Raised beds are extremely practical: They can be built quickly and easily from a wide variety of materials, are easy to care for and not only fit in the garden, but also on the balcony or terrace. Even those who don't have much experience with crafts can build a simple raised bed from glued wood themselves.

A border of boards is one of the simplest solutions

Raised beds have many advantages

Raised beds have a number of practical advantages over conventional beds:

  • Raised beds provide plenty of warmth from the rotting compost
  • as a result, the plants germinate and grow better
  • they are also ready to harvest earlier - and the yields are often higher
  • Raised beds offer a high supply of nutrients
  • The gardener does not have to fertilize, and any organic material that occurs is disposed of sensibly
  • Raised beds offer good protection against snails - the animals have trouble reaching the plants
  • Nobody has to bend down to look after the raised bed - it's good for your back

The right raised bed for every purpose

In principle, there is a suitable raised bed for every garden and for every purpose. The palette ranges from the simple wooden box to stone raised beds for ornamental plants as a visual highlight in the garden to the smart table raised bed for kitchen herbs. After all, you choose the material according to your wallet and personal taste.

What materials are suitable for building a raised bed?

Raised beds made of boards, logs or even old Euro pallets can be built quite easily and inexpensively. On the other hand, constructions made of prefabricated plastic elements are even quicker and easier to erect. Stone, on the other hand, is more complex and expensive, but also much more durable. Metal, gabions or wickerwork are also ideal for building raised beds.

spring or autumn? When is the best time to build a raised bed

You can create a raised bed both in early spring and in autumn, when the leaves are changing color and the asters are blooming. Both times have their advantages. In spring, for example, there is a lot of semi-rotted compost from cutting back hedges and shrubs, as well as from last year's crop residue and garden waste. The clippings from fruit trees that are cut in late winter can also be used very well. After all, you can start sowing or planting as soon as the raised bed is ready. However, if you didn't have the opportunity to build a raised bed in the spring, you can just as easily build it in the fall. At this point there is also no shortage of plant residues and organic material that can go straight into the raised bed instead of the compost.

Self-made brand: Simple raised bed made of laminated wood panels

In every hardware store you can buy cheap glued wood boards in all imaginable sizes, which are actually intended for building shelves or as handicraft wood. With these large boards you can set up a simple raised bed within half an hour at most, whereby you can vary the size as desired by changing the length and width of the boards. Such a raised bed can not only be built in the classic rectangular shape, but also in an L or U shape, for example.

You need these materials and tools

To build this simple raised bed, you will need a screwdriver or, even better, a cordless screwdriver and at least 32 Spax screws (40 millimeters) as well as a large tacker with suitable clips and a tape measure. Spax screws have the advantage that they have self-tapping threads, so you don't have to pre-drill the holes. It is also best to work with gloves to avoid injury. Get these materials at the hardware store:

  • 4 squared timbers (e.g. 90 x 4 x 4 centimetres)
  • 4 glued wooden boards (e.g. 120 x 40 x 2.5 centimetres)
  • 4 glued wooden boards (e.g. 80 x 40 x 2.5 centimetres)
  • Wire mesh, 140 x 100 centimeters and with a maximum mesh size of 12 millimeters
  • Pond liner, approx. 4.2 x 0.8 meters

Depending on your needs, you can of course also get the material in other dimensions and build the raised bed larger or smaller.

This is how the glued wood raised bed is built

First, the raised bed is erected on a firm and even base, for example on the terrace. Take two squared timbers of the same size, it doesn't matter which size you choose, and screw the first glued wooden board flush with the top edge onto the squared timber. Also screw the second board so that the first side part is finished. Now place another board at right angles and screw it tight. Now attach the second board, then the first on the opposite side, and so on until you have created a box. Then the wire mesh (€14.99) is attached to the bottom side of the board on the inside with the tacker. The wire mesh prevents mice, rats or other vermin from nesting in the raised bed. Now dig a level pit about 10 to 15 centimeters deep at the desired location and position the raised bed there. Finally, the inside is lined with pond liner so that the moisture causes rot.

tips

You can also coat the outside of the raised bed with an environmentally friendly glaze or wood preservative paint to protect against rot and fungal infestation.

Category:

Vegetable garden