Traditional cultivation of the land requires a lot of time and physical effort, and the harvest does not always correspond to expectations. That is why more and more gardeners are setting up high beds on their plots, allowing them to special effort get an excellent harvest of vegetables every year. Anyone can make raised beds with their own hands, because this does not require special skills or special equipment.
Benefits of raised beds
Compared to conventional beds, bulk beds have many more advantages:
- a vegetable garden can be planted even in an area completely unsuitable for farming;
- Digging and weeding of the garden are replaced by light loosening of the soil;
- on limited space easier to remove weeds;
- the high bed is easy to install and just as easy to disassemble;
- You can lay out paths between the beds and walk along them in any weather;
- plants ripen faster, which is especially important for cold regions;
- when arranging a high bed, good drainage is ensured;
- crops in the beds can be easily protected from frost by covering them with tarpaulin or agrofibre.
In addition, a vegetable garden made from raised beds can be very decorative, so you can plant it next to your house.
Fencing materials
A high bed is a frame of certain dimensions, interior space which is filled with soil, compost and fertilizers. Most often, the frame is made of a rectangular shape, and it is assembled from boards, slate, branches, plastic and other materials.
Wood is the most affordable, easy to install and environmentally friendly material. To assemble the beds, boards, timber, and small logs are used. Disadvantages: wood requires wood, quickly darkens and loses its attractiveness, and is short-lived.
Vine and twigs - inexpensive and original solution. Wicker walls look very attractive; you can give the bed any shape. Disadvantages: weaving vines requires skills; the service life of such a frame is very short.
Stone and brick are an option for areas with classical architecture. Very reliable and durable material, gives the beds decorative look. Disadvantages: high cost, it will take more time to create a bed, difficult to dismantle.
Plastic is an excellent alternative to wood. Sheet plastic is easy to assemble and disassemble, it is quite durable, has an attractive appearance, is very durable and relatively inexpensive. Flaws: individual species plastics contain harmful substances, so they are not suitable for the garden. The environmentally friendly material has an appropriate certificate, which must be presented upon purchase.
Metal is a convenient and durable material, ideal for shaped beds. If necessary, moving the metal frame will not be difficult, as will dismantling it. The appearance of the metal walls is neat; they can be painted in any color or decorated with ornaments. Disadvantages: welding skills are required to assemble a metal curb, the price of sheet metal is quite high, and high-quality surface treatment is required to protect against corrosion.
– great solution For multi-tiered beds or arranging a vegetable garden on a slope. The walls can be made monolithic or assembled from separate ones. The concrete surface is easy to decorate, it is extremely strong, durable, and has a neat appearance. Disadvantages: lengthy installation process, high cost of materials, additional requirements for the design of the drainage system.
Decorating beds with slate is a completely budget-friendly and simple option. The walls can be installed very quickly, this material lasts a long time, and for decorative purposes the slate can be painted in any color. The main disadvantage is the fragility of the material, so it should be handled with care during installation.
Each gardener selects the size and shape of the bulk bed at his own discretion. And yet, there are optimal parameters at which the bed will be most effective:
- height from the ground 15-50 cm;
- width 90-120 cm;
If the bed is placed on fertile soil, it is made 15-20 cm high. This is quite enough for a good harvest. If the soil on the site is not suitable for farming, the bed is raised to 30 cm. Compost beds are made even higher - up to 0.5 m. Sometimes the walls are raised very high, which allows you to avoid bending over while cultivating the soil and planting plants, but this increases material consumption and requires more time to arrange a garden. In addition, with a large frame width, it is inconvenient to cultivate the soil at such a height.
The width of the bed should be sufficient for two rows of plants. With this planting, all plants will receive the same amount of air and sunlight, which has a very positive effect on yield. More rows result in the average plants receiving less air, being shaded, stretched upward, and yields falling. It is also much easier to cultivate a bed of standard width than one that is too wide.
The length of the bulk bed does not play a special role, therefore it is limited only by the size of the plot. The most common option is beds with a length of 1.5 to 3 m; They are compact and look neat in the garden.
Proper arrangement of high beds
For example, a bed with a fence made of boards is taken; This option is the most convenient and inexpensive.
During the work you will need:
- bayonet shovel;
- roulette;
- drill or screwdriver;
- building level;
- circular saw or jigsaw;
- self-tapping screws;
- boards 50x200 mm;
- timber 50x50 mm;
- primer;
- construction mesh.
Step 1. Wood processing
The boards are cut to the size of the frame, after which they are coated on all sides with antiseptic impregnation. You can use used oil for these purposes, and to prevent harmful substances from penetrating into the soil, after treatment it is recommended to cover the tree with film on one side. The lower edges of the boards, which will be in contact with the ground, are treated especially carefully. The timber is sawn into pieces 50 cm long and also impregnated with a protective agent. After this, the building material is laid out to dry.
