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Balcony Garden
Small vegetable garden, big harvest - here's how
With a raised bed, you can garden anywhere and grow your own vegetables. Once you've built the raised bed, it's time to fill it. We provide you with instructions on how to fill a raised bed correctly. We also explain what you should bear in mind when filling a raised bed on the balcony.
A raised bed offers a number of advantages and is a good start to gardening, especially for beginners. With a raised bed, you can create a bed anywhere and also grow and harvest your own vegetables on the balcony or in the city. You can read about what you need to consider when building a raised bed here.
Before you start filling, you should line the inside of your raised bed with foil. This is particularly important for wooden raised beds to protect the wood from rotting. A vole grid should also be placed at the bottom. The small rodents feel particularly at home in raised beds and like to nest in them.
Once the basic structure for your raised bed is in place, it's time to fill it. Here it is important that you work in layers. Here is an overview of the layers in a raised bed:
In a raised bed, it is particularly important to work with a drainage layer to avoid waterlogging. Waterlogging can lead to root rot and make your raised bed plants sick. A drainage layer is particularly important in raised beds on the balcony, as these raised beds are usually closed at the bottom and lined with foil. This means that the water cannot run out at the bottom and inevitably builds up. However, it is also important to install a drainage layer for raised beds that are open at the bottom. In this case, however, the layer can be a little thinner, as the water can drain into the soil. You can also leave out the vole grid for raised beds on the balcony. As they are closed at the bottom anyway, the small rodents cannot get into the bed.
Another point is the filling of large wooden raised beds. If you fill your raised bed with soil, this will weigh quite a lot in large beds. If the soil fills up with water, it can become so heavy that it pushes the wooden frame of your raised bed apart. To avoid this, it is a good idea to reinforce the frame with a threaded rod. This will keep your raised bed in shape and prevent the frame from breaking apart.
The lower layers of your raised bed consist of intact and slightly rotted material. This organic material is decomposed by soil organisms over time. This is why the soil in the raised bed settles over time and looks as if it is becoming less. This can also happen a few days after filling, when cavities created during filling collapse. So don't be surprised if your raised bed looks much less full after a while - this is completely normal.
After the first or second season, however, it makes sense to replace the bottom layers. This may seem a little time-consuming, but it only needs to be done once every 1 - 2 years. To do this, you can shovel some of the soil out of the raised bed and temporarily move the rest to one side of the bed. Then fill the free half with wood scraps, green cuttings and raw compost. Now push the top layers to the other side over the material you have just filled in and fill in the other half at the bottom. Then you can fill in the rest of the soil and you're ready to go again.
Once your raised bed is filled, it's time for the final step: planting your raised bed. To bring as much biodiversity as possible into your raised bed and thus increase its ecological value, you should grow your raised bed in a mixed culture. In addition to vegetables, you can also grow flowers and herbs, which provide food and a habitat for insects, especially in the city.
We have already created planting plans for a whole garden year in a raised bed. You can also find ideas and inspiration for a planting plan for the first year, when the soil is still very rich in nutrients. All of these planting plans show you mixed crops that are great for planting in your raised bed. We wish you lots of fun and a successful harvest!
For inspiration, we have prepared some bed plans for your raised bed. With mixed cultivation, you can make the most of the little space you have.
If you have any questions or comments, please write to us at [email protected]. Would you like to receive helpful gardening tips all year round and plan your own beds optimally? Then register here or download the Fryd app for Android or iOS.
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Cover picture by congerdesign on Pixabay
Marie is an agronomist. She is particularly interested in the sustainable and organic cultivation of vegetables and other plants. In her own garden, she gained experience and likes to try things out to learn from nature. She is particularly interested in the values and principles of permaculture, in order to contribute not only to the well-being of nature, but also to the well-being of people and future generations.
Learn moreHow do I fill a raised bed correctly?
It is best to work with different layers to fill your raised bed. First comes a drainage layer of coarse wood cuttings and shredded material. Then about 15 cm of grass clippings or leaves, followed by a nutrient layer of compost. Finally, the planting layer of nutrient-rich soil.
When is the best time to fill my raised bed?
To allow the soil in the raised bed to settle, you should fill it about two to four weeks before planting. However, it is best to do this in the fall of the previous year or in early spring.
How high to fill the raised bed with soil?
The raised bed is not completely filled with soil, but also with a drainage and nutrient layer. A 30 - 50 cm thick layer of soil covering the other layers is sufficient for planting.
How often should I refill the raised bed?
You should replace the bottom drainage layers every one to two years, as they decompose over time. However, to ensure that your raised bed is well drained, you need to regularly add new layers. You can also top up the top layer of soil every year if necessary.