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How deep should raised garden beds be


How Deep Should A Raised Garden Bed Be? – Vego Garden

When deciding on a raised garden bed, one of the major factors is the depth requirements of the raised garden bed. If you’re placing your raised bed on a patio or a terrain where the soil underneath is not conducive to growth, then it is important to grow your plants within the parameters of the bed itself. A raised bed should be able to blend in well with its surroundings as well as adequately support the roots of your plants. The required soil depth depends on the types of plants grown, the soil conditions, and desired aesthetic. Other important considerations include the shape, size, and material chosen for the raised garden bed. Since there are a dazzling array of designs available worldwide, choosing one can be a tough decision to make. 

However, the large variety of patterns available guarantees that there is a match for every type of landscape, budget and style. A raised bed can either be informal or formal, depending on your preference and garden situation. We recommend displaying vegetable gardens in modern, industrial metal beds, which can prove to be an attractive focal point of your garden, and significantly brighten up dull spaces or outdoor dining areas. It is important to keep in mind that the size of the bed should be proportional to the space around it. If you have limited space, it is best to buy modular raised garden kits, which will allow you to customize your beds based on your available space. This article examines the soil depth requirements for various types of yards and plants.  

Drainage: Whether it be an irregularly-shaped perennial border garden that sits behind a dry-stone wall, or a metal raised bed in a vegetable garden, one should always consider the depth of the raised bed carefully. A raised bed does not always require a significant depth for it to be effective. They should have at least 8 inches of soil depth to accommodate the root systems of plants, because the majority of plant roots require 6 – 8 inches of soil for healthy root growth. A depth of 8 – 12 inches will suffice for most gardening situations. 

Because of  the excellent drainage properties of raised beds, it is possible to grow an abundance of vegetables in a limited amount of space. In cases where drainage is an issue, or if the plants that you are planning to grow prefer an environment with drier soil, then the depth of your raised garden bed can be taller, which can then be filled up with a porous growing medium.

Material: The material you use for a particular raised bed should be durable, attractive and stable. It is important to consider the material of your garden bed, which determines how well it blends in with the landscape. The sides of the bed lend structural support to the and help contain the soil in a particular space. The sides of raised garden beds can be metal panels, wood, or brick and stone. While it is important to consider the depth of your raised garden beds when browsing for raised garden bed designs, it is also important to consider the material of your garden bed.  

Traditional metal panels, while easy to install, can rust over time, diminishing its attractiveness and usefulness. Wood will rot in as little as one season. Stone and concrete blocks can be expensive to install. Also, many gardeners do not want the hassle of buying raw material and assembling them for a DIY raised garden bed project. We recommend Vego Garden beds for an easy solution. Vego raised garden beds are made of a specialized rust and corrosion resistant metal and lend a clean, modern aesthetic to your garden. Our kits are easy to assemble, and complete with heavy duty rubber edging along the top to ensure a safe and fun experience. 

Double Digging: Some gardeners choose to dig below the ground using their shovel to create more space for their roots, especially if they have a crowded or shallow garden bed. This process, known as double digging, can be time consuming and arduous. Vego Garden beds are tall enough that you don’t have to dig into the ground. You can simply place your raised bed anywhere in your yard after clearing the ground of debris.  

Gardeners should slightly overfill their gardening beds, because the soil will compact over time with watering. As a tip, you should add an extra 2 inches of soil over your garden bed, and water the soil to see how much it compresses. 

Vegetable Beds: On the other hand, when it comes to vegetable beds, the bed must be approximately 12 to 18 inches deep to ensure adequate depth for the roots of your plants. This is especially important if your raised bed is placed on cement or the patio, which will inhibit roots from growing deeper into the ground. Below are the root depth requirements of a few common garden plants. Since our garden beds are 17″ and 32″ deep, they are deep enough to cultivate a medley of vegetables, including those with deep root systems. A deeper bed also allows for more moisture retention, leading to less watering and chance of drying out.  

