About Raised Beds
Raised Beds
Raised garden beds are the perfect method for growing vegetables in any garden, polytunnel, or allotment. They make growing your own much easier for all skill levels, especially beginners. Elevated gardening in raised beds allows you to grow more food crops with less effort and less waste. They are also very easy to maintain as they have a comfortable working height and provide a smaller area to weed and keep pest-free. Our timber kits have a natural design, and are made from quality spruce timber boards and posts. They are easy to assemble and are available in a multitude of sizes and depths. A build-your-own raised bed option is available to suit any individual gardening needs. We also carry a range of long-lasting metal raised beds.
Here is a brief video detailing our most popular beds and their different features.
Why use raised beds for growing vegetables?
There is a simple reason why raised garden beds or box style planters are so popular for growing vegetables: they make it that much easier. They take less time to weed because of their relatively small area and comfortable working height. The soil remains friable and easy to work with while pests are easily controlled. Soil and plant feeds can also be accurately and economically applied, due to the concentrated nature of raised bed growing.
Raised box planters are also more versatile and allow you to create a vegetable garden on a hard surface. This allows you to grow in urban environments, where good quality soil may be unavailable. To explain the many benefits of raised bed growing we have created a detailed list below. We hope you find it helpful. If you have a question we don’t cover in this section, please contact us and we will get back to you.
Benefits of Growing in a Raised Garden Bed
They look great
Planters always look great when the plants within are growing but we prefer to use timber in our raised beds. Its natural appearance complements the greens and browns of an active vegetable garden. Once they have been treated, wooden planters require little or no maintenance and will give many years of service.
Our timber planters are pressure treated against rot which gives their natural honey finish a faint green hue. As the timber ages, it takes on an attractive silver grey appearance which looks great in traditional and modern gardens alike. We carry a range of traditional and contemporary styles to suit any garden type.
We also like the order they bring to your vegetable garden as they look much tidier than a patch on the ground. With crops and flowers growing in neat planters, your garden will be a joy to walk around. The neat appearance is particularly good for novice growers as it makes the garden project much easier to manage.
They come in a wide range of sizes
Wooden raised bed kits are available in a wide range of sizes. There are kits to suit large rural garden as well as smaller suburban or urban vegetable gardens. We have several standard sizes, the most popular being the 6ft x 3ft or 6ft x 4ft raised bed. We recommend a width of no more than 4ft to allow easy access from each side of the bed, with 3ft being the most comfortable working width. Remember, a big advantage of raised bed growing is the fact that the soil remains light and loose for good root growth. Beds that are too wide will force you to walk on them and compact the soil.
We also offer a range of heights, depending on what crops you wish to grow or the quality of the soil beneath the bed. We supply beds starting at 7 inches high and include 9, 14, and 21-inch options. Your choice of height will be dictated by many factors, including a comfortable working height for you, the quality of the soil under the bed, and what crops you wish to grow. For example, root crops like carrots and parsnips need a bed with plenty of depth, while shallow root crops (like leafy salads) will be happy in a much shallower planter.
Our beds can be used either as stand-alone vegetable beds or positioned in a group layout to produce a wide range of attractive options.
Raised planters allow you to garden anywhere
Gardeners in urban areas can be restricted by the size of their gardens - or may have no area of topsoil to grow in at all. Raised garden beds, troughs or planter boxes solve these problems. Once you have a box to hold soil or compost, you can grow anywhere.
An urban garden with a small backyard or balcony area may not be able to grow large crops like cauliflower or broccoli. However, there is still plenty of scope for more compact crops like beetroot, baby carrots, spring onions, garlic, and a huge range of salad crops. A raised vegetable garden doesn't necessarily mean large wooden planters placed on the ground. It can include much smaller containers like pots, grow bags, window boxes, and other patio planters. We supply a wide range of contemporary planters including strawberry planters, potato planters, herb planters, and pea and bean planters with climbing supports.
They are easier to weed
The ease of maintenance is one of the biggest advantages. You will have no weeds growing into your beds from the surrounding area, so you only have to deal with weeds that germinate in the bed. Raised beds (as their name suggests) are raised above the ground, making bending to weed them less of a chore.
Raised planters contain loose and friable soil because you walk around the bed rather than inside it. Any weeds that do take root are easily pulled out because the soil has never been compacted by your boots. Most raised bed gardeners will only use a small number of hand tools to tend their beds. A good trowel and hand-held weed grubber are usually all that are required.
They are easier to feed
Healthy vegetables need healthy soil with plenty of nutrients. It is much easier to add manure or other organic soil feeds to a small, enclosed area rather than a larger plot where much of the plant feed can go to waste. Growing in raised beds tends to be concentrated over a relatively small area. This means that applying plant and soil feed can be more accurate, effective, and economical - with little or no waste.
They allow you to choose the perfect soil
Many gardens, especially in urban areas, have poor quality topsoil which will not be sufficient for growing vegetables. Fruit and vegetables are demanding plants, and need very fertile soil to grow healthy and vigorous crops. Both soil quality and depth are important.
Raised planters allow you to build above a poor substrate. You can also fill the beds with a fertile mix of soil and compost to give you the best return. We supply large cubic meter bulk bags of garden soil and bulk compost to provide the ideal mix for raised bed growing. We also stock a range of soil feeds, including seaweed and manure-based soil improvers. These products will ensure that your crops give you the best return.
They allow overwintering and an earlier start in Spring
Overwintering crops can suffer from waterlogged garden soil leading to rot and poor growth. Crops like garlic need to be planted in the Autumn or early Spring but will not thrive in a damp environment. Raised beds solve this issue by raising the soil level above ground and vastly improving drainage.
