Topic: Raised beds

[steveg1966]

I have been looking at some of the other plots on our allotment site and wonder weather it is worth having raised beds like I have now because a lot of growing space seems to be lost and the general consensus on the site seems to be the wood edging will harbour unwanted such as slugs etc anybody’s thought would be great.

[Ian Pearson]

Fixed slightly raised planting beds with no wooden edging gives most of the benefits with none of the cost. Wood edging is more for the gardener than the plants, creating a sense of order. The exception of course is if you need seriously raised beds because of drainage problems. Fixed beds definitely suit low tillage systems, and perennial crops, whereas growing spuds is simpler without fixed beds in my opinion.

[Digeroo]

I agree with Ian.  But it rather depends on your soil.  They can be a help to reduce bending, but I had one and found I kept tripping over it.   I try and build up my beds so they become raised naturally.   I simply use straw for paths, but that harbours even more bugs than the wood.   I think they make it more difficult to hoe round the plants so weeding takes longer.

I do like them for my runner beans to increase the soil depth.   

They do look very nice and tidy.  Perhaps if you plant right up to the edge the plants will drip over and reduce the waste of space.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Depends on local conditions, and the state of your health. If you have problems bending, or the plot suffers from waterlogging, say, it's definitely worthwhile. It's an awful lot of work to do to be fashionable though!

[Tee Gee]

I'm with Ian when he says;

Fixed slightly raised planting beds with no wooden edging gives most of the benefits with none of the cost.

This is how I have prepared the new plot I have just taken over;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Blogspot/Dec%2013%20Blog/Dec%2013%20blog.htm

[digmore]

Hi guys,

I might be abit off key here, but to me a raised bed is high enough for someone to sit on the edge or put a small plank in between two beds of same height. Say, to cope with a back injury or an elderly person who cannot bend.

I think, what your describing is to me, a bordered bed, yes, it gives a bit more soil depth but is it worth it?

As I say, I might be off key and no offence meant.

Digmore. 

[Pescador]

I think Digmore has hit the nail on the head. Is it a bed, or a raised bed. A lot of people use the term "raised" automatically before  saying "bed". For drainage, health reasons, or sometimes aesthetics, they can be useful, otherwise I wouldn't use them.

[manicscousers]

Couldn't do without ours 

[sparrow]

My plot's on a slope of heavy clay and has real drainage problems. My beds are terracing the slope, with 6inch wood borders, and raised another few inches by digging out the paths and filling with woodchip. This year those beds aren't sitting in puddles of water and my broccoli and kale aren't drowning in stagnant beds.

And they look really pretty. ;)

[Ian Pearson]

There are lots of different types of raised beds, and as long as the bed is higher than the path, it seems to fit the description. A main advantage of raised beds in general is that they warm up earlier than flat ground in spring. This is partly because of the better drainage, but also by being higher, they catches more of the low sun. For this reason, I build my beds about a foot high, tapering down to path level at the sides, and no edging (second photo in this post http://oca-testbed.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/extending-oca-growing-season-through.html). This also allows cold air to drain off, and so gives a small amount of frost protection.
Edging has some benefits (retaining mulches, keeping untrained visitors off the beds,) but seems mostly for tidiness.

[strawberry1]

I have 12 raised beds, the plastic ones and all 8 x 4 feet. They enable me to have much better soil for growing, rather than tacky clay. They allow me to fix specific sized hoops that I can very easily net over. Weeding is not difficult because I have a definite area and they hoe or lift easily. They allow me to easily plan my rotations on a chart. I would not be without them and tbh would not have any other than plastic as they do not dry the edges or harbour nasties. 1/3 of the plot is not raised beds and the soil is much more difficult to work, so that area is given over to fruit

[Garden Manager]

I have what i would call slightly raised beds, as in they are only raised by 6" above the surrounding ground. On my soil (chalky-clay loam over shallow chalk) i find they work better than open soil growing. I can concentrate cultivation on set areas  and access is generally all weather as i have gravel paths in between.

Beds were constructed of wood (gravel boards), however as these are now rotting badly i have decided to replace them gradually with recycled plastic board kits (brand name Link a Board - google it). I rebuilt the first one with this system just yesterday.

[BAK]

I also employ beds that are about 6 inches above the surrounding paths with no wooden or plastic edging.

[kGarden]

Mine are slightly-raised too. I excavated the paths and put the spoil on the beds to raise them. They had no wooden edges (what I understand to be called "Lazy raised beds"), but the soil slid off the beds and needed sorting out every year or two, and planting the "shoulders" didn't work well, so I felt I was losing some planting width, and when time & money allowed I put some wooden boards along the edges.



Original path-lowering / bed-raising



Wooden edging added later

[Garden Manager]

kGarden. That looks impressive. What are the ends made of?  They look a bit like tombstones!

Lazy bed raised beds are probably fine for allotments and would probably suit me due to the zero financial cost and simple construction! However my veg beds are in a garden so they need to look good as well as being functional and easy to keep tidy.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I need raised beds badly due to waterlogging, but it's a right labour building them. I've managed ten over a couple of years, and I've just done my back in for the second time. They're about four metres long (the length of a long scaffolding plank), three feet six wide, and a foot high. It takes about twenty barrowloads to fill one.

[kGarden]

What are the ends made of?  They look a bit like tombstones!

They do a bit don't they?!  A mate gave me a load of wood he didn't want, lots of boards which I used for the edges and some chunky slabs, so I decided to make some "Book Ends" with them.  My plan is to pin a clear plastic wallet to the ends with a sheet inside listing what is in each bed - then weekend house guests who offer to pick something from the veg patch for lunch might actually come back with the right thing!!

[kGarden]

t takes about twenty barrowloads to fill one.

Would digging the paths out, onto the beds, be an option for you perhaps?

[Garden Manager]

My beds were partly made by digging out level paths between them to fill the beds once each was built. My veg plot is the flattest part of my otherwise sloping garden, even so there is still a fall from one end to the other, cutting and filling when making the beds was the best way to overcome the slope and create level beds and paths.

When i made the beds i did though make the mistake of filling the beds right up with soil, leaving little room for compost. I have found myself from time to time removing soil from the beds to make more space in them. Don't like doing it though as it tends to remove the best soil! (hard work too). Digging the beds over less or not at all seems to have helped, although i am now considering trying to remove some of the soil underneath the beds in order to lower the soil level in the beds and preserve the good soil on top.

[Clayhithe]

Digmore has asked the right question.

The other question is:  raised beds or deep beds?

My beds (4 ft wide by about 15 ft long) are 'deep' because I never trample them.
They are 'raised' (about 6 to 8 inches) because a) I rake soil from the paths and scatter it on the bed,  so the paths get deeper and the beds get higher,  and b)  every 5 years in the rotation the bed becomes a compost heap.

Surrounding the beds with wooden boards seems,  to me,  like a waste of time and money (no offence meant to those who do .   kGarden,  your beds look very smart.)