High beds

How to make high beds

The easiest way to make raised beds is to prepare special frames for them from boards. You can also purchase ready-made plastic boxes for this, but, as practice shows, they are less resistant to mechanical damage and poorly retain the soil.

The standard width of a high bed is 1.2 m, its length is not limited. However, do not make it more than 2 meters in length. It is better to make such a bed divided into several parts with fences. If necessary, one of them can be replaced as soon as possible.

The height of the raised bed is 30 cm or more, which corresponds to the thickness of the fertile soil. Boards on the edges come together tightly, but in no case should they be covered with a film, as this will only block access of oxygen to the roots of plants and accelerate the decay of the tree. If the standard wooden frame will serve you about 3 years, then with a film - only 1 year.

You can still make high beds of bricks, but the design will be too heavy. In summer, the sun will heat its walls. If the roots of the plants also warm up to 40-50 degrees, then the plants will inevitably die.

Boards that will be used for high beds are necessarily processed. To do this, they need:

• completely peel off the bark;
• remove the bitches;
• make sure there are no wormholes;
• process the ground emulsion (clear liquid mixed with pesticides);
• process water repellent components.

All this is necessary to prevent the boards from rotting, as well as to increase their lifespan. How to connect the frame in the corners? It is recommended to use an ordinary bar with a border of 3-4 cm (depending on the planned load on the walls).

Installation of high beds and soil preparation

The beds of boards are arranged in width in any convenient way. The main thing is to leave access for the gardener (so that you can roll a hand car) and for the automatic irrigation system. On average, all this will take from 30 to 50 cm. The shape of the frames can also be any, even triangular.

Placing the frames in their places, their bottom is closed with a metal or plastic mesh for fences. This is done in order to prevent the penetration of small rodents and moles. They may not be at all at the site, but it is better to worry about it in advance, so that later you don’t have to completely break the bed.

Cardboard is also laid on the bottom of the high bed. It retains moisture, prevents soil spillage, and at the same time it rotters, turning into valuable humus. The beds in the greenhouse are mounted in the same way. If necessary, 2 or 3 racks are mounted on top, and a frame with a stretched film or polycarbonate is mounted on them. This will protect plants from harmful ultraviolet radiation in the most sunny hours. It is possible to use agrofibre for this purpose. Its advantage over the film - the internal volume of the bed is easily blown, and through it you can make watering.

You can also make high beds inside the flower beds with climbing flowers. This will give additional shade to the plants and protect them from the scorching sun. But still the lighting will be required to ensure the normal process of photosynthesis. It is necessary to consider this factor.

Soil preparation and planting plants

How to make the ground for high beds? From above it will be covered with mulch. This means that no weeds will grow here. Accordingly, all nutritional components will be available to the planted plants. Therefore, do not stir the soil with a large amount of manure or humus. If chernozem is used, it is sufficient to simply plow and sift, after which you can fall asleep for planting.

In no case can the soil be rammed! The best option - when the finger is easily immersed for the entire length. Over time, the earth will still settle under the action of watering. High beds in the greenhouse is also a concern.

For high beds, any irrigation option will do.

You can build a drip irrigation system, put the diffusers, autonomous irrigation.

For irrigation, it is desirable to use rainwater or river water. Well or tap water is not the best solution. The first is too cold and can cause late blight, the second is composed of sulphates.

Mulching is done after planting seedlings. When the plant reaches a height of at least 10-15 cm, everything around the stem is necessarily covered with sawdust or straw. This is necessary to prevent accelerated evaporation of moisture and weed germination. The mulch changes once a year. Removing the old is not necessary, as it quickly rot.

The device of a high bed can be changed at its discretion, however, its basis will be the same for all structures. The main advantage of such a flower bed is its visual attractiveness, ease of access (especially those who have back problems), high yields, almost complete absence of pests.

High beds do it yourself: step by step production (video)

Gallery: high beds (15 photos)