New columnist Mark Lane uses raised beds and pots for great displays
Use raised beds and all manner of pots to create great displays and nurture tasty crops
This past year has allowed me to reconnect with my garden, plants and nature generally. With more of us ge ing into gardening, rekindling a love for it or just continuing on as normal, the ability to grow our own veggies, fruits and ornamental plants has, and continues to be, a natural remedy. This innate need for nature and wildlife can be actioned upon very easily, whether you've a large garden, a small patio or balcony or an allotment site. And the ability to grow anything we want in raised beds or containers means we can continually change our ideas.
But what is a raised bed and are there any limitations as to what you can grow in them? The answer is simple. A raised bed is where you introduce soil to a chosen depth, surrounded by a material such as wood, metal, brick or plastic, bringing the garden up to a manageable height. With the right choice of materials, soil, plants, location and one’s own time you can grow everything from le uces to legumes, pansies to pumpkins, radish to raspberries, azaleas to anchusas. The choice is endless, and they don’t have to be expensive.
The wonderful thing about gardening in a contained space such as a raised bed or container is you can decide on the type of soil to fill it, whether it will be a static element or a moveable one, a new off-theshelf container, a hand-made, bespoke raised bed or an upcycled object, whether it should be on the horizontal or the vertical, and so many other permutations.
Getting started
There are some basic rules to follow, however. First, you need to decide on the location. Use a compass or an app on your phone and find out where the sun comes up and sets. If it’s a raised bed in a garden or an allotment for veggies and ornamentals ideally you want this in full sun, perhaps with some shade later in the afternoon. You don’t really want to site a permanent raised bed under the canopy of a tree as this will block out light, and if deciduous will drop its leaves onto your prized plants.
If you’re thinking of having a raised bed or manger on a balcony, patio or terrace then consider options with wheels, or a ach lockable wheels yourself. This way you can move the raised bed or container around the space to get as much light as possible.
Then think about how you want to garden in this space. If you’re happy with leaning forward and arching your back, then a raised bed about 60cm (2ft) deep will be fine. If you think that you’d prefer to sit down when gardening then opt for a wide ledge – new softwood sleepers make perfect seats, especially when laid flat along the longer edge. If mobility is difficult and you prefer to sit in a chair when gardening, then consider a raised table.
Finally, think about how far you can reach. It’s pointless making a raised bed with a width of 2m (6½ft) if you can’t reach without stretching or exerting too much effort. Raised bed or container gardening is great because you don’t tread on the soil, and you therefore reduce pests and diseases which would otherwise be brought in on your shoe. So, make sure you can access it from all sides to make gardening easier.
What to grow?
If you’re thinking about growing veggies following a crop rotation, then you need three, ideally four, as a minimum, but you can always crop rotate within a raised bed, especially if you mark out sections using bamboo canes or string. Leave a wide path between them, large enough to take a wheelbarrow. Containers come in all shapes and sizes and can create dramatic displays, growing a wide range of edibles and ornamentals, and with the use of wheels or hooks, they can be moved around to suit your space.