How To Make A Raised Bed

Step One: Decide On Your Site

As with all new beds or borders, it’s best to work on the ground while it’s still clear of plants, getting rid of any perennial weeds. It’s also possible to construct a raised bed on any area of lawn or border.

The method shown here will work for most crops, but if the soil is compacted or you want to grow root crops such as carrots, you will first need to dig the ground before filling it with compost. For the bed’s framework, be sure to use wood that has been safeguarded against rot. One option is pre-treated timber painted with wood preservative or, even simpler, you can buy pressure-treated deck boards. So that the middle of the bed is easy to reach, keep the width to about 1.2m at most; the length can be whatever you fancy.

Step Two: Lay Out The Decking

Lay out the deck boards and check the bed isn’t skewed by measuring the diagonals with a long tape measure or string. Mark the corners with canes.

Step Three: Make And Cut The Bed

Remove the boards and join the canes with string to mark out the bed. Cut lines in the grass with a spade, about 10cm from each side of the string. Slide the spade under the turf to cut pieces about 5cm thick, then turn them over and lay them evenly across the bed.

Step Four: Create The Frame

Lay the planks side-on along the bare earth outline of the plot and join each corner with one or two galvanised metal brackets and screws, depending on the size of the bed.

Step Five: Add The Compost

Empty the sacks of compost and tread it down. If it is at all dry, add enough water to make it evenly moist. The middle of the bed should be slightly higher than the planks to allow for settling.

Step Six: Secure The Frame

Hammer in enough small sharpened pegs to help hold the boards in place. The strip of bare earth on the outside of the bed will make mowing easier. You might want to fill it with a bark mulch for an attractive finish.

Step Seven: Plant It

Before you plant, think about how you want to garden. Creating a healthy environment for plants to grow will reduce the need for chemical sprays – a plant growing in a favourable environment will be able to resist and outgrow the effects of most pests and diseases. Slugs and snails can be a problem, however, and some action may be needed. To keep plants healthy, here are a few basic principles to follow:

Avoid walking on your plot and spread some good soil improver over it once a year.
Try to sow plants in the right season so that they grow in conditions that suit them.
Rotate your crops – that is, grow a different plant on the same ground from one season to the next so that the soil is not depleted of selective nutrients. This will also prevent the build-up of pests and diseases.
Water wisely, and never over-water.

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