New Raised Beds

Late Summer & Autumn Garden Projects

So you’ve decided that what you really need is one or more new raised beds. Maybe you want to try vegetable gardening next year? Or perhaps you want to grow more plants on your patio? Well, now is a good time to create your new raised bed, as you are starting to clear your garden pots and containers as they finish flowering, and so creating space in your garden. The weather is also pleasant enough for it not to be a chore to spend a morning or even a day outside on a gardening project.

The first step in adding a new raised bed is to measure your space, and decide how big you want your raised bed to be. In days gone by, in order to build yourself a raised bed, you’d have needed to buy timber or bricks, and then find a way of building it, involving considerable effort and time. But now, thanks to the wonders of modern science, you can buy raised bed kits, which take a lot of the labour out of construction. They come in standard sizes, are often modular, so you can fit several together to make your ideal shape, or add more later if you like, and are very easy to build. You can buy these kits from garden centres or, often, topsoil suppliers or compost suppliers. Topsoil suppliers can also supply the top soil with which to fill your new raised bed, saving you a second delivery charge! Click here to see our range of topsoil and raised bed kits.

So, once you’ve decided on size and got your kit, it’s time to build. Do this where it’s going to sit, if you can, as it’s always going to be easier not to have to move it later. And certainly, don’t fill it until you’re absolutely certain it’s in the right place! Once you’ve got it right, you can fill it. Topsoil is a really good option for filling raised beds, and you can buy it in bulk from topsoil suppliers. You may want to add some organic matter, such as mushroom compost, or mushroom and manure compost (like these), especially if you’re going to grow vegetables, since the soil space is limited if you’re growing on a hard surface below your raised bed.  If your not sure how much topsoil you need use our topsoil calculator to help you work it out.

If you’re going to plant perennials, shrubs, or fruit bushes, now is a good time to plant. The Royal Horticultural Society recommend planting in the autumn to give plants time to establish themselves before the summer heat. Although we know from recent years that autumn rain can’t be guaranteed, it’s generally more reliable than in the summer, and provided your plants are hardy, they should make it through the winter quite happily. Of course, if you want to grow summer bedding or vegetables, you’ll have to wait until spring!