10 tips for the perfect raised bed

Goodbye back pain! We'll show you ten tips for a perfect raised bed that will not only give pleasure to your back.

Raised beds are probably one of the biggest garden trends right now. No wonder, after all, the mini gardens are easy on your back and knees. Gone are the days when you had to laboriously bend down or crawl through the bed - even unpopular work such as pulling weeds is much faster in a raised bed. And not only that: raised beds also look good and make the vegetable garden a real eye-catcher. With these ten tips we will show you how you can build and plant your own perfect raised bed.

Tip: The raised bed is not the only thing that makes life easier for you: the faster heating of the ground on the mezzanine floor means that plants grow much stronger earlier. Therefore, a higher yield can often be achieved in the raised bed.

Tip 1: You are spoiled for choice when it comes to the material

The wooden raised bed remains the most popular, because it not only looks beautiful, but is also much faster to set up, dismantle or remodel than many other variants. However, wood rots very quickly in damp conditions and becomes rotten. Therefore you should pay attention to the choice of the right wood when buying. Durable woods such as ash, beech, oak and larch are significantly more weather-resistant. In addition, lining with a dimpled sheet, as it is also used for underground building protection, is an important measure that extends the durability of the wooden raised bed. From the outside, a glaze or oiling of the wood is recommended. This is especially true when cheaper, less weather-resistant timber such as spruce was used.

But other building materials also have their charm: Concrete can be poured very precisely and in different shapes, and it is also particularly weather-resistant. Raised beds made of natural stones have a rustic appearance. Raised beds made of metal are also becoming more and more popular: they develop unique colors over time due to the weather and can be extremely resistant.

Tip: However, concrete and stone need longer to warm up in spring, which means that the raised bed stays cold longer. In autumn and on cool summer days, however, they ensure that the bed is kept evenly warm. This in turn promotes vegetable growth.
Metal raised beds, on the other hand, heat up quickly in spring, but cannot store the heat for long on cool nights or in autumn - not good conditions for vegetable growth. Raised beds made of wood offer a very good balance between insulation on the one hand and rapid heating on the other.

Tip 2: bigger is better?

Size is a crucial factor when planning a raised bed. Above all, the space available and your own height are decisive. Big people prefer their bed a little higher, whoever gardening with children, will build rather lower. However, the following values ​​can be viewed as rough guidelines: The height of the raised bed should be around go up to your hips (70 to 100 cm for adults) so that you are really working in a way that is easy on your back can. The width of the bed should be about your arm's length so that you can work to the rearmost plant without any problems (140 - 160 cm). On the other hand, there are no limits to the length. Your taste alone decides here.

But there are also aspects of plant cultivation that can play a role in the dimensions of the raised bed: A narrow, Raised beds with the long side facing south heats up quickly in spring and makes particularly early harvests possible.

Tip 3: layer by layer

The foundation walls are in place, now it's time to fill it correctly. But wait: something shouldn't be randomly poured into a raised bed. In order to enjoy the bed for a long time, you should use different ones Raised bed layers invest:

1. At the very bottom of the raised bed comes a fine one Rabbit wirewho prevented hungry voles from entering.
2. It can be a location mineral drainage material how field stones or rubble are deposited - but this layer is not a must.
3. There follows a situation coarse branches, twigs, rhizomes and other woody garden waste. They also ensure good water drainage and decompose over the years to high-quality humus.
4. On this layer will be fine plant material such as lawn clippings, leaves, shrubbery sections, turf or even seed weeds. The layer is so deep in the bed that the seeds will no longer germinate.
5. This rotten material is now ripe compost or potting soil made from quality compost like our Plantura organic compost given and distributed. It contains all of the nutritional elements essential for plants in organically bound form and makes them available for raised bed plants over a long period of time. As a peat-free soil, our compost also emits 30% less CO over the entire life cycle₂ out as peat substrates do.
6. The top layer as the base layer of the plants should be a nutrient-rich, pre-fertilized soil be. Here a light soil is suitable for many types of vegetables, which does not collapse so soon and warms up well in the spring with the sun. Our peat-free Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil with coconut pulp, wood fibers and compost is loose and particularly rich in potassium to protect your plants from fungal diseases.