The following plants have 12 - 18″ roots

The following plants have 18 - 24″ roots

Below are plants with deeper systems of 24 - 36″ roots

Plant Arrangements:

When planning out the components of your raised garden bed, it is important to orient your crops so that taller plants don’t block shorter plants from receiving sunlight. Beds should face South horizontally, which optimizes sun exposure across the bed and prevents neighboring plants from shading each other as the sun moves from East to West. If you are growing a variety of plants, you can orient your bed vertically (North to South), positioning the taller plants in the back to prevent them from shading shorter plants. Do not situate your garden bed in windy locations or near wet and marshy areas.

It is important to know the height of each crop at maturity in order to plan out your planting arrangements. To illustrate, shorter plants such as lettuce and radishes should be planted on the south side, while the tallest plants should be planted on the northern side of the area. If you have a trellis, it is important to keep it near the rear wall, as those plants can block out a large amount of light. Below are the heights of some popular vegetables at maturity: 

Vegetable

Size at Maturity

Vegetable

Size at Maturity

Artichokes

4' - 5'

Leeks

12" – 24"

Arugula

8" - 10"

Lettuce

6" – 12"

Garlic

12" – 24"

Onions

8" – 24"

Corn

4' – 8'

Peas

2' – 6' 

Beans (lima)

24" – 36"

Watermelon

12" – 36" 

Beans (pole)

8' – 12'

Parsnips

6" – 18" 

Tomatoes

2' – 8'

Potatoes

12" – 30" 

Cabbage

12" – 18"

Turnips

6" – 12"

Bending Over:

If you experience mobility issues, back strain, or simply dislike bending over, a taller raised garden bed will improve your gardening experience. Our extra tall 32″ garden bed kits significantly reduce back strain when you are tending or harvesting your garden. Whether you are a more experienced gardener or a beginner, we definitely recommend you invest in a raised garden bed to reduce the toll that straining your back can have on your health. 

32" Extra Tall 9 In 1 Modular Metal Raised Garden Bed Kit

$369.95 $319.95

Our extra tall 32" height eliminates bending and strain on your back when you tend to your garden, as well as creates plenty of space for healthy roots. …

About Vego

At Vego Garden, our goal is to redefine Raised Garden Beds. The company was founded with the goal of launching a modular metal garden bed system with a 20+ year life expectancy, utilizing eco- friendly metal materials instead of cutting down trees. We emphasize innovative design and high quality with our products. The name vego carries the spirit of DIY modular raised beds suitable for growing vegetables.

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How Deep Should Your Raised Garden Beds Be? • Gardenary

kitchen garden design

Published May 19, 2022 by Nicole Burke

Filed Under:

raised gardens

raised kitchen garden

raised vegetable garden

garden design

Raised garden beds allow us to maximize our growing space, improve drainage, increase productivity, and tend our plants with greater ease. If you're new to the idea of growing in raised beds, explore three reasons raised beds are better for gardening.

My six main beds (pictured above) are two feet tall, as are the majority of the raised beds my Houston-based company Rooted Garden designs. While two-foot beds aren't required to have a beautiful and productive garden, you do need at least 18 inches to grow certain plants.

Ideal raised bed depth based on the plants you want to grow

Let's look at how deep vegetable plant roots grow and how deep a raised bed would therefore need to be to accommodate the root balls of those plants.

Now, let's break down each of these raised bed heights, and then I'll explain why I converted to two-feet-tall raised beds.

What can you grow in a six-inch-deep garden bed?

Six inches is the minimum height I’d recommend. The very first raised bed my family ever put together was only four inches tall, and that height just didn't hold enough good soil we could grow in.

Six inches is enough to grow lettuce greens, herbs, and plants with very shallow root structures. 

If you're not quite ready to commit to building a full raised bed, try grabbing a six-inch deep container that's at least a foot wide, and try growing your own lettuce plants. Here are my picks for the best containers to grow salad greens.

What can you grow in a 12-inch-deep garden bed?

One-foot-tall beds are pretty standard in the gardening world. You'll be able to grow plants with deeper roots like carrots, radishes, celery, and peppers, though you might struggle with things like tomatoes, kale, and eggplants, which have really deep root structures.

