What is a raised bed?
An area of soil which is higher than the surrounding garden. A raised bed can be edged with timber, or other material, but may just be a mound of soil. The height is not critical and usually varies from 4″-6″ up to a couple of feet. Deeper beds are often used by people with health problems but remember they will need a lot of soil.
Why use them?
- Better drainage
- Warmer soil
- Deeper layer of topsoil
- A few inches higher is easier on the gardener’s back!
What to make raised beds out of?
- Wood but not pressure-treated, old scaffold planks are good.
- Cinder blocks, very cold weather can sometimes break them.
- Cedar or redwood, natural insect-repellant.
These are some new raised beds edged with scaffold planks which are about 230mm (9 inches) wide.
(Click image to enlarge)