Preparing a raised garden bed

The sun is increasingly warm and the days are longer. Officially, we can say that a new gardening season has begun. It is once again time for new vegetables and flowers to sprout in the gardens. And one of the most popular ways of gardening has become raised beds.

We have already written at length about their advantages in one of our previous articles, but this time we will focus on the preparation itself. Bed placement and soil are two of the most important factors, which determine whether the bed will yield abundantly or not. This is followed by bed protection against pests, which will protect it from moles and other uninvited guests.

So, how should you properly position the bed in the garden?

Permaculture dictates that the bed should be placed in a north-south direction. The location itself should not be too windy, but it should have enough sun. This is especially true for all plants that need a lot of warmth to grow well. These include various herbs, citrus trees, aromatic plants, strawberries, etc. Also make sure that the bed is not too wide, especially if you will only have access to it from one side.

When setting up a raised bed, we must keep in mind all the garden visitors who would gladly eat our vegetables. Therefore, the bottom of the garden bed we protect with organic sheep wool. This is the first layer in our composition, which excellently protects the bed from pests such as mice, moles, voles, etc. In addition, it also retains water very well and acts as a thermal insulator for the bed.

For optimal growth, prepare the garden bed in 4 layers. Once you choose the right position in the garden, remove the top layer of soil from it, approximately 30 cm deep. When this is prepared, begin adding the layers.

• Use organic plant residues, branches, roots, etc. in the bottom layer. This provides drainage and encourages positive biological processes in the growing site itself. Just keep in mind that if you use conifer residues, they acidify the soil. Because of this, this type of preparation is suitable only for plants that need such soil (e.g. blueberry). This layer should make up 20% of all the soil in the bed,
• The second layer consists of compost or compost soil. Add a layer of leaves, mixed with the compost soil. Compost contains many insects and microorganisms that greatly accelerate humification. This layer also represents 20% of all the soil.
• In the third layer, add fertile soil. Compared to the others, this layer has the advantage of containing the main components for growth. This part makes up as much as 50% of all the soil in the bed.
• The last layer serves as protection against drying out and as additional nourishment for the soil. You can use mowed grass, straw, leaves, or bark.

Of course, all 4 of these layers are placed on a pre-prepared layer of sheep's wool.

Now quickly out to the garden and let this year's gardening begin!