Personally, I find this height of raised bed hard to tend since you have to bend over more from the waist to reach down.

learn how to build Gardenary-style raised beds

What can you grow in an 18-inch-deep garden bed?

Eighteen inches is the minimum height needed for plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, and kale—plants that have a bigger root base and need more nutrients and space to spread out.

This height also allows for better drainage. Most edible plants hate having their roots stay wet. In-ground plants are more likely to sit in water for longer than plants in a raised bed structure because the soil allows for faster draining, even when there's heavy rain.

What can you grow in a two-foot-deep garden bed?

You can grow just about anything you want in a two-foot-tall raised kitchen garden bed. Few plants really need two feet of depth for their roots, so the extra height is mostly just for the ease and convenience of the gardener. I find the closer a bed is to two feet, the easier it is to tend and harvest from your plants. You bend over from the waist and are at the plant’s level. Garden work should be an enjoyable part of your daily routine, not a chore that hurts your knees and back. 

I also prefer this height for aesthetic reasons. Two feet of stone, brick, Corten steel, or cedar planks adds beauty and way more vertical interest to a landscape.

It’s not necessary to have anything over two feet, unless you have a specific reason, like a dog you want to keep out of your beds.

What do you put in the bottom of a raised garden bed?

I get asked this question a lot. The answer is new soil.

This is your opportunity to start fresh with clean, nutrient-rich soil and organic matter. I've seen suggestions to add plastic bottles or trash bags as filler to the bottom of raised beds to save money on soil, but that kind of defeats the purpose of giving your plants' roots all the growing room they need. We want to make sure we're filling up our raised beds from the bottom all the way to the top with great organic matter that will feed our plants, not something that will break down slowly and contaminate your soil with plastic particles.

Before you shovel your new soil in, add some weed barrier cloth to the bottom of your bed to keep weeds out and to prevent your soil from washing out of your bed with the first heavy rain. If you have pests that like to burrow from the ground and eat your plants, add an extra barrier with hardware cloth, as well.

Discover your own gardening strengths and find inspiration to grow your self further with our fun and brief Green Thumb Quiz.

take the quiz

How much soil do I need to fill a raised bed?

Here's a simple soil calculator to add up exactly how much soil you need to fill up your raised bed garden:

STEP 1

Calculate the total width of your garden in feet = W

STEP 2

Calculate the total length of your garden in feet = L

STEP 3

Calculate the total height of your garden in feet = H

STEP 4

Multiply all three together: W x L x H

The answer for this equation is the TOTAL CUBIC FEET of soil you need for your raised beds.

Example

Let's practice with my own six raised garden beds, each measuring 2.5' x 7' x 2'.

To calculate the cubic feet of each bed, we'll use our soil calculator: 2.5 x 7 x 2 = 35 cubic feet for each bed.

Because this setup includes six gardens that all have the same measurement, the total calculation for the full amount of soil needed for these raised beds is: 6 x (2.5 x 7 x 2) or 6 x (35) = 210 cubic feet.

Read our full directions on how to calculate soil for raised beds, plus whether you should buy soil bags or order a truck delivery to fill your total soil requirement.

shop Gardenary's raised garden beds

Not only are raised beds more practical, but they add another layer of beauty as you step into your kitchen garden day after day. I'm confident that you're going to love having raised beds if you choose to install them in your outdoor space, and we've got tons of resources to help you build your own gardening haven and start growing!

Gardenary 365

Gardenary 365 includes full access to our complete Gardenary content library, including Intensive Planting, Herb Garden Guide, Salad Garden School, Microgreens, and Seed Starting Indoors. You'll also learn how to design and build your own raised beds with comprehensive step-by-step guides.

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The Author

NB

Nicole Burke

As founder of Rooted Garden, I've consulted with hundreds of new and experienced gardeners and designed all kinds of kitchen gardens from large to small and everything in between.

