The Perfect Raised Bed

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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Whenever we publish videos of our vegetable plot, we get a lot of questions about our raised beds. To be fair a lot of thought has gone into their design and, in this home, we had a "blank canvas" (swampy field overgrown with 8 foot weeds).

This weeks video covers the principles, design and construction of our system of raised beds, flexible covers, cages and cloches. Its what we consider "The Perfect Raised Bed".


 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
I remember you discussing this on here a few years ago. It was a great discussion but the video definitely trips it. Thanks for posting.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,520
3,459
65
Exmoor
I love raised beds they make life so much easier when you have a bad back like me.
I will have to renew my wooden ones next year so I'm looking at the nice galvanised ones...... I may have to sell a couple of arms and legs to afford them though!
 
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bigbear

Full Member
May 1, 2008
1,061
210
Yorkshire
We put raised beds all over our allotments as we are on wet heavy ish soil on a slope.
Two seven inch planks or scaff boards seems to be ghe best trade off but another layer makes everything easier.
we plant a high dens and seem to get fewer slugs and pests etc plus someone told me that the carrot fly cant fly more than 18 inches off the deck, not sure if the flies know that but we have not had them so far.
Ots a big initial workload, filling a bed takes way more stuff then you imagine, but we are so glad that we did it.
 

Woody girl

Full Member
Mar 31, 2018
4,520
3,459
65
Exmoor
We put raised beds all over our allotments as we are on wet heavy ish soil on a slope.
Two seven inch planks or scaff boards seems to be ghe best trade off but another layer makes everything easier.
we plant a high dens and seem to get fewer slugs and pests etc plus someone told me that the carrot fly cant fly more than 18 inches off the deck, not sure if the flies know that but we have not had them so far.
Ots a big initial workload, filling a bed takes way more stuff then you imagine, but we are so glad that we did it.

Have you treated your scaffold boards with anything to help preserve them ?
I'm in need of replacing my beds and I was planning on getting some galvanised ones, but last week I managed to get some boards.
There will have to be a bit of sawing to get them all to be the right size so i will have some raw ends on one or two of them.
As I grow organically I don't normaly treat my wood in any way, but they tend to rot where they touch the ground after a few years. This is my third replacement in 11 years!
It's getting expensive!
 

dnarcher

Full Member
Jul 21, 2016
59
15
Sheffield
I used 4.8 m 200 by 50mm, to make 2 layer deep decorative raised beds, 2.4m by 1.2.
I lined the sides with damp proof course to stop the soil rotting the wood, and used cuprinol on the outside. Mixed a fair amount of pearlite/ vermiculite into each bed and added a good amount of water retaining gel. Seemed to work pretty well.
 

dnarcher

Full Member
Jul 21, 2016
59
15
Sheffield
Oh yes, and buy a chopsaw, possibly a sliding one,( cheap from Screwfix, still going strong) and use 5 X 100 torx head screws. I piloted everything with 2.5 mm holes.
Getting the sides square was tricky, so as some wedges and plywood may be your best friends.
 

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