Raised Bed Gardens explained.

Raised bed gardens are simply enclosed areas of soil or compost which is higher than the surrounding area. It can be as high and grand as the one in the picture above or it can be much more basic and of course less costly.

The are many reasons for building raised beds. It might not be immediately obvious but some of the most experienced gardeners make full use of raised beds. These are the local councils who manage our parks and other communal areas. Many of the bedding displays they create each year are in raised beds.

And those gardeners have had years of experience.

RAISED BED GARDENS - BENEFITS

The main benefits of raised beds are listed below:

Ease of access - higher beds make it more easy for the disabled or simply those with back problems.

They fit the available area - raised beds are often the best solution to grow plants or vegetables. Concreted or very small areas can always support some form of raised beds.

Less work - after the initial work of building the raised bed, annual maintenance of the soil can be restricted to a dressing with well-rotted compost.

Control of the soil conditions - a raised bed can have very different soil conditions from the surrounding soil. Great for lime-hating plants, herbs and many more.

Pest and disease control - a raised bed offers easy protection from many pests with little effort.

Better draining soil - if your soil is clay then a raised bed will give you an area with excellent drainage for the many plants which appreciate it.

Soil warms quicker - A raised bed warms the soil quicker. This allows earlier planting times and a longer season.

They look good - raising even a small section of your garden breaks up the monotony of a single level. Raised beds are excellent centre pieces for many gardens, small or large.

These pages will show you how to build a basic wooden raised bed. We also have a picture gallery which has lots of ideas on the materials which can be used for cheap, attractive and individual raised beds for your garden.

Other sections in this site cover everything you need to know about raised beds.

Below is a video "ad" from Harrod Horticultural which we have put here because it deals with raised beds and is of interest to all raised bed gardeners.

THE RAISED BED GARDEN

RAISED BED GARDENS

RAISED BED GARDENS - BENEFITS