Kitchen Garden Forum

I have mentioned this before but it really bugs me.

RAISED BEDS !!!!! or rather what are actually mini fenced beds.

To me the very term 'raised bed' infers that something, maybe made of wood or bricks, is built up from ground level in which to contain soil at a height greater than that at the ground level.

So can someone tell me why a four sided structure made of wood, or said bricks, is described as a raised bed when it does not contain soil above ground level and might just as well be described as a 'mini walled garden'. The only useful purpose I can see for such structures are as mini windbreaks.

This is not about whether raised beds are useful or not, take it from me to some people they are!!! It's about something I see as half cock.

My memory of first coming across "raised beds" was Geoff Hamilton on the telly and my uncle in Norfolk copying his idea(uncle was a market gardener). Basically my recollections were that the idea was to heap compost/manure onto narrow beds that were not walked on, so a bit of "no dig" thrown in, and a retaining wall was used "if required". The idea was if I remember right was to improve drainage and soil structure rather than lift the soil height. I chose to elevate my beds using 2 railway sleepers on top of each other to aid access due to an arthritic spine, I can still bend now, but that will probably get worse. Bonus is I can sit on the edge and there's a handy shelf too, definitely reduces carrot fly problems and there are a few less slugs as well.

Without getting side-tracked from the subject,
You've mentioned an icon, Geoff Hamilton, met him a few times at shows, what a nice man he was.

I,ve seen quite few of what people call "raised beds" as their vegetable plots when they,ve actually just had a wooden edging around the perimeters to stop soil and lawn gradually merging into one another to make it easier to mow the grass.

Unless you're wanting to grow your vegetable higher because of disability or because you have a thick layer of clay nearer the surface I really don,t see the point of bothering. I suspect some people just do it for the tidy well manicured formal appearance.

Quite agree Primrose many people have no need of raised beds but like all things it's horses for courses'.

doubt Adam had the luxury of a raised bed in the Garden of Eden

The no dig aspect is worth considering, but my growing area is probably smaller than some, but growing in blocks rather than in rows works for root crops really well, last years carrots were amongst the best I have grown.