The right beds - less work, more harvest. We choose a garden bed. Photo - Botanichka

In modern gardening, it is customary to use several types of beds. The purpose of their arrangement, on the one hand, is to create optimal conditions for plants, which means getting the most out of them. And on the other hand, a reduction in the amount of work, facilitating the work of a summer resident. The type of proper bed decides a lot when growing vegetables and herbs. Properly approaching its choice and arrangement, you can save soil moisture, increase the temperature of the soil, or, conversely, prevent it from overheating in the summer. Even with weeds it is easier to fight on properly equipped beds. Which garden bed to choose for your site? Our article will help you decide.

Regular beds - less work, more harvest

Contents:

Raised raised beds

Unlike standard raised beds, which are flush with the vegetable garden, raised raised beds rise above ground level. Due to this, they warm up faster. Therefore, high beds are effective in cool regions, especially for growing heat-loving crops.

It is good to build such beds in areas with a high level of groundwater, in low-lying areas and areas prone to flooding. Any beds raised above the soil level are very good for growing crops that are sensitive to diseases or root rot - cucumbers, onions, garlic.

The easiest way to build a raised bed is to build it in bulk. It can be done using imported soil. To do this, it is enough to mark the bed with pegs and pour the earth. If the earth is dense, heavy, then first you need to arrange a drainage layer - put thick branches, rough stems, hemp. And then pour fertile soil. This method of arrangement requires material costs for the acquisition of soil.

The second method is more economically available, but more labor intensive. To equip the beds, you will need to raise part of the soil from the paths to the garden. Thus, the bed will become higher. If the soil is heavy, then it is necessary to make a drainage layer. If possible, compost, turf turned down with grass, fallen leaves, plant debris can be laid in the bottom layer of the bed. Thus, it is possible to partially solve the problem of lack of soil.

Advantages of raised raised beds

Raised beds have a number of advantages over traditional ones:

To learn how to reduce labor costs in the garden by organizing the right beds, read the material "How I made narrow beds and made my life easier."

Cons of high bulk beds

High beds, in addition to advantages, have their disadvantages. In some cases, they are so significant that it is better to abandon the idea at the planning stage.

The biggest problem when arranging beds is where to get soil for them? Imported - expensive, if you use the land from the paths, then the beds will not come out very high.

Another disadvantage of such a bed is its overheating and drying of the soil in hot summer weather. To avoid this, you do not need to make very high beds. Its optimal height is 20–30 cm. The issue of overheating and drying out of the soil can be solved with the help of mulching. Where to get mulch is a separate question.

In high beds without a border, when it rains or waters, the water rolls and the soil is washed away.

It is good to build high bulk beds in areas with a high level of groundwater, in low-lying areas and areas prone to flooding. © Couri Center

High Box Beds

Many of these shortcomings are eliminated by the improved version of the high beds - the box bed. This is a high bed, fenced with some kind of material.

The process of creating a bed-box is quite simple, the main thing is to stock up on the necessary materials. A box 15 to 70 cm high is assembled at the place marked out for the bed. Boards, logs, slate, brick can be used to make the box.

Place a fine mesh at the bottom of the box to keep mice out. Then comes a layer of organic matter: branches, tops, foliage, humus. And a fertile layer of earth is poured on top - and the bed is ready.

Read more about how to create a high box-bed in our material "How to make high beds - a solution for any soil."

Advantages of a high box-bed


Box-beds warm up much better in the spring in the sun. This means that the planting season can start much earlier. In addition, it is easier to fix the arcs in them and stretch the covering material.

In beds made with materials that do not warm up so much in the sun (wood, brick, slate), moisture is retained better, which means that it will be possible to water less often.

The "sides" of the beds protect the soil from erosion. The fence of the bed clearly limits it, so that perennial weeds cannot get into the bed.

High beds-boxes in the dacha are very convenient in work: to plant, weed, you need to bend over less than in a traditional garden bed. There is no need for digging, it is enough to loosen the earth.

Read about the peculiarities of growing plants using this method in our material “10 rules for growing in high beds”.

Such beds, if they are made with high quality, are beautiful and tidy, so they are used in creating the so-called "beautiful vegetable garden".

The box bed can, if desired, be turned into a warm bed for growing very early greens or seedlings. To do this, the soil is removed from the box and organic matter is laid in layers.

