Raised Beds
- Mar 27, 2023
- 2 min read
WHAT DO YOU NEED
Raised beds are a great way to grow your own fruit and vegetables as they offer improved drainage, good soil quality and they warm earlier in the spring, so plants will begin to grow sooner in the season.
However, they do require a bit more work to build at the outset. You’ll need:
Materials. This is to build the walls of your bed. Bricks or concrete blocks are a fairly simple solution or use wooden planks/ sleepers (Pine or Cedar are best) for a more traditional look. For ease, we actually used a raised-bed kit (available at our store), or you could be clever and upcycle something (like a cattle feeder or old sink!).
Tools. Whatever you’ll need to construct the bed. If you’re using wood, then you’ll likely need Saw, Drill, Screws/ Nails, Spirit Level and Tape Measure. You’ll then need a spade to transfer the…
Soil. You’ll need enough to fill the entire bed, but you can use a mix of topsoil, compost and other organic material to fill the bed. Check out “Lynne’s Lasagne” method in the video above!
WHAT CAN YOU GROW
You can grow a vast range of fruit and vegetables in a raised bed, so you’ve got loads of options:
Tomatoes (don’t forget a stake for support)
Leafy Greens (Lettuce, Spinach, Kale) do well in raised beds too
Root Vegetables (Carrots, Radishes, Beetroot)
Peppers
Squashes (they love a bit of space so they do well in beds where they can spread out)
Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme)
Strawberries (unlike Squashes, (don’t need a lot of space so you can pack a lot into a smaller area. Plus they love the improved drainage).
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