Raise The Bar In Your Food Garden

Want to make your veggie garden more productive? Raised beds provide better drainage (which veggies love) and a friable mix that makes it easier for the roots to draw up water, oxygen and nutrients, especially in gardens with clay, sand or very stony soil.

- Alice Spenser-Higgs

Boxing clever in the veggie garden

Want to make your veggie garden more productive? Raised beds provide better drainage (which veggies love) and a friable mix that makes it easier for the roots to draw up water, oxygen and nutrients, especially in gardens with clay, sand or very stony soil.

In areas where it is hard to garden, a raised bed can be made on top of hard surfaces (even paving) where it is impossible to dig, or in small gardens where there is not enough space for conventional veggie beds. It is also a solution for sloping areas.

The greatest appeal of raised beds is that soil quality can be controlled, and weeds kept out if weed-free soil is used. Raised beds also allow for a longer growing season because the soil heats up quicker in spring and is easier to work. In autumn or early winter the bed can be converted into a cold frame by covering it with glass or plastic.

Types of raised beds

Top-down 

Even in gardens with ordinary soil, a raised bed improves productivity. Mix additional topsoil, compost and organics with the existing soil so that the final bed is at least 30cm higher. Shore up the edges with bricks, stones or other materials to prevent the soil from washing away.

Raised rows