Disadvantages of a high bed-box

The main problem that stops summer residents is the need to purchase materials for arranging a garden bed. As well as the lack of opportunity and skills to build the basis of the structure.

Always keep in mind that in extreme heat, the beds can overheat. The way out is soil mulching and the right choice of material. According to experienced gardeners, plants feel best in beds equipped with wood.

In high beds, the soil can freeze hard in winter, so they are more suitable for annual plants. Such a bed needs to be mulched for the winter and, if possible, throw snow. Even if there are no plants in it, beneficial microorganisms in the soil may die.

The process of creating a bed-box is quite simple, the main thing is to stock up on the necessary materials. If desired, high beds can be used to decorate the garden

Warm beds

Warm beds differ from ordinary warm beds in that they are based on organic materials, which, when decomposed, release a significant amount of heat. Therefore, warm beds, in the first place, are suitable for regions with a cold climate, late spring and short summer. In the middle lane, these beds are ideal for growing heat-loving crops, early greenery and even seedlings.

In addition to heat, as a result of biochemical processes, the nutrients necessary for plants are formed, which can be used to grow demanding plants for fertility: cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers. Growing capricious eggplants is especially good on such beds.

The basic principle of creating a warm bed is that different types of organic materials are laid in layers. The bottom layer serves as drainage. This layer provides air access and removal of excess water, so hemp, thick tree branches, and rough plant stems are laid down. The higher, the less rough organics fit.

The second layer is usually plant and food waste, weeds, sawdust, wood chips. The next layer is compost, humus, animal waste - biofuel, which, decomposing, will be a source of heat. Next comes a layer of fertile soil. Each layer must be spilled with water and compacted.

If a garden bed is prepared in autumn, it is better to cover it with a film, covering material, in order to avoid weed seeds from getting there.

In order for biochemical processes to proceed correctly, it is important to observe the following rules:

Warm beds can be built in both spring and autumn. In autumn, it is more practical to do this: when the main work is done, you can take your time. There are many plant residues that are needed in large quantities. By spring, these beds will be ready for use.

There are several options for warm beds. Depending on the nuances of the arrangement, they are recessed, raised, or combined.

Buried warm beds

Under the buried bed, you will need to dig a trench, which then needs to be filled in layers with organic matter. As a result, the finished bed will be flush with the level of the soil. The peculiarity of using such a bed is that it will need to be watered less often, compared to a raised one. But it can not be equipped where water can stagnate.

Raised warm bed

Raised bed does not need to be trenched, it is laid on the surface of the earth. Such a bed is the best option for cold, humid regions where there is a risk of flooding.

Hill Bed - is a raised bed variant without borders. Such a bed is very quickly and easily equipped.

The lowest layer of the warm raised bed serves as a drainage layer

Combined warm beds

Settled in a trench, their upper part is above the ground. A trench under such a bed needs to be dug 2 times smaller than under a buried one.

Caring for warm beds consists in timely watering, loosening and weeding. In a dry summer, in order to save raised warm beds from drying out, it is advisable to mulch them.

Benefits of warm beds

Cons of warm beds

Read our detailed material: How to make a warm bed with your own hands?

Deep beds

Such beds are also called low or recessed. The name speaks for itself. The main function of the "low" beds is to save the soil from overheating and retain moisture. Therefore, they are suitable for regions with a hot, sultry climate, where droughts are very common, especially for areas with sandy or infertile soil that constantly dries up. The arrangement of such beds requires physical effort, so they are usually prepared in the fall, when the heat subsides.

The choice of location must be approached responsibly, even in the most arid region, natural disasters can occur periodically. Therefore, a bed should not be arranged in low-lying places of the site, where there may sometimes be an excess of water.

For arrangement, it is necessary to dig a trench of the required length in the selected area. The width of such a bed will depend on whether the walls of the bed will be laid out. If there are walls, then the thickness of the material must be added to the desired width of the beds.

Brick, stone, cinder blocks, wooden boards, etc. can be used as fencing material.

Next, the bed is arranged depending on the characteristics of the soil:

Care of such beds consists in timely watering and harvesting of grass from the aisle.

