Why are raised beds raised?

I can see the point of separating the beds from the paths - so that you
can access the beds without treading on the earth.

What is the purpose of having the soil level higher than the surrounding
land?
--
Chris

"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...
Why are raised beds raised?

I can see the point of separating the beds from the paths - so that you
can access the beds without treading on the earth.

What is the purpose of having the soil level higher than the surrounding
land?
--

It depends on your requirements. If you raise it high enough, wheelchair
gardeners can use it. If you put membrane under it, that will help with
perennial weeds. If your soil is prone to waterlogging, it will help with
drainage. You can put a mesh cover over it to keep out the pest you're most
concerned about. It stops you inadvertently treading on seedlings. But No 1
is as you surmise, ease of maintenance. You can get all round it to work.
It's much less disheartening to look at a raised bed full of weeds than an
entire garden or allotment full of weeds.

And I'm sure there will be a few more I haven't mentioned.

Steve

"Chris" ] wrote in message
]...
Why are raised beds raised?

I can see the point of separating the beds from the paths - so that you
can access the beds without treading on the earth.

What is the purpose of having the soil level higher than the surrounding
land?

better drainage in boggy soils
warmer earth I have found in my polytunnel
less bending/squatting - easier to plant and maintain
look more landscaped than ground level
good on areas with shit soil - you build nutrients on top of the rubbish
easier to keep defined beds, avoid traffic on them, svae them been washed or
blended in with surrounding garden, path etc
suppresses existing weeds when you build over them
only way to get a garden when your wife doesn't want something that looks
"crap" (see landscaped above)

rob

g'day chris,

yes it depends on personnal needs in the case of those who might have
health issues of different sorts, ours are about 12"s high now with no
edged but i can see the time coming when we will need to look at
bringing that height up to 20"-30"s, to cut down on stooping.

also having the soil higher helps with drainage.

see the pics of our beds on our site.

On Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:39:52 +0000, Chris ] wrote:
snipped
With peace and brightest of blessings,

len & bev

--
"Be Content With What You Have And
May You Find Serenity and Tranquillity In
A World That You May Not Understand."

http://www.lensgarden.com.au/

On 25 Jan, 09:39, Chris ] wrote:
Why are raised beds raised?

I can see the point of separating the beds from the paths - so that you
can access the beds without treading on the earth.

What is the purpose of having the soil level higher than the surrounding
land?

My own land is very wet in winter, because the area is low-lying and
the drainage unsophisticated. by raising a bed only a few inches it
warms up more quickly and is less waterlogged and so I can get 2 to 3
weeks longer growing season without cloches or other artificial aids.
There is just about a 3 week advantage to the daffs in the raised bed
than in the lawn, for example.

As others have said, beds raised much more than that normally have an
othopaedic rather than horticultural origin.

More sophisticated gardeners may have plants that require dryer
conditions than the others, and raising a bed will help them all year
round.

The message ]
from Chris ] contains these words:

Why are raised beds raised?

To bamboozle the carrot fly...

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig