A raised flower bed is both a practical and attractive addition to a garden and can make for hours of happy gardening time. So, first things first – here are some initial tips before you do anything.

 

  • As most seasoned gardeners will know, it’s best to work on an area that’s free of plants and cleared of perennial weeds.
  • This raised bed works well with most forms of crops. However, if you do plan on planning roots crops then you will need to dig the ground beneath before digging it up and then fill it with compost.
  • Wood choice is also important and timber painted with a preservative is a good option, as are pressure treated decks. We’d advise you to create a bed that’s no more than 1.5m wide, as otherwise it can be too deep to reach. Length can be as long as you like.
    •

    Raised Flower Bed


    The next thing to do is to layout the decking and measure the length with a tape measure. You should then mark the corner with canes, as this is the perimeter of the bed.

     

    Now, take away the boards and mark the area with strong, attaching it to the canes. Then use a spade to cut lines in the grass, going down around a foot inside the string. Cut the pieces of turf or grass at around 6cm by sliding the spade beneath them and turning them over.

     

    The Frame

     

    You will now need to join the frame. This can be done with two metal brackets and some screws. It is best to lay the planks alongside the bare outline of the bed area and then join the wood together with the brackets and screws. The size of the bed dictates the number of screws required. We’d advise using an electric drill, which is easily and reasonably purchased or can be got on garden equipment hire.

     

    Compost

     

    Now you can add the compost to the bed and then walk over it to thread it down. If the soil is dry then add some water to make it moist. One trick is to leave the centre higher as this settles with time.

     

    Now that the soil is in the bed you should hammer some pegs to the outside of the boards. This keeps them in place under the new pressure of the soil filled bed. The bed is now ready for planting whatever sort of items you wish to grow.

     

    Enjoy your new raised bed. It’s an attractive and also practical addition to the garden and will bring you years of fun. If placed near your hot tub, you will have the added benefit of the natural aromatherapy as well!


    Cormac Reynolds writes for a wide range of gardening blogs and is a lover of gardening.