As the bed is used, the soil in it can settle considerably. Then it will need to be added more. In very dry and hot times, the beds will need to be mulched in order to retain moisture as much as possible and avoid overheating of the plants.

Benefits of deep beds

The arrangement of such beds, on the one hand, contributes to the creation of optimal conditions for growing plants in hot and dry regions. On the other hand, the work of the gardener is facilitated by reducing watering.

Plants in more comfortable conditions will be able to show greater yields, which means that it will be possible to reduce the number of plants grown without detriment to the yield, in this case, labor costs are also reduced.

The deep bed arrangement creates conditions for growing plants on very poor, infertile soils. Of course, this requires considerable physical effort, but on practically barren soils, these efforts are commensurate with the end result.

The main function of deepened beds is to save the soil from overheating and retain moisture

Disadvantages of deepened beds

Dear readers! As you can see, various options for arranging beds in the country can differ significantly in terms of the principle of the device, the crops recommended for planting in such beds, as well as the regions of use.

Therefore, if someone says that high or recessed beds are “super”, then do not rush to knock down boxes or dig. Be sure to analyze the characteristics of your site and soil and find your best option to facilitate your work in the garden and achieve the highest yields.

lll➤ Raised beds in the summer cottage ⭐ all relevant information on the website agrostory.com

01/19/2022

Experienced summer residents often arrange high or raised beds on their site (these structures are also called garden boxes, since they have an external fence in the form of a frame with strong walls).

Raised beds have both advantages and disadvantages. When planning their placement, gardeners pay attention, first of all, to the strengths of using such structures. Firstly, they help to avoid the laborious annual digging, are convenient for caring for plants and look extremely aesthetically pleasing. Secondly, they can have any shape (square, rectangular, triangular, round), organically fitting into any country landscape.

High beds are especially relevant for small plots of land, as they allow you to get the maximum yield from a minimum planting area. They are ideal for both the backyard and the garden, allowing you to grow both horticultural and ornamental crops.

But what about weaknesses? Of course, they also exist, and they must be taken into account. But let's talk about everything in order.

Pros of arranging high beds

Ensuring good drainage

During heavy rains, the loose structure of the soil inside the structure allows excess water to easily seep through the soil, causing the soil to dry out faster. This factor is especially relevant in the spring.

In addition, in raised beds, the soil warms up much faster, which contributes to good growth and development of plants.


Good ventilation

As you know, oxygen is vital for plants, which, with a good degree of aeration, easily penetrates through porous soil to the roots. In addition, the soil is a habitat for many beneficial microorganisms that also need air.

Plant Gentle Treatment

A high bed is well suited for pensioners and people with health problems (primarily for diseases of the back or joints). Caring for plants on a high bed almost completely eliminates squats and bends, reducing the physical load on the musculoskeletal system.

The high bed in the process of work is not trampled down and the soil is not compacted, which has a positive effect on the root system of plants.


Provides control over soil composition and structure

A high bed allows you to completely control the composition of the soil, making it possible to change all its parameters - from structure to the degree of fertility.

It is able to provide ideal habitat conditions for plants, including:

Air mode

Water mode

Power Model

Thermal

This is especially important if the site initially has infertile, infected or overly moist soil.


Cons of high beds

Need to purchase materials and carry out installation work

The biggest disadvantage of raised beds is the need to purchase building materials and subsequent installation, which requires financial resources, labor and time.

Materials for the box device must be chosen responsibly. They must be sufficiently durable and environmentally friendly, that is, they must not contain toxic substances that can enter the soil.

A good solution is to build a frame made of wood or plywood, but you need to be prepared for the fact that such a structure will last no more than 5 years. Summer residents often choose durable, harmless plastic for sheathing the box. You can build the walls of high beds from bricks, stones, cinder blocks, galvanized sheet metal, slate and so on.

The simplest option is to dig into the ground pre-treated with an anti-corrosion agent and enameled thick sheets of iron. They can be securely fastened with wooden or metal stakes.


Increased water consumption

Another disadvantage of a high bed device is a higher water consumption. The soil inside the box dries out faster, and you will have to carry out irrigation work much more often.

