Building and Filling a Raised Bed: A Guide

Creating a Raised Bed: Tips for Beginners

There are many different types of raised beds and ways to use them. Therefore, it’s a good idea to think about where you want to place the bed and what you want to grow in it before you start building. You should also keep in mind that once a raised bed is in place, it’s difficult to move.

In principle, you can set up a raised bed almost anywhere. This gives you the opportunity to grow food almost anywhere—whether in the garden, on a balcony, or on the roof. Wood, concrete, soil, metal, or plastic—the substrate doesn’t really matter. If you have a nutrient-poor or shallow-soiled spot in your garden, you can set up a raised bed there and thus make use of the area despite its unfavorable characteristics.

Raised Beds: A Great Way to Get Started in Gardening

Thanks to the improved growing conditions they provide, raised beds are particularly well-suited for beginners in the world of gardening, as they offer a better chance of success than traditional garden beds. But even experienced gardeners appreciate the relief from back pain and the chance to get a head start on the season.

Tips for Choosing the Right Location

Ultimately, when choosing the right location, you should consider which types of plants you want to grow in your raised bed and what their needs are (e.g., "sun-loving" or "partial shade").

If you decide on a raised bed with a wooden frame, it’s best to build the bed freestanding if possible. Due to moisture (from rain or watering), the wood tends to rot quickly over time. If you leave some space around your raised bed, air can circulate better, and the frame will dry out faster.

Benefits of a Raised Garden Bed

Raised beds—as the name suggests—are elevated. They usually consist of a wooden or stone frame up to 80–90 cm/31.5 to 35.4 in high, filled with yard clippings, compost, and potting soil. Their elevated position offers many advantages.

• Faster warming: Because it’s elevated, a raised bed warms up much faster than the ground in the spring, as it’s exposed to warm air from all sides. This speeds up germination and allows you to grow heat-loving crops earlier in the year. On the other hand, the soil in a raised bed gets colder than garden soil in the winter.
• Back-friendly gardening: At a height of about 70–80 cm/27.6 to 31.5 in, a raised bed allows you to tend to your plants without having to crawl around on the ground in a hunched position all the time. This is easier on your back and eliminates one of the most unpleasant aspects of gardening.
• Plant protection: Since most weed seeds spread near the soil surface, a raised bed is a highly effective way to protect your plants from competition. Additionally, snails and other pests have much more difficulty reaching your seedlings.
• Cold frame function: Because it warms up faster, your raised bed can serve a dual purpose. In the spring, you can start your seedlings there and later transplant them into regular garden beds. After that, you can use the raised bed again to grow lettuce, herbs, and other vegetables for daily use.

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How to Build a Raised Bed: A Guide

• Choose and prepare the location: First, dig a hole 10–15 cm/4-6 in deep in the area where you want to place your raised bed. This provides additional stability and better contact with the ground.
• Build the edging: Now build the edging of your choice, e.g., from wood or stone. Make sure the structure is level so that water doesn’t run off to one side later.
• Fill your raised bed: Once the frame is in place, you can fill your raised bed. You’ll find instructions for this further down in the article.
• Plant your raised bed: Last but not least, it’s time to plant your raised bed. If you need inspiration and help with a planting plan, we’ve prepared a year-round mixed-culture planting plan for raised beds here.

Here Are Some Things to Keep in Mind:

When building a raised garden bed, there are a few things to keep in mind. If overlooked, these can potentially lead to unpleasant surprises down the road. Here are three of the most common pitfalls when building a raised garden bed:

• Voles
• Waterlogging
• Moisture in the wooden frame (applies only to wooden raised beds)

Keep Voles Out of Raised Beds

These dainty little rodents love (as their name suggests) to burrow through the soil. That’s not a problem in itself. But it quickly becomes one when an entire family of voles suddenly decides to move into your newly built raised garden bed. Once there, these cute little rodents will burrow right through your entire bed, eating or damaging the roots of your plants and making a huge mess in the process. In the long run, this stress would spell the end for your plants.

No Chance for Voles

Gardens on the outskirts of town or near fields are particularly prone to this problem. To prevent such chaos from the start, it is therefore advisable to install a vole screen when building a raised bed in your garden. This is placed directly over the topsoil and prevents voles from digging their way up into your raised bed from below. A fine-mesh rabbit or chicken wire, for example, works well for this purpose.

Drainage: Prevent Waterlogging in Raised Beds

When filling a raised bed, it is always a good idea to create a "drainage layer." A layer of logs, branches, or wood chips works well for this purpose. This layer allows excess water to drain into the topsoil more quickly, effectively preventing waterlogging.

No Wet Feet: Essential Drainage for Enclosed Systems

For example, if your raised bed is on the balcony and you line the entire bed with plastic sheeting to keep out dirt, the water in the soil has nowhere to drain. If it rains heavily or you overwater, the excess water can accumulate in the raised bed for an extended period. This waterlogging can be very dangerous for your plants! If their roots no longer get enough air, they will start to rot and die.

Therefore, always make sure to install drainage when building a closed raised bed. To do this, drill holes in the frame or create openings elsewhere through which the water can drain. Additionally, you can attach "drainage pipes" to the holes to channel the runoff water into a container. You can collect this water and use it later for watering, for example.

Wooden Raised Garden Bed: Preventing Moisture in the Wooden Frame

As mentioned above, prolonged moisture can really take a toll on a wooden raised bed frame. Excess water from the bed seeps into the wood and causes it to rot more quickly. In addition to proper drainage and a well-ventilated location, there are other steps you can take to ensure your raised bed lasts as long as possible. For example, you can line the inside of your frame with pond liner. This prevents direct contact between the wooden frame and damp soil. Even better is a so-called dimpled membrane. This is actually intended to protect concrete foundations, but it serves the same purpose for your raised bed. The dimples create small air pockets between the liner and the wood of the frame. This allows the wood to dry out if it gets wet from watering or rain. Additionally, you can seal your raised bed frame with a wood preservative. While this isn’t strictly necessary if you follow all other wood care guidelines, it provides an extra layer of protection.

How to Fill a Raised Bed Properly

Before you fill your raised garden bed, you must first line the box with a liner to protect the wood from rotting. This liner should be waterproof, rot-resistant, and free of harmful substances. Then place a vole screen on the bottom and secure it to the bed frame so that no mice can slip through. Now you can begin the actual filling process.

When filling the raised bed, proceed in layers. The correct order of the layers ensures good drainage, aeration, and nutrient supply. You can find most of the materials for filling in your own garden, but they are also available at hardware stores or building supply stores. You can find detailed instructions on how to properly fill a raised bed here. Here are more tips on the topic, such as how to properly fill a raised bed on your balcony.

At a Glance: 5 Layers in a Raised Bed

• Drainage layer 1: 20 to 30 cm/7.8 to 11.8 in of coarse wood cuttings (branch and shrub waste that does not release toxins)
• Drainage layer 2: 15 to 20 cm/5.9 to 7.8 in in of shredded material (fine prunings or chaff)
• Transition layer: 10 to 15 cm/3.9 to 5.9 in of grass clippings and leaves
• Nutrient layer: 20 cm/7.8 in in coarse compost (less decomposed)
• Planting layer: 30 cm/11.8 in of soil mixed with well-decomposed compost

Planting Raised Beds: Companion Planting Ideas & Layouts

Get inspired: Here are some ideas for your raised bed planting layout.

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We hope you now feel well-informed and that nothing stands in your way of building your own raised garden bed. If you have any questions, or if you took a completely different approach to building your raised garden bed and would like to tell us about it, please feel free to email us at [email protected].

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