WHY USE THEM?

Raised beds are simply areas of soil at a higher level then the surrounding soil. The easiest way to do this is to erect wooden or plastic edges to keep the soil contained at the higher level. There are many advantages to raised bed gardening, the key ones are listed below.

1.	You have greater control over the type of soil in a raised bed. A good mixture is half normal potting compost and half John Innes Number 3. The addition of John Innes to the normal potting compost gives the soil some "body" because John Innes is loam based.
2.	You are able to water more accurately and with greater effect. The soil mixture above will result in a soil which is water-retentive. But because the soil is in a raised bed it will not become water-logged. This combination of a moisture retaining and free draining soil gives the ideal conditions for many vegetables and top fruit.
3.	Feeding of the plants is more accurate for their needs. Most plants will thrive on a fortnightly feed of general purpose liquid fertiliser diluted as recommended on the packaging. But some plants such as tomatoes and strawberries do better when fed with liquid tomato fertiliser. The use of raised beds will ensure that the feed is contained within a specific area.
4.	The solid edges of a raised bed give an excellent opportunity to erect netting to protect your valuable crop from insects, birds and wild animals. Be aware though that fruit and vegetables which produce flowers normally need insects to pollinate them. Without insects, you may end up up with no crop. Choose netting with the correct width of mesh if you want insects to gain access to the flowers. Click here for a good range of netting for different purposes. Enter Garden Action at the Harrod checkout to claim your 10% discount until 31 March 2008.
5.	Raised beds require far less digging, and their height above ground level makes gardening easier for less agile gardeners.

We have negotiated a 10% discount on the two most popular raised beds available at Harrod Horticultural when they are ordered online (click on either of the links below). Simply quote Garden Action at the checkout to claim your discount.

The Standard raised bed made from timber which has been treated with plant safe preservative to ensure a long life.

The height of the raised bed can be increased by buying additional tiers.

Click here for more details on buying this raised bed.

The Superior raised bed does the same job as the standard version but has timber corner posts and chunkier wooden panels. Ideal for use where good looks are important.

Click here for more details on buying this raised bed.

BACK TO TECHNIQUES INDEX PAGE