Raised plots are the answer to growing vegies where space is tight, writes gardening expert Helen Young. Simply make your bed and away you grow.

The two main requirements for successful vegetable and herb cultivation are a sunny spot and rich, well-drained soil. But few of us have a spare bit of garden that fits the bill, which is where raised vegie beds prove their worth.

You can install one in any sunny situation – on top of concrete, paving or lawn – and very little preparation is needed. Fill it with lovely new soil and good drainage is assured. Their height makes working in the beds easier, especially for littlies or those less mobile. As a bonus, the soil warms up quickly in spring, the beds always look neat and contained, and they can be covered to protect against weather and marauding animals such as possums.

Do it yourself

You can build raised beds yourself, using new or recycled materials. Concrete or Hebel blocks, bricks, stone and hardwood railway sleepers are possibilities. Straw bales work well but take up a lot more space. Make your bed 1.3m wide at most, so you can comfortably reach into the middle from each side. Anything more than 3m in length can be inconvenient to walk around. Sides should be at least 30cm high to accommodate root growth but can be as high as 80cm.

Modular kits

Rising demand has seen prices of modular vegie beds fall and the range of designs grow. They are easy to assemble and transportable if you move house. Some are made from corrugated steel, others in food-grade plastic, pine treated with ACQ (a safe wood preservative), cedar or eWood (made from recycled printer cartridges). Optional accessories include netting and trellis systems, irrigation kits and clip-on benches. Some, such as the Ecogreengarden, incorporate water storage and solar-powered irrigation.

Soil

Use best-quality soil from your local landscape supplies company. Many sell a special vegetable-growing mix. Rich, organic soil should not be deeper than 50cm, otherwise it can turn foul. Some high modular beds have a false plastic bottom or use the lower space for water storage. Otherwise, fill the base with coarse gravel, cover with landscape geotextile fabric and then just fill the top 50cm with soil.

Bedding down

Check out these suppliers of modular vegie beds:
www.birdiesgardenproducts.com.au
www.ecogreengarden.com.au
www.tankworks.com.au
www.ezygrow.com.au
www.naturalyards.com.au
www.needarainwatertank.com.au
www.theveggiegarden.com.au
www.amari.com.au


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