Raised garden bed ideas – build raised planters now for productive, low-maintenance gardening
We’ve compiled a list of our favorite raised garden bed ideas so you can maximize your outdoor garden.
Permanent yet lovely garden ideas include growing plants, fruit, and vegetables in raised beds or pots. More than that, a raised bed gardening technique has numerous positive effects on a garden. They are great for producing fruit and vegetables, but you may use them to grow any plants you like.
Once you get the raised bed put up, it will help lessen your overall labor. In contrast to conventional flower bed ideas, raised beds don’t require more beds or money to maintain after the initial investment.
WHAT IS A RAISED GARDEN BED?
Though Geoff Hamilton popularized the raised bed garden in the 1980s and 1990s as host of BBC television’s Gardeners’ World, the practice dates back to medieval times.
Raised garden beds, also called deep bed growth, are designed to prevent soil compaction while increasing soil depth and fertility. With this soil, you may maximize the yield from a smaller garden plot by growing your ideas closer together.
The drainage of heavy soils is improved, and the soil is easier to work with during planting, maintenance, and harvesting. The time spent learning how to construct a raised garden bed will be well worth it, as these beds can be added to any yard with minimal work and provide a wealth of benefits.
RAISED GARDEN BED IDEAS
Regardless of the size or shape of your outdoor space, you can use our lovely raised garden bed ideas to design and build a raised garden bed or planter.
1. FIND A SUNNY SPOT FOR YOUR RAISED BED GARDEN
To have the most success with your raised bed garden, it is essential to select the proper location, as noted by celebrity gardener Monty Don.
Decide on a spot with plenty of sun yet still protected for your raised bed garden. Sun-loving species cannot be placed in complete darkness, and vice versa; plants have different requirements for light exposure.
According to gardening guru Gardener Scott, this is a common oversight. Those garden beds are “not miraculous,” he explains. The wrong place is too much for them to overcome if your plants aren’t flourishing. Although you’ve raised them in a raised bed under a tree in full shade, the problem isn’t the bed itself but rather the placement of the tree.
2. BUILD A WALL AROUND A RAISED BED
An idea borrowed from rock ideas is to build a wall around the garden with raised beds to prevent soil erosion.
Add additional soil and compost to make it deeper and raise the border’s height. The bed is dug deeper, and the growing surface is elevated; hence the term “raised bed.” It makes tending crops simpler for people who have trouble bending down.
3. NEVER WALK ON RAISED BEDS
Since the soil in raised beds is never trodden upon, the beds must be of a width that permits gardeners of varying heights to reach the center without leaving the path (1.8m).
4. GROW AN ABUNDANCE OF CROPS WITH A RAISED BED PLANTER
A raised bed system will allow for more intensive cropping on a small plot so you can grow a few vegetables in a small garden. Even when the connecting paths are included, the yield per square foot is higher than in conventional cultivation since more plants may be packed into the area.
Working backward (so you don’t stand on the soil), dig the soil inside this area to a depth of at least an a’spit’ or shovel, then mix in well-rotted garden compost, well-rotted manure, or bagged multi-purpose compost. Cultivating root crops like carrots in the first season is not recommended using well-rotted manure since it can cause forking.
5. DIG DEEP FOR THE PERFECT RAISED BED
Before putting in your raised bed, dig deep soil 4 feet wide and 8 feet long (1.2 x 2.4 m), and add lots of compost. Garden edging ideas include using pegs pushed deeply into the soil to anchor the bed’s edges and keeping things tidy.
6. CREATE A RAISED BED BORDER
If you have a sloped yard and need garden ideas, raised beds are a great choice. It is possible to provide the impression of a level garden by raising the beds at their lowest points.
Suppose you want your raised beds to function as a sensory garden. In that case, you need to ensure they are sufficiently large to accommodate a variety of colorful, fragrant, and textured perennial plants.
7. BE MINDFUL OF THE TIMBER YOU USE TO BUILD A RAISED BED
When constructing your own raised beds, make sure always to utilize pressure-treated timber. You may get 15 years of use out of treated timber with minimal upkeep.
8. … AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE SURROUNDING AREA
Don’t let the grass turn to mud, and encourage weed growth by leaving paths around the raised bed. Mulch the soil with bark, stones, or wood chippings, then lay down weed control fabric.
9. PERFECT YOUR PLANTING TECHNIQUE
A certain degree of attention is required when planting in a raised bed. When deciding how to plant flowers in a raised bed, you can get away with planting them closer together than you would in a traditional flower bed—by as much as a quarter (25%) compared to the standard mature plant spacing (as indicated on the back of seed packets).
Use the space between rows by planting in a diagonal or alternating pattern. Experiment with cropping techniques like plucking only the outer leaves of lettuce and letting the rest grow on or intercropping slow-growing vegetables with fast-growing salad leaves or radishes.
These techniques will ensure that your raised border is as effective as possible when used together.
10. EMBRACE THE ADVANTAGES OF A RAISED BED GARDEN
In areas with depleted soil or poor drainage, raised beds shine. Instead of improving the soil conditions across the entire site, focusing on a small elevated section is much simpler. As a bonus, having the bed accessible from all sides makes weeding much simpler, and they also serve as a sturdy, space-saving foundation for all sorts of inventive vertical garden ideas.
Some green thumbs prefer it raised beds to conventional gardening techniques because they adhere to the “No Dig” ideology. Soil can be built up over time with compost layers to create a rich, absorbent texture that retains moisture and plant nutrients with no effort or soil disturbance.
Planting ideas for patios can also benefit, as evidenced by the raised bed constructed along the patio’s perimeter.
11. CREATE A SWEEPING STATEMENT
The garden will bow down to your raised bed’s superiority. The orange color used on this design’s rendered walls is fiery and energizing.
Adding instant drama to a small courtyard garden is as simple as building raised beds that rise sharply from the ground and filling them with plants and a trellis whose colors and textures contrast with the walls.
HOW DEEP SHOULD A RAISED BED GARDEN BE?
A deep bed is just a plot of soil that has been extensively tilled and enhanced with garden compost, well-rotted manure, or bagged compost; it is typically 4 feet wide and 8 feet long (1.2 x 2.4 m). As may be seen in the ideas of the Mediterranean-garden beds below, this results in a bed elevated above the surrounding path.
It would be best if you didn’t even think of sleeping on your bed after making it. Because of its limited width, you can reach its center from either side without stooping. Plant growth is stifled when soil is compacted due to people standing on it, which removes the air and kills microorganisms. Eight feet (1.2 meters) in length is sufficient for growing most crops without requiring you to make long journeys between your plants and your harvesting area.\
WHAT IS CHEAPEST WAY TO MAKE RAISED BEDS?
Making raised beds out of bricks and mortar is an option, but it’s more expensive and requires specialized equipment and some do-it-yourself know-how to get started. Also available last week was railway sleep, which is heavy and awkward to trim to size.
Most raised beds are constructed from pressure-treated timber due to their low cost, versatility, and durability (it can last up to 10 years). You can start from scratch by purchasing a raised bed kit or by purchasing lengths of timber to construct beds unique to the space.
WHAT CAN I GROW IN A RAISED BED?
Gardening on raised beds is convenient since it allows you to grow various plants, including flowers, fruit, and vegetables. For some, they are used to cultivate ornamental flowers for use in home design. Alpines thrive in raised beds, which prefer a dry garden and well-drained soil.
Most gardeners use their gardens for the growing garden; raised beds are great for growing root vegetables like carrots and parsnips since they are free of stones that could damage the ideas.
Soft fruits like strawberries and currants, as well as most vegetables, will flourish in the well-drained soil with the fruit of organic matter.
How about filling a bed with ericaceous compost and planting some blueberry plants there if you have chalky soil but still want to grow them?
WHAT DO I PUT ON THE BOTTOM OF A RAISED GARDEN BED?
Straw, grass clippings, wood chips, and leaves are some organic elements that work well as a bottom layer in a raised garden bed. Cover this organic material with cardboard or another weed barrier and secure it in place with heavy objects like bricks or pegs.
This way, the organic material can decompose into nutrient-rich compost, which can then be blended with soil to create a fertile growing medium. You want to combine 30% compost with 60% top and 10% potting soil; the latter will improve drainage.
