The main reason so many gardeners are opting for raised beds is because they allow you to grow more produce in a smaller area. They need more frequent watering, especially in the summer. The soil dries out a lot faster in the summer, so you’ll need to water your beds more often. If you’ve got a lot of raised beds and no automatic irrigation system, you’ll spend a lot of time watering.

Timber is loved for its affordability, easy installation and versatility. It can be cut to any size, height and shape to fit your garden. Readymade timber raised beds are usually very affordable. The downside of wood is that it requires regular maintenance, and you’ll need to ensure the treatment is food-safe if you’re going to be growing edible produce. At 30 cm high, this bed raises plants only slightly off the ground. It’ll add vertical interest to your garden but it’s low enough that it won’t cost too much to fill with a good quality topsoil.

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The smooth wooden finish not only looks beautiful, it should also help warm the soil up faster on hot days. If installed in a sunny spot, this can even extend the growing season. It’s suitable for sloping gardens, as you can simply install it deeper into the soil on one side. For even more space efficiency, you could plant vertically or in tiers. Improved Growing Conditions There’s drainage holes in the legs of this planter, but it can be used without the legs if needed. Weighing just 2 kg, it’s easy to move to a sunny spot, even once filled with soil. Allowing for more efficient maintenance than a longer, rectangular bed, U-shaped beds give you access to all areas of the bed from one spot. U-shaped beds can be a lot larger than rectangular beds while providing the same easy maintenance. Integrating a bench seat will give you a cosy and contained area to relax. If you don’t have time to water by hand, it’s a good idea to set up an automatic irrigation system. Drip irrigation systems can be expensive, but for gardeners with a lot of watering to do, they are usually worth it.

If you’re struggling to keep your garden organised, the square foot gardening method can help. This technique involves dividing a 4′ x 4’ raised bed into 16 equal size sections. Each area can be used to grow an individual plant. Round raised beds built with tepee trellises. If you want to create a unique garden bed, consider building round raised beds with tepee trellises. This type of garden bed not only provides a visually interesting focal point, but also offers support for climbing plants such as beans or peas. The right location depends on what it is you are planting. Most vegetables need around eight hours of full sun a day, so for best results you should place your raised planters in a sunny spot. In most cases, this will be on the south side of any large structures such as sheds or garden walls. Before installing your raised beds, remove any weeds by hand. Using a weed killer can damage your soil for years at a time. What about Soil? The perfect mini raised bed, wine barrels are great for brightly coloured flowers or even small trees. Their portability means they are a good solution for renters, as you can simply bring them with you when you move house. As they don’t have an open base, the barrel can be filled to suit whatever it is you are growing.Even if you haven’t been gardening long enough to experience those aches and pains, watering and tending to your plants will be far easier. Choosing a Raised Bed One niggle. Even using the lump hammer recommended I found some of the pins difficult to drive home, either the pins were slightly oversized or the holes slightly undersized. My unit was built on a lawn which, although levelled and bedded still had some 'spring'. The plastic tubes used to drive home the pins added their own measure of elastisity and absorbed their share of my hammer blows. On the top layer, running out of plastic tubes, I applied a Surform tool to bevel the edges of the pins. For my next project I shall procure a metal tube. Inwards, round metal raised garden bedsis very helpful and unique for indoor and outdoor gardening. If you do not have enough space for gardening, theoval metal raised garden bedsfit for anywhere gardening. From ultra space-efficient multi-tiered beds, to those specifically made for your favourite fruit and veggies, there’s a raised bed plan to suit any and every outdoor space.