The raised bed was developed from the raised bed. This originates from China. In the populous country people have learned for thousands of years to collect and use compostable material. The raised bed gardener benefits from this knowledge. But as with all things in the garden, you can’t just transfer a method everywhere 1:1.
Vegetable raised bed
In the vegetable raised bed can be drawn from the full in the first raised bed year. Here is a selection of plants that thrive in lush nutrients: Potatoes, Leeks, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Corn, Celery and all Cabbages.
Raised bed for herbs
Herbs are not particularly hungry for nutrients: Parsley, Lovage, Dill and Chives. In a pure Herb raised bed is to pay attention to lean and permeable soil. The bed should be in full sunshine.
Flower raised bed
In the first year strong herbs thrive like Chrysanthemums, Sunflowers, Geraniums & Tulips. In the second year u.a. Gloxinia, Snapdragon and Dahlias set. In the nutrient-poor third year Azaleas, Primroses, Begonias etc.
Mixed culture raised bed
A mixed culture can only be created with planning in the different raised bed plots. Proper crop rotation comes from the knowledge of plants that get along, promote and do not harm each other.
Should a wooden raised bed made of bspw. Larch used in the kitchen garden, it will first have practical reasons, the back-friendly cultivation of vegetables and lettuce becomes possible. In addition, the shapely raised beds of Bio Green are also ornaments in the garden. They are suitable for ornamental plants but equally.
Raised beds additionally also provide more heat, since cold air is heavier than warm air, cold air stays on the ground longer. In the raised bed are then often already more favorable conditions, the germination and growth is accelerated. But it goes even better, so you can use the so-called compost effect in the raised bed for additional heat. If the bed is built up in layers of different organic materials such as branches, twigs, sod, manure or compost, decomposition will produce rotte. From the rotting in turn heat, so in the raised bed in the soil can be already 1-4 °C higher temperatures than in soil beds.
Plants germinate and grow better and more uniformly, produce higher yields and are ready for harvest much earlier. More harvests, even the culture of heat-loving ornamental plants, vegetables or Mediterranean herbs are possible. During the rotting process, nutrients are released in addition to heat, which are then also used by the plants.
You want to buy a raised bed? In our Bio Green online store you will find a wide selection of modular raised beds made of larch wood and metal.
What can you grow in a raised bed?
Certainly, vegetables and herbs will be the main use for the wood raised bed. Here are no differences to the "normal garden", everything goes only earlier, longer, more comfortably and one can harvest in addition still more. If different vegetables are cultivated together on a raised bed, the different nutrient requirements must be taken into account. Herbs need z. B. little nutrients, otherwise they lose flavor and fragrance.
Whether neighbors in the raised bed get along or even repel, also depends on the plants. Without information this will not succeed. Ornamental plants are less problematic, here it depends on the light.
Planting a raised bed according to all the rules of gardening art
Whether vegetable raised bed, herb raised bed, flower raised bed or a mixture of all three – the art of gardening in the box is becoming increasingly popular. The high working surface is easy on the gardener’s back, the nutrient density and the favorable microclimate promote plant growth, and at the same time a place is created where composted garden waste can be brought in regularly. But the work is not done with the artful construction of a wooden raised bed – planting a raised bed also needs to be learned.
Crop rotation, consideration of high, medium and low yielding plants as well as the composition of a supporting mixed culture lead to success in raised bed gardening. The described rules apply to the vegetable raised bed and the herb raised bed as well as to the flower raised bed.
Planting a raised bed with strong-, medium- and weak-feeders
A vegetable raised bed, herb raised bed or flower raised bed, which has been filled according to the rules of the art, represents a small nutrient power plant. In the lower area, brushwood, twigs, small branches and small-scale garden waste rot, above which is topsoil interspersed with layers of rich compost.
A plant that grows up in a freshly filled raised bed box is permanently fertilized in the first year. Therefore, when planting raised beds, care must be taken to ensure that only highly nutritious plants are grown in the year in which they are planted. Otherwise, the nitrate accumulation in herbs and vegetables would be too high. Flowers, too, are designed to receive doses of nutrients and may resent too much food.
Order raised beds online from the comfort of your home? In the Bio Green webshop you will find a large selection of modular raised beds.
An overview of important strong, weak and medium growers in vegetables
In the vegetable raised bed can be in the first raised bed year from the full. Here is a selection of plants that thrive in lush nutrients: potatoes, leeks, tomatoes, zucchini, corn, celery and all types of cabbage. A tip: leeks and cabbage vegetables can be harvested under a protective fleece or thermal cover until January.
Medium growers for the second year in the vegetable raised bed include carrots, onions, garlic, radishes, lettuce, and fennel. In the third year of the raised bed, the fertilizing power of the raised bed decreases. Now it’s the turn of the undemanding vegetables: beans, peas, lamb’s lettuce and those fruits that no garden should be without – strawberries.
You want to buy a raised bed? In our BioGreen online store you will find a large selection of modular raised beds made of larch wood.
Planting the raised bed: The strong, medium and weak growers in the flower raised bed and the herb raised bed
A wooden raised flower bed can be compared to a giant balcony flower box. It is not as large as a raised vegetable bed, but its easy accessibility, just like the other types of raised beds, makes it much easier for the gardener to work with.
In the humus-rich potting soil, strong growers such as chrysanthemums, sunflowers, geraniums and tulips thrive in the first year. When you plant your raised bed in the second year, you may put gloxinias, snapdragons and dahlias, among others. In the nutrient-poor third year, the flower bed is suitable for azaleas, primroses, begonias, petunias and pansies.
Planting a small raised bed with herbs is also possible (as long as you do not mix the herbs with the vegetables – see mixed culture). Herbs are not particularly hungry for nutrients. Parsley, lovage, dill, and chives belong to the middle-earthers. The majority of the other herbs belong to the group of the weak growers. In a herb-only raised bed, make sure the soil is lean and permeable. The bed should be in full sunshine.
Pay attention to crop rotation
Raised vegetable beds, raised herb beds or raised flower beds: With mixed culture, the hobby gardener enters the professional level. A well-designed mixed culture and crop rotation can only come from meticulous planning of the plant mixtures and sequences in the different raised bed plots.
The right crop rotation comes from the knowledge of plants that get along and promote each other and those that are enemies and cause harm to each other. The same rules apply (chronologically only) to crop rotation as to mixing: a particular vegetable, flower or herb variety from the previous year should be followed the next year by another that gets along well with it.
Planting raised beds: The right mix makes it
When planting raised beds, the mixing and crop rotation plans of plants are quite extensive. Here is a small selection for the mixture of vegetables and herbs:
- Onions get along well with carrots, strawberries, cucumbers and beetroot
- Potatoes like kohlrabi and spinach
- Bush beans like to have savory, lettuce varieties and radishes nearby – celery loves to be in the neighborhood of all cabbage varieties as well as leeks and tomatoes
- Parsley accompanies radish, radish and tomatoes
- Beet is a good friend of dill and onions
The mixture does not only depend on the compatibility – the arrangement of vegetable-herb raised bed and flower raised bed must also take into consideration soil permeability, sun requirement and growth height of the plants. When planting raised beds of herbs, you must remember that most herbs need a lot of sun and a lean, permeable soil. High plants are planted in the northern plot, medium plants in the middle and low plants in the southern areas of the raised bed.
Artfully planting a raised bed requires forethought and a written plan. Good preparation is rewarded by abundant harvest.