Various grids are often used in raised beds - for example, to keep voles and other unwanted rodents out of the bed or to provide climbing plants with a stable framework. There are different solutions and optimal grids for both tasks.
Grids protect against voles and other intruders
Which wire against voles?
Voles and other rodents feel very comfortable in raised beds and quickly use them as hiding places or even homes. Therefore, you should not forget the vole wire that is inserted between the ground and the bottom layer. The close-meshed - the mesh size must not exceed one and a half centimeters - wire is also hot-dip galvanized to protect against corrosion. You place a piece cut to size directly on the floor, curling up the edges along the inside walls about six inches at a time. Fasten the wire securely to the inner walls, leaving no gaps that could be used as loopholes. Although there are special wire meshes for raised beds (so-called “rodent grids”) on the market, rabbit and chick wire also do a good job.
Trellis for the raised bed
Many types of vegetables form long shoots that easily buckle under the weight of their fruit. Tomatoes, aubergines or peppers should therefore be supported with sturdy wooden or bamboo sticks. Others, such as peas, climb up trellises or sticks with leaf tendrils. The fruits of pumpkins, cucumbers and zucchini, on the other hand, are much less susceptible to rot if the plants can climb up on a climbing aid.
A secure footing is important
Always attach trellis and climbing aids in such a way that they give the plants a stable footing and do not hinder the necessary care work such as watering and harvesting. Incorrectly fastened trellises, sticks, trellises and poles do not provide the plants with proper support and are therefore useless. It is therefore best to screw large climbing trellises made of wood or metal to a side wall from the inside before filling the raised bed.
Stable trellis for fruit plants
For fruit vegetables with heavy fruits - such as pumpkins, cucumbers and courgettes - tunnel-shaped steel mats are very well suited for tendrils. But a piece of wire mesh cut to size (€14.99) fixed between sturdy wooden slats can also be used as a trellis. Ready-made kits for raised beds with wooden trellis are commercially available, which can be used as beds for crops and ornamental plants.
tips
If you fill in a drainage made of crushed stone or gravel as the bottom layer, you can do without the rodent grid.