Wood is probably the most common building material for raised beds. It is easy to obtain in hardware stores, specialist shops or forestry companies and is very easy to handle in terms of transport and processing. In addition, wood is a renewable raw material and as such ecological - provided you do not buy boards glazed with toxic paints.

A raised bed made of wood looks chic and is practical

Which types of wood are suitable for building raised beds?

You have a choice of softwood and hardwood, each with specific advantages and disadvantages. Softwoods such as spruce, pine, Douglas fir or poplar are usually extremely cheap to buy. However, these types of wood rot within a few years, especially when they come into contact with damp soil (as is unavoidable in a raised bed). Untreated spruce wood, for example, has to be replaced after around three to four years. However, you can extend the shelf life by taking protective measures such as installing bubble wrap or pond liner on the inside, as well as a protective glaze. However, the most resistant to moisture and rotting is hardwood such as larch, robinia, black pine or oak. However, these woods have their price and are therefore significantly more expensive to buy.

Only use impregnated wood for ornamental plant raised beds

The durability of softwoods in particular can be lengthened somewhat by applying a glaze or impregnation. However, these are only suitable for ornamental plant raised beds. However, you should not use materials treated in this way for vegetable and herb raised beds, as the chemicals can migrate into the soil and thus into the vegetables and fruits. Instead, however, you can use non-toxic technical measures such as covering the raised bed with foil.

Suitable materials made of wood

In addition to different types of wood, there are of course also different forms of the material, which not only differ greatly in price, but also in practicality and appearance. By using different materials, you can create a varied garden design that can appear both classic and elegant, but also very rustic.

glued panels

These are ready-sawn and planed boards made of spruce or fir wood, which are usually used to build shelves. They are available in different standard sizes of 20, 30 and 40 centimeters wide and 60, 80, 100 and 120 centimeters long. This makes them ideal for raised beds of different sizes, which can also be completed in just a few simple steps, even without a lot of cutting work. Unfortunately, the raised bed boxes made from it only last a few years.

lumber and boards

Squared timber, boards and floorboards are also available in many different sizes, and you can have them cut to the desired lengths in a hardware store. Raised bed variants of different heights and widths can be set up quickly, inexpensively and with little effort. Such woods are particularly good in small gardens, where solid material such as palisades simply seems too bulky. In contrast to glued timber, you have the choice between different types of wood for construction timber and boards and can thus decide on the wood of your choice.

palisades, logs, poles

If you want something more rustic, you can also use unpeeled spruce logs or poles to build the raised bed. However, some manual skill is required here, because these woods have to be stacked in block construction. To do this, the logs are grooved at the corners to create a stable connection. Alternatively, for a low raised bed, you can also position round timber of roughly the same thickness between the side support posts. The support posts should be sunk at least 25 centimeters into the ground, and it is also advisable to secure them internally with tension wire. On the other hand, it is easier to build a raised bed from finished palisade walls, which can be used either horizontally or vertically as walls.

pallets and transport boxes

Raised beds can be built from Euro pallets in a particularly uncomplicated, quick and inexpensive manner, whereby these are usually even longer lasting than conventional glued wood or boards made of soft wood. You can get such pallets cheaply from furniture dealers, in craft shops or from companies in the industrial area. You can also buy them for little money in hardware stores or order them online, because companies are not always happy to get rid of the pallets due to the sharp increase in demand in recent years. Euro pallets (€29.99) are very popular because of their versatility. Wooden transport boxes, on the other hand, can be used to create mobile raised beds that are wonderfully suited for the balcony or terrace and can be well planted with herbs, for example.

Effectively protect wood against rot and fungal attack

To ensure that the wood used does not become rotten after just two winters and has to be replaced, you should protect it from moisture. To do this, you can line the inside of the raised bed with pond or bubble wrap. This is attached to the frame with roofing felt nails or with the help of a staple gun, leaving the bottom of the raised bed free, of course. Otherwise, the irrigation water and rainwater cannot drain away, with the result that the raised bed is literally drowning in waterlogging.

tips

A low raised bed made of so-called "roundlings", which means a strong tree trunk that has been divided several times, is particularly interesting. Standing upright and buried at least 20 to 30 centimeters deep, they make a stable border for raised beds that can also be used as a seat.

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Vegetable garden