How to Build a Raised Bed in the Garden

There are many reasons a gardener may wish to create a raised bed, the construction is often a relatively simple one however, if a neat and tidy effect is to be created proper planning and a little thought is required.

Reasons for Constructing a Raised Bed

The creation of a raised bed has the potential to deal with a number of possible gardening problems. At the one end of the spectrum, the raised bed is simply an alternative to the standard ground level bed or boarder, with the addition of an extra aesthetic feature. At the opposite end of the spectrum the raised bed may be seen as the ultimate expression in container gardening, allowing the gardener to control the soil type or avoid the effects of water logging, in a damp area of the garden.

Raised beds may also take the form of an alternative raised structure, such as a table based garden or even a planted roof. The former of these structures is of particular value for features such as a kitchen garden. Such features also make gardening more of an accessible hobby for those with limited mobility, or other conditions preventing one from bending down to tend a bed or border.

Constructing a Raised Bed

Regardless of the kind of raised bed to be constructed a number of prerequisites will ensure a clean and tidy finish, regardless of style or the construction materials to be used.

Levelling – Before construction of a raised begins the site should be levelled, this will ensure that an even affect is created with the materials used to raise the bed. Done carefully, a site may be levelled simply with a spade, taking away a layer or soil until a level effect is created. Alternatively one may choose to add a layer of sand and use a wooden beam to create a smooth and level surface.

The materials in a raised bed – There are many styles and forms which a raised bed may take. At the simplest end of the scale, one can buy a commercially produced raised bed kit. Raised bed kits are relatively simple to construct and usually made of wood in one form or another.

A more attractive option is to use old railway sleepers, here one can buy actual disused railway sleepers from a reclamation yard. Alternatively one may purchase modern timber from a garden centre, fashioned in the style of a railway sleeper. If opting for a raised bed made of such wood, it is recommended that the wood be treated before use with some form of wood preservative.

Finally there is the option of using brickwork or masonry of some form. This is the most labour intensive of all the forms of raised bed. A masonry raised bed may however, represent the most impressive form and is certainly the most durable of all raised beds.

Soil or growing medium – Once constructed the raised bed will need to be filled with a suitable soil. A raised bed is often used so as to allow a gardener to grow plants which require a soil, which is not naturally present in the garden. As such gardeners in an alkaline clay area may often fill a raised bed with an ericaceous soil for acid loving plants.

Alternatively a gardener on sandy free draining soil may opt for something a little heavier and nutrient rich, in order to grow roses. In any case the raised boarder should be filled to within a couple of inches of the top and allowed to settle. One may consider leaving the bed for a few days, before planting. This will allow the soil to settle, thus preventing the disturbing of roots later on.

Read more on gardening:

Cat deterrents – How to Deter Cats From the Garden

Creating Ground Cover with Plants and Garden Aggregates

Growing Acid Loving Plants

Sources:

Brookes, J. 2006. Small garden. Dorling Kindersley.

RHS. 2007. Planting a small garden. Dorling Kindersley.