1
Atease
Youcan’tbeatraisedvegetablebeds
forconvenience.They’remucheasier
onyourbackthanin-groundbeds
andtheirelevatedheightmeansweedswon’t
spreadsoquicklyfromlawnsandotherareas.
Youcanalsobuildthemanywhere,evenover
existingconcrete,andthey’reidealforsloping
sites.If you’rea newbiegardener,they’remore
manageablethanin-groundbedsbecauseyou
don’thavetoworryabouttestingthepHor
improvingthequalityofyourexistingsoil.Just
fillyourraisedbedwiththegoodstuffthat’s
speciallymixedforgrowingveges,whichyou
canbuyatanygarden centre or landscape
supplycompany.2
Bettercrops
Raisedbedsarea greatwayto
improveproductivityinthevege
patchasyourcropswillbenefit
fromgrowingina top-notchgardenmixwith
perfectdrainage.Thesoilwillbewarmer,too,
whichmeansyoucanplantearlierandhave
a longergrowingseason.A raisedgardenis
a greatsolutionif thesoilonyoursiteisof
poorquality,rocky,weedy,pest- and disease-
infested,orcompacted.4
Position,position
Theideallocationforraised
vegetablebedsis virtuallythesame
asin-groundtypes:levelground
(althoughtheycanbebuiltonslopesif built
across,notdowntheslope),a minimumof
6 hoursofsunlighta day,shelterfromwind
andfrost,andproximitytothekitchenand
a hoseorotherwatersource.A north-facing
positionwithlittleshadefromoverhanging
treesandbuildingsis perfect.However,there
arealwaysvariationsingardeningandveges
canbegrownina varietyofdifferentaspects,
evenfacingsouth.It justdepends on the type
of crop you want to grow.3
Builtin
Whenbuiltwell,raisedvegebedsadd
smartstructuretothegarden,which
is importantwhenspaceis tightand
yourvegepatchis closetooutdoorlivingareas.
If youusesimilarmaterialsorcolours,thebeds
canbeintegratedbeautifullywithexistingbuilt
elements.Youcanalsousethemforseating by
using a wide capping on the tops.TIP
Addsomebee-
attractingplantswitha
daisy-likeshape,suchas
thesezinnias,toensure
goodpollinationinthe
vege garden.Photography
by
Bauer Syndication
and
Getty
.
yhg| 147G