All raised bed layers at a glance:

location	contents
On the ground	Rabbit wire
On the ground	Mineral drainage layer (optional)
About 1/3 the height of the bed	Coarse plant material such as branches and roots
About 1/3 the height of the bed	Plantura organic compost or ripe compost
At least 30 cm	Nutrient-rich vegetable soil, such as ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil

Tip: Herbal raised beds for Mediterranean herbs can alternatively be covered with a top layer of nutrient-reduced herb soil, like ours Plantura organic herb & seed compost, be completed. This supports the formation of aromatic essential oils. However, many herbs also love nutrient-rich soil, such as basil, chives and parsley.

Tip 4: frightening snails and minimizing mice

Not only plants feel good in the raised bed. Unwanted pests also find shelter here. But don't worry: if you take a few precautionary measures, you don't have to worry about the uninvited guests later. A close-meshed wire between the ground and the raised bed protects against earth animals such as Voles or Moles. Even Snails in the raised bedthat feel particularly at home in lettuce beds can be avoided from the outset. A circumferential protective snail edge prevents the little wolverines from even finding their way to the plant and thus ensures a snail-free bed.

Tip 5: built-in heating

What many gardeners don't even know: Raised beds are not only particularly easy on the back, they also generate their own heat. The rotting processes of the various layers inside release energy and this warms the bed like its own heater. Therefore, many plants in raised beds can be cultivated earlier than in a normal bed. Nevertheless, you should protect young plants overnight in spring with a gardening fleece. In this way, the warmth of the raised bed is dammed up and cold spells no longer stand a chance.

Tip 6: water on!

It is also astonishing that plants in raised beds need more water than in normal beds. The explanation is quite logical: In the raised bed, the heat is significantly higher due to the rotting processes and the lack of integration into the cool ground. This is why much more water evaporates than in a normal bed. Therefore, the plants need replenishment significantly more often. But too much of a good thing is not optimal for the plants, because even with optimal layering, too much water can lead to waterlogging. It is better to check regularly whether the bed still has enough moisture.

Tip: It is particularly resourceful to introduce drip irrigation under the top layer while the raised bed is being stratified. This helps to save water, because the water reaches the roots of the plants and does not evaporate from the surface.

Tip 7: raised or cold frame?

A simple but ingenious trick: if you have a bit of manual skills, you can easily turn your raised bed into a cold frame. An attachment made of plexiglass or foil not only protects the plants from wind and weather, but also collects the heat, so that the young plants have it nice and cozy. If you don't know how to handle a hammer and nail, simply use a foil tunnel or special attachments that are offered by various raised bed manufacturers. Make sure, however, that too much humidity does not collect under the roofs. Otherwise fungal diseases are favored. When the temperatures are finally warm enough, these attachments can simply be removed and stowed away. So you have raised and cold frames in one.

Tip 8: the right plants

Which plants fit in a raised bed? A classic raised bed contains a particularly large number of nutrients, which is why heavy eaters such as cabbage species, salad or leek suitable, but also tomatoes, zucchini but also Strawberries feel good. Low eaters, such as Mediterranean herbs, on the other hand, should only move into it a few years after the raised bed has been created or directly into a less nutrient-poor one Herb spiral to be planted. A Planting plan for the raised bed with tips on mixed cultivation as well as matching Crop rotations in the raised bed, which prevent pest infestation, we have summarized in detailed special articles.

Tip 9: re-stratification in old age

With increasing age, further rotting processes occur in the raised bed. In the first year the soil can sag up to 20 cm. But this can easily be done with normal potting soil, such as ours Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soilto be replenished. However, this layering effect is completely used up after five to seven years and it is time for something new. The contents of the bed should then be completely removed. On this occasion you can check the condition of the attached foils and protective grids at the same time. Then a new layer system is simply built up - and you can enjoy your raised bed again in peace for the next five to seven years.

Tip 10: winter protection

During the winter months, i.e. from December to January, no more plants should be grown in the raised bed. Because of its exposed location and lack of integration into the insulating soil, the bed cools down significantly faster than normal garden beds. At most, perennial hardy plants such as herbs and perennials or winter vegetables such as Kale are suitable for this. Furthermore, the bed should be covered with a foil or tarpaulin: This prevents rain and snow from washing the important nutrients out of the earth.

tip: It is worthwhile to use the time over the winter months and bring new nutrients into the upper plant layer with horn shavings or the like. Incidentally, one also protects in the raised bed Green manure the nutrients before leaching and can be incorporated for soil improvement in the spring.

If you feel like doing something yourself, our article "Build a raised bedBe interesting for you with video instructions.

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