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Raised Beds

© Gary Buckley

There are several schools of thought when it comes to gardening, beginning a garden from scratch or even just rejuvenating an existing one. Obviously climate and budget will be the prime dictates, these and the amount of time one wishes to give the garden. This is particularly true when it comes to the function of a raised bed.

Where ever I have gardened I have always found room for a raised bed or two. Really, any structure that contains a growing medium above the ground is often referred to as a raised bed. There are several good reasons for raised bed gardening.

The prime reason is the ease of maintenance and the location. Raised beds can often be placed in otherwise unusable growing space. In my case, a rather large concrete slab was used as the basis of a raised bed. Not that I really needed it at the time. Traditionally, one is told to keep the bed around the foot deep mark. This is mainly a matter of practicalities, for the deeper the bed, the more chance there is of it drying out or compacting.

The older I get, the higher my beds become. A bed where one can sit and weed is a good idea, as the bones age.

Whether you wish to grow Alpines or bulbs, the rules for maintaining a larger raised bed remain the same. It is generally best to place your bed where ever practical out in the open to receive good air flow. The base of your structure should always contain weep or drain holes within its construction, to allow for really sharp drainage.

Folks often suggest placing rubble in the bottom half, though this can be done; I choose not to follow this practice.

My bottom layer is mostly a mix of grit around the 5-7mm size mixed with compressed peat which one buys by the bale.

The rest of the mix is made up with the basic formula I use, being equal parts by volume of peat, course sand and leaf mould or fine bark fines.

As this is our versatile raised bed, being a dogs body type of bed, the mix, depending on what is going into it on the day is changed to suit the plantings.

In the case of bulbs, more sand is added. In the case of other plants, like acid loving ones, more peat is added.

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