Focus on…Raised beds

IMPROVED soil drainage, increased soil warmth, reduced back pain – there are several compelling reasons for fruit and veg gardeners to install raised beds. You can build them using brickwork, paving slabs or rendered breeze blocks, but the most common and versatile construction material is timber.

Higher purpose

All fruit, vegetables and herbs will happily grow in raised beds. Due to their larger soil volume, they dry out far less than containers so watering is simpler, and you can still pander to the needs of fussy crops such as blueberries that require specialist ericaceous compost. The fact that you can enrich the pocket of soil with any form of compost means that your crop’s root health is boosted.

Building a raised bed is pretty straightforward: simply follow the