BEDS ON A BUDGET

Setting up and filling raised beds doesn't come cheap. But there are ways of keeping the cost relatively low, as Benedict Vanheems demonstrates

Raised beds have established themselves as a fixture in many kitchen gardens. Growing at ground level works too of course, but raised beds offer advantages that have made them the go-to growing solution for an ever-increasing band of plucky gardeners.

Personally, I'm a huge fan of raised beds and there are two main reasons for this. The first is that they dry out a lot quicker following  a wet winter. As I write this, my garden is sopping wet-saturated to the point where only wellies will do following days of rain.

There are great big standing puddles out there and my lawn looks more like a swamp. And yet my raised beds remain in good shape. No water logging there.

The second reason is the pleasing symmetry that they bring. Maybe it's a hankering for order in my ever-busy life, but raised beds just look, well... beautiful! They make everything tidier, bring clean lines of sight and welcome structure, and all while making things like crop rotation and planning so much easier.

Raised beds lend themselves to creating a truly stunning, potager-style productive garden offering as much a feast for the eyes as the body.

TRADITIONAL RAISED BEDS

There are plenty of ways to create new raised beds, depending on budget and preferred look and durability.

Wood: Wooden beds made from screwed together planks are the most common solution. The thicker the wood, the longer beds will last, with extra-chunky sleeper-style beds most durable.

Plastic: Plastic beds are arguably even more durable as they won't, of course, rot. Double skinned (hollow-walled) beds such as the Link-a-Bord system may also offer a certain degree of insulation towards the edges of the beds.