Perennial frost risk

In winter, during severe frosts, the soil in high beds freezes immediately from all sides, due to which the plants may die.

The way out of the situation is to plant varieties and hybrids that have a higher level of frost resistance.


High bed frame size

The length of the box doesn't really matter. That's how much the owner of the dacha wants, let it be so much, if only the size of the plot would make it possible to realize what was planned.

Another thing is the width of the box. It should not exceed 2 m, so that you can freely reach the plants placed inside both from one side and from the opposite side. That is why many people prefer to arrange even narrower boxes, with a width of no more than 1–1.5 m.

The average depth of a high bed is usually between 20 and 30 cm, although some gardeners prefer structures up to 50 cm high, allowing you to grow tall crops. For low-growing plants, a box 15–20 cm deep is sufficient.

When calculating the total length of the box, it is important to consider that it must have a sufficient number of stiffeners. Otherwise, the box may fall apart under the pressure of the ground. For reliability, rigid supports are installed every linear meter.


Placement of high beds

When planning high beds, it is necessary to take into account the cardinal points and place the structure on the site so that it faces south with its long side. In this case, the plants do not obscure each other and receive the maximum amount of sunlight.

When sowing seeds of various varieties and hybrids, it is necessary to take into account the size of adult specimens so that tall crops do not cover smaller ones.

The place for the installation of high beds is selected in such a way that the seedlings are illuminated by the sun for at least 6-8 hours a day. If this is not possible, then the structure must be positioned so that the plants get, first of all, morning sunlight.


What can be grown in raised beds?

On high beds you can grow greens, vegetables, root crops. Curly crops feel good in such conditions: cucumbers, peas, beans.

This method allows you to plant plants at a minimum distance from each other, forming more dense plantings. Thus, you can get a good harvest using a minimum area.

Ornamental horticultural crops and annual and perennial flowers look great in boxes, such as daisies, coreopsis, rudbeckia, zinnias, asters, echinacea and many others.


How to prepare the soil for a raised bed?

Loose and fertile soil inside the box is the key to a rich harvest.

A good effect is the use of a substrate of the following composition:

Fertile soil - 60%

Compost / humus - 30%

Perlite/vermiculite and peat moss (sphagnum) - 10%

Perlite is a natural material of volcanic origin, which perfectly copes with the role of baking powder.

Vermiculite is a mineral that improves soil structure and retains moisture.

Peat moss is widely used in the preparation of soil mixtures as a filler. It is known for its hygroscopicity: sphagnum is able to absorb a volume of water that is twenty times its own weight.

In addition to the listed components, it is also recommended to add a long-acting fertilizer to the soil, which will provide plants with nutrients for a long time.

It is necessary to load the finished soil mixture inside the box, taking into account the fact that the soil will definitely shrink over time.


How to water?

Watering high beds has its own characteristics. The water inside the box does not linger for a long time, easily seeping through the soil, and it will be necessary to water the vegetative plants, especially during the summer heat, almost daily.

The good news is that water consumption will still not be very large. Well, at least much less than is required with traditional watering.

An indicator that plants lack moisture is dry soil at a depth of 2–3 cm.


How to protect a high bed from burrowing pests?

In some areas, a large number of problems for summer residents are caused by animals leading an underground lifestyle - mole rats and moles.

Mole rats are rodents that feed on plants and can cause serious damage to crops, especially root crops. They not only eat the fruits of the labors of gardeners directly in the beds, but also make supplies for the winter. One rodent is able to arrange a "warehouse" with 10 kg of food in its nest.

Moles are insectivorous animals whose diet does not include plant foods. They feed on worms and insects, including crop pests. However, the appearance of a mole in a garden or in a garden is highly undesirable, since with its underground passages it destroys beds and destroys plants.

To protect an ordinary garden from underground animals, you need to make a lot of efforts. But it is not difficult to secure a high bed: it is enough to lay a galvanized fine mesh on the bottom when installing the structure. The cell size can be in the range from 5 to 10 mm. The edges of the mesh are attached to the walls of the box.

How to make a raised bed look more decorative?

For most summer residents, not only the harvest is important, but also the appearance of the site.

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