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Getting ready for spring – planning raised beds

Although raised beds are an excellent way of growing vegetables in a restricted space they should not be discounted in larger vegetable plots, if you use them primarily for quick crops, such as mini vegetable varieties, salad crops and multi-sown vegetables. The longer-term crops, such as main-crop or brassica varieties, really need to be at ground level. Raised-bed soil that has been improved by adding organic matter and sand often enables excellent root crops like carrots, onions, and parsnips to grow, even though they would not grow in the native soil. Select vegetables that produce a lot for the space they occupy.

Most raised beds are a fairly standard four feet wide, which means that the centre of each bed can be reached from pathways running alongside and there is no need to walk on the cultivated soil, keeping the soil in the beds friable and fluffy and perfect for growing quick crops.

The depth of your raised bed is really dependant on what you are trying to grow and achieve. If they will be used for quick crops then they don't need to be very deep. However, if the beds are also to be used for main-crop varieties, then the depth of topsoil needs to be adequate for the length of root required – parsnips and carrots, for example, need a lot of depth, but bear in mind that the depth of soil will naturally increase year on year as organic matter is dug in.

Raised beds can be framed with wood, bricks or cement blocks, or they can be left unframed. Framing adds to the general attractiveness of the area, stops soil spill-over and water evaporation, and, depending on the materials used, may provide seating. This can be useful for gardeners with limited mobility as they can take easy breaks during their gardening.

Raised bed photograph by topato, used under a creative commons attribution licence

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