RARITYSEpic
Raised Garden Bed
Good soil is built, not found. A frame turns concrete, rubble, or dead clay into a working bed.
The First Move
Value Ratio
9.0/10
Versatility
9.0/10
Impact
9.5/10
Durability
9.0/10
Difficulty
2.5/10
Recommended FormTimber, 1.2m × 2.4m × 30cm
Best UsedSpring build, full sun
ImportanceVery High
DifficultyBeginner
15 cmSalads and herbs
30 cmMost vegetables
tomatoes, beans, courgettes45 cm+Deep roots, and sits on a hard surface
carrots, potatoesGrows on any ground
Make your own soil
Far less bending
Warmer, longer season
Build it up in layers: coarse and free at the bottom, fine and bought at the top. Only the top layer needs buying well.
Top · 20–30 cmBuy
Planting mix: half topsoil, a third compost, the rest aged manure.
BridgeFree
Upturned turf or cardboard. Stops the fine soil washing down into the gaps.
MiddleFree
Brush, leaves, and grass. Rots fast and feeds the bed the first season.
BottomFree
Logs and woody prunings. Free volume that holds water for years.
- Dimpled Membrane
- ComposterShelter & Build
- Rain BarrelWater
Open base on soil, drained base on a hard surface.
Never use pressure-treated or railway-sleeper timber.
Untreated timber lasts about ten years.
Raised beds dry faster, so plan the watering.