raised (as the name suggests!) there is no need to bend down too far. Also, raised beds are far easier to managed when compared with conventional containers. The larger soil volume means that they are easier to manage with watering, and the drainage system means that you don’t have to worry too much about overwatering.

Planning

So, lets say that you’ve decided that a raised bed is the perfect addition to you garden. There are a couple of things you need to do before you start pulling on the gardening gloves:

–Decide what plants you want in your garden. Every plant is different and has different needs. Work out the perfect soil balance, as well as depth and drainage. That way you can start working out how big of a raised bed you need

–Make a map of your garden and work out where the beds will go. Now that you know what you want to plant, you can work out where they need to fit in your garden. Walking or stepping on raised beds is best avoided, so widths of less than 1.5m so they can accessed from all side is best. Consider this: will you able to get a wheelbarrow between them? Also, avoid long runs of beds. That way people are less tempted to step on them to get to the other side.

–Materials. What do you want your raised beds to be made from? Is your raised bed going to be permanent? Or are you looking for a quick, cheap way to garden for the short term? Is it practical or for purely aesthetic reasons? These are the questions you need to ask yourself. Timber is very cheap, and can be quickly constructed. But it only lasts in the short term. Masonry can be used, but it is expensive and should only be used if you want your raised bed to be permanent. There are some great ready-made kits out there that you can try for small scale projects, or whether you just want to see if raised bed gardening is the right thing for you!

Construction

Here are instructions for simple, different short term raised beds that you can constructed yourself. The dimension for each bed is 4 feet by 8 feet, and each material offers different advantages. These are quick and easy raised beds that don’t involved any digging, cement or planning permission. Great for a beginner

Wattle

You will need:

-18 piece of rebar, at around 24 inches long

-A strip of burlap about 18 inches wide and 24 feet long

-Around 100 long, flexible sticks

This is the most time consuming way to create a DIY raised bed, but it is the most attractive (at least in my opinion!) The woven bed sides give a great organic chic look to your garden, and considering that it is made mainly of sticks, it is a dead cheap alternative material to use.

First, create your perimeter. To do this, hammer in the lengths of rebar into the ground with roughly 16 inches of space between. 10 inches of rebar should remain exposed above the soil. Next, cut long, straight ‘sticks’ of tree or shrub branches that are up to half an inch in diameter. This is the long winded part: weave the sticks or ‘wattle’ though the rebar as if you’re creating a basket. If the sticks go over the bed corners, just give the a trim to neaten them up a little.

Once the weaved bed sides have reached the top of rebar, bend 2 foot long sticks in half, and poke them into the ground over the woven wattle. The sticks will act as pins and stop your hard work from unravelling. The bed sides should be pinned ever few feet before your line the woven sides with burlap to keep soil from shifting through.

Logs

You will need:

-2, 7 foot logs for the sides, and

-2, 4 foot logs for the ends

This is the easiest way to construct a raised bed by far. There’s no hammering into soil, and there are very little restrictions to achieve an aesthetically pleasing raised bed. Plus, the logs give a lovely rustic feel to your garden.

The instructions for this raised bed could not be simpler. Choose straight logs that are about a foot in diameter to create the bed sides. It doesn’t matter if the bed ends are of a smaller diameter, just stack 2 logs on top of one another. The only restriction is that the the bed ends need to be as high as the bed sides.

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Concrete Blocks

You will need:

-16, 8x8x16 inch blocks

This might not create the prettiest raised bed, but it’s sturdy without being permanent. The pockets within the concrete blocks can be filled with soil and used to grow small herbs or edible flowers. A lovely little herb garden for your vegetable patch!

Simply lay out the blocks so that they create a 4 feet by 8 feet bed. Make sure that they sides are tightly pressed together. Then fill with your choice of soil-compost mix. Easy!

Sandbags

You will need:

-20 sandbags

If you’ve got a small garden or you aren’t sure that raised bed gardening is for you, then is the perfect way to construct a quick raised bed! Simply, cost effective, and doesn’t leave trenches in your garden. Perfect for your renting a home and what to start home-growing your veggies.

Using long, slender bags of sand that are often sold as traction sand, outline your bed. I find that the best height is 2 sandbags high, but go with whatever feels best for you!

What should you plant?

You can grow almost anything under the Sun in a raised bed since you’re able to change the soil balance as you see fit. But there are some things that are better suited than others. Here are our favourites:

-Soft fruits: Strawberries, currants, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, the list goes on! Any yummy summer fruit tends to be happy in a raised bed.

–Vegetables: Many and all! The vegetable world is your oyster

-Cut flowers: or Herbaceous perennials. One of the many, many advantages of raised beds is the ease that they allow cutting gardens for cut flowers to be established.

-Alphines: Alphines love a good drainage system, and raised beds have the best one going round!

-Small trees and shrubs: This mainly depends on how big your planning on make your beds. If you have the space you can easily grow small shrubbery or even trees.

-Lime hating plants: Heaths and rhododendrons are known lime-hating plants. By filling a raised bed with acid soil, then you can enjoy these lovely plants without worrying about your alkaline soil.