Nick Bailey explains the benefits of raised beds
Put in a raised bed and you and your garden will reap the benefits
Last week’s feature on raised beds in GN got me thinking. I’m in the process of designing some for my garden and it reinforced my belief of how beneficial, yet simple, these structures are. There are five key benefits. 1. They elevate plants, making them easier to admire and simpler to maintain. 2. They can provide seating. 3. You get to choose which soil type goes in them, widening the range of plants you can grow. 4. Soil in them warms up earlier in the year, potentially leading to earlier crops. 5. They aid drainage in areas with heavy soil. I could go on but you get the drift – they’re very useful. I’m building mine in concrete blocks which I’ll either render or clad but there are numerous ways to make an elevated planter and here are just a few:
Brick, concrete or stone
These materials give the most flexibility in terms of height, size and shape of a raised bed. Brick is the easiest to work with and relatively light. Either reclaimed or new bricks will do the trick and as most raised beds are little more than 40cm (1¼ft) high you won’t need any great brickie skills to knock up a five-course wall. Concrete blocks are faster to build with but can be heavy and difficult to handle. They can be left unfinished, painted or rendered. Stone’s the greatest challenge, though raised beds in this material can be beautiful features. Pre-dressed or pre-cut stone blocks are the easiest to work with and easily tesselate compared to random stone.
Timber
Constructing timber raised beds is fairly quick and easy but they’ll never have the longevity of stone or brick. Perhaps the longest-lasting material is new sleepers. Their sheer bulk, weight and thickness will see them stable and in place for a decade or more. Butted together round posts can work well but often require a plastic lining to prevent them being excessively freedraining. Other near instant options include www.woodblocx.co.uk. Its system clicks together almost like lego and has many variable options. Or www.internetgardener. co.uk sells a Forest Garden Sleeper Raised Bed. It’s in a predetermined size and quick to construct.
Man-made products
I tend to opt for more natural products but www.greenfingers.com sells either a Haxnicks reusable growbag planter made from flexible plastic sheet or the Garland raised bed kit, which consists of interlocking solid plastic panels.