Raised garden beds will also warm quicker in spring because the sides of the bed are exposed to Spring sunshine. With the help of a mini tunnel or cold frame, a raised bed becomes an early plant nursery. This will allow for vegetable growing approximately 4 weeks earlier than normal, giving gardeners a head start on the season.
Easier pest control
Pests can be a serious issue in a vegetable garden, with valuable crops being lost to pests like slugs, caterpillars, and birds. If you intend to grow organically, protecting crops from pests - rather than spraying with chemicals - is one of the best ways to overcome the problem.
Raised planters lend themselves very well to crop protection systems. This is because of their relatively small size and the ability to attach protection structures to the timber edges. Raised beds can also be an effective slug barrier if arranged with sharp gravel pathways between the beds. This will greatly reduce slug and snail traffic.
At Quickcrop we use our micromesh mini polytunnels to keep out pests like carrot root fly and cabbage white butterflies - to great effect! Our mini polytunnel structures can be assembled in 20 minutes and are easily attached to a raised bed, with a hinge for easy access.
They are easier for beginners to plan
Raised garden beds are particularly well suited to a beginner vegetable grower, as they provide an easy-to-manage space. Our planters are also supplied in sizes which can be easily subdivided into square foot sections. This makes them perfectly suited to the Square Foot Gardening method.
Creating a Square Foot Garden is a method of dividing a vegetable bed into square foot sections using timber battens or twine. Each square is then subdivided into smaller planting squares, depending on the size of the vegetable being grown. This method makes it very easy for novice gardeners to plan their first vegetable garden, and to learn about the plant spacing for different vegetable crops.
We provide a range of square foot gardening plans to suit our range of raised beds. We are always happy to advise on custom plans if required.
They are easy to access for persons of reduced mobility
Growing vegetables is a fun and rewarding pursuit, and should be open to everyone - including gardeners with reduced mobility and those that use a wheelchair. We carry a comprehensive range of trough planters that are raised to allow access without bending, or that can be tended comfortably from a wheelchair.
Trough planters are wooden planter boxes on sturdy legs. The growing container is placed at waist level to provide an easy working height. We specialise in the ‘Vegtrug’ range, which is available with a choice of accessories including poly covers, cold frames, and work tables. The Vegtrug tall planter is a truly versatile system that keeps proper vegetable growing accessible for all.
Our Range
'Classic Allotment Range' For those who are on a budget or just getting started. The classic allotment-style garden beds are of good quality and work exceptionally well in allotments, polytunnels, greenhouses, or anywhere in the garden. We have even heard back from a few customers who have used the 4ft square beds as sand pits for their kids. We named this range the 'classic range' as it follows the traditional allotment design.
'Premier Range' The timber boards and corner posts used in these raised veg beds are thicker than in the classic range. These beds will last for 10 years and are suitable for a wide variety of crops. Also included in the premier range is the 2-tiered garden planter with an attached bench seat. This innovative raised vegetable bed has 2 separate levels for growing in, and an attached garden bench for working or admiring from.
'Deluxe Range' Again thicker, longer lasting timber and different depths, but also sturdy metal bracket support on the corner posts. Deluxe raised vegetable beds are top of the line and look the part in any garden both indoors and outdoors.
'Vegtrug Trough Planters' These raised vegetable planters have a clever V-shaped design to accommodate the growth of deep-rooted crops along the centre. A Vegtrug is a stylish addition to any contemporary garden, impressing your neighbours and friends. These raised gardens stand on legs at waist height, eliminating the need for bending down. Perfect for those with bad backs!
'Easy To Assemble Beds' As the name implies these beds are easily assembled and can be done so without the use of any tools or screws. They are made from thick timber with a tongue and groove system that just slots together by hand. These are available in many different shapes and sizes.
'Flower Beds' Our flower beds are made with the same 1.25-inch thick timber boards - with rounded edges - as the Premier range. Beds for growing flowers are available in a range of sizes: from 3ft x 3ft up to 6ft x 6ft, and in a range of heights from 7 inches to 21 inches. There are also split-level planters that look great when overflowing with flowers and other plants.
We also stock an affordable plastic raised bed that can double as a sand pit. This square planter is ideal for the beginner gardener or the kids' garden.
"Liners & Accessories". Our accessories are a collection of liners, frames, and covers for the raised bed. This includes products that easily transform your veg bed into a miniature greenhouse or polytunnel. These covers are great for pest and weather protection, and for getting a head start on the growing season. They can also be used in an existing polytunnel or greenhouse to give a double-glazed effect. A necessity for growing warm climate crops in the UK, or for extending the growing season.
Allotments & Community Gardens
Our classic range of raised garden beds follows the traditional allotment design. Some of our best-selling allotment beds are 6ft by 3ft - which is the perfect size for tending to, as the far side can be worked without having to step on the soil. As stated, there is a range of sizes available with more being added all the time. We are confident that our raised garden beds will suit any allotment, community farm, or rooftop garden.
Square Foot Gardening & Planting Plans
Recently, we have been adding a lot of content centered around square foot gardening. The main reason behind this is to help our customers achieve the highest yield possible from their raised garden beds. The method (as the name implies) is to divide a raised bed into square foot sections using garden twine, thin pieces of wood, or bamboo canes. You then plant various amounts of different veg in each square foot. We have developed quite a few planting plans that adhere to this method. They are free to view and download/print out in our square foot gardening section. Each planting plan comes with an explanatory guide. We hope that these plans will provide an easy 'in' for the beginner vegetable gardener, and maybe some new ideas or inspiration for the more seasoned vegetable gardener.
Experience the joy of gardening with our stylish raised beds and create your dream garden the easy way. Our wooden box planters will set you on the fast track to cultivating your own abundance.
