← Soil: cultivation and preparation H02-04 · Module 4 of 7 · Pages: 19 · Worksheets: 5

Beds: flat, raised and ridged

Which bed shape suits your soil and climate — exact sizes, materials, filling, and how much soil, timber and money you need, from the first sketch to the first planting

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Beds: flat, raised and ridged

In short

  • Beds 1.0–1.2 m (about 4 ft) wide, so you can reach the middle from both sides; paths 30–50 cm, and 60 cm for a wheelbarrow.
  • Wet and shallow soil: raised beds. Dry and hot: flat or sunken beds with mulch.
  • A raised bed 20–30 cm (8–12 in) high is enough for almost all vegetables; 70–90 cm for working without bending.
  • Don't use old railway sleepers, timber treated with an unknown preservative or painted boards.
  • Beds are never walked on. Everything you do, you do from the path.

What's inside

Chapters

  1. Which shape for your soil and climate
  2. Sizes and layout
  3. Flat permanent beds
  4. Raised beds without sides
  5. Raised beds with sides
  6. Sunken beds for dry climates
  7. Ridges, furrows and potato beds
  8. Wood-core mounds
  9. Paths and edges
  10. The bed as a workplace
  11. Common mistakes
  12. Printable checklist

Worksheets

  • Garden plan on a grid
  • Soil, compost and timber calculator
  • Bed log
  • Shopping list for beds
  • Bed calendar

Fields and checkboxes can be filled in with Adobe Acrobat Reader (desktop and mobile), and the calculator adds up by itself. Filling in may not work in some browsers. A print version comes with the screen PDF.

This guide in other languages:

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