Raised bed: which soil for which layer?

A raised bed is the ingenious solution to ensure a great harvest success with little space. Which soil is used for the individual layers in the raised bed? We have the most important tips for you!

Vertical gardens

The advantages of raised beds are obvious. A raised bed saves space, is easy on the back and uses the advantages of a mixed culture. The soil quality can be perfectly adapted to the needs of the plants. If you have a garden with poor soil quality, a raised bed gives you the chance to create the conditions for demanding plants.
Raised beds protect against the penetration of pests. Snails, for example, have a hard time getting to the plants at high altitude. A pad made of rabbit wire protects against voles and other rodents. Then you can start layering your raised bed with the right soil.

The construction

Raised beds are already offered in prefabricated form in specialist garden shops. With a little manual skill, you can also build your raised bed yourself or use simple kits.
Raised bed constructions from:

• wood
• stone
• metal
• Textile bags
• plastic

Raised beds are ideal for upcycling. Old, no longer usable wooden pallets, potato boxes, defective rain barrels, jute or plastic sacks and much more can be converted into raised beds. The internet is full of ideas!

Tip: Raised beds equipped with rollers are a good idea. They make it possible to move the bed to another location if necessary.

The layers

Below is the Layer structure and the soil you need for your raised bed. To protect against voles, a close-meshed wire mesh is suitable as the start of the raised bed layers.

1. Pruning - 30 centimeters
   • Branches and rough pruning should be piled up 25 to 30 centimeters high. This composition prevents waterlogging and ensures good ventilation. The ventilation accelerates the rotting and humus formation.
     
2. Chopped wood - 25 centimeters
   • Now layer wood chips and fine shrub cuttings over the coarse pruning. Even small branches can be included. This layer prevents the finer substrate of the overlying layers from slipping through.
     
3. Coarse compost - 20 centimeters
   • A layer of coarse compost provides the bed with heat. You can also use manure.
     
4. Compost soil - 15 centimeters
   • This is followed by a layer of fresh, sieved compost soil. This soil contains many nutrients and forms a good basis for the development of plants.
     
5. High-quality flower or vegetable soil - 10 to 15 centimeters
   • Use a layer of high-quality soil to plant the raised bed.

Note: You can think of raised beds as a kind of composter. The composition of the individual layers becomes finer and finer from bottom to top. The lower, coarse layers gradually rot and form valuable humus. The upper layers slide behind.

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