Step 2. Site preparation
The area for the garden bed should be illuminated by the sun for at least 5 hours a day. Mark the boundaries of the bed, remove stones and branches, dig perennials. If desired, you can dig up the soil together with fine grass - this will increase the permeability of the soil. If the soil is very dense and trampled, it is enough to remove the layer of turf around the perimeter of the marking to a small depth to make it easier to position the frame.
Step 3. Assembling the frame for the bed
The dried boards are knocked down in pairs into panels and connected to each other using bars. The height of the shields is equal to the height of the bed, the long sides of the frame are additionally reinforced with transverse bars in the center. Since the length of the bars is greater than the height of the walls, they should protrude 10 cm above the frame. These will be the legs of the frame. To improve the appearance of the structure, boards laid flat, the edges of which are cut at an angle of 45 degrees, are placed around the perimeter of the frame. Finally, the frame can be painted on the outside.
Step 4. Installation of the structure
The finished frame is transferred to the installation site; align the structure according to the markings, make recesses for the legs, check the location of the bed building level. If necessary, place pegs or, conversely, remove excess soil. The structure should be as level as possible, with all corners at the same level. Finally, add soil around the perimeter of the walls and compact it so that there are no gaps left.
Step 5. Filling the bed
First, the bottom is covered with a construction mesh and nailed along the edges to the walls of the frame. The mesh will protect the structure from the penetration of moles and mice. Then geotextiles are laid, which will not allow weeds to grow. Next, the beds are filled in layers:
- small branches, bark, large shavings, leaves;
- bird droppings, rotted manure or;
- fallen leaves, branches, bark, grass;
- mineral fertilizer;
- fertile land.
The thickness of each layer is 10 cm. There is no need to mix the layers, but it is necessary to level and compact well. If the soil on the site is not very good good quality, it is better to use purchased soil. After filling, the bed is well watered and left for a couple of days. During this time, the layers will settle a little and become denser. It is recommended to cover the frame with black agrofibre, which provides better soil heating and prevents weeds from germinating.
It is recommended to make high beds in the fall or at the end of summer, so that the layers are well rotted and the roots of the plants get the maximum useful substances. If the beds are installed in the spring, it is necessary to fill them at least a month before planting and pour plenty of water several times to compact them. It is easy to turn such a structure into a greenhouse: to do this, plastic or metal arcs are installed above the frame, the ends of which are secured to the walls with bolts. They are attached to the arches on top plastic film or special agrofibre.
Prices for various types of construction boards
Construction boards
Construction of beds made of slate
To construct bulk beds, you can use both flat and wavy slate. The technology for installing beds using this method is very simple and anyone can do it.
Table. Wave slate
To work you will need:
- slate sheets;
- Bulgarian;
- bayonet shovel;
- a piece of chalk or pencil;
- roulette;
- level;
- rubber hammer;
- drill;
- wooden pegs or metal rods.
Step 1. Marking
In the selected area, the boundaries of the beds are marked and beacons are installed. Narrow grooves are dug along the perimeter to the depth of a bayonet. If the soil is good, then remove the entire fertile layer inside the marking, pouring it near the future beds.
Step 2. Preparing the material
Slate sheets are laid on flat surface, measure the required length and draw a chalk line across the waves. After this, the slate is cut along the lines using a grinder. The pegs are soaked bitumen mastic or waste oil, and if scraps of metal rods are used as racks, they are treated with anti-corrosion compounds.
Step 3. Installing the frame
The first sheet of slate is installed vertically in the groove from the corner of the marking. Next, place the next sheet with an overlap in one wave, level it, and beat it on top with a rubber hammer so that both sheets are at the same height. Check the location of the upper edge of the slate with a building level; if necessary, add or remove soil from below. The walls are reinforced with metal rods or pegs, which are driven in on both sides to a depth of 0.5 m. So, all the sheets of the frame are placed one by one, the trench is filled up and the horizontal level is checked again. After this, the soil near the walls is compacted and the excess is removed.
Step 4. Filling the bed
At the very bottom you can put old newspapers, cardboard, pieces of wallpaper, the next layer is chopped brushwood, tree bark, sawdust. After this, small shavings are poured in, plant waste, peat or compost are laid. And all this is sprinkled on top with the soil that was taken out at the very beginning. Apply plenty of water to the bed to wet all layers and leave for several days. When the bed is compacted, you can begin planting.
Garden bed care
When the plants sprout, the plantings should be well watered and mulched. Weeds that break through the mulch layer are immediately removed. After harvesting, the surface is loosened and sown with green manure. Before the onset of cold weather, all vegetation is mowed down, leveled on the bed, covered with a layer of earth on top and covered with black film for the winter. Periodically it is necessary to inspect the walls of the frame, replace or repair individual sections.
The soil between the beds is most often covered with small crushed stone, gravel, straw, and sometimes seeded lawn grass. In such conditions, the garden always remains well-groomed, weeds do not grow, and dirt does not stick to shoes. If desired, you can use tiles and bricks, or pour concrete.
Video - DIY raised beds
Video - Raised beds made of slate
This article discusses beds for the lazy: photos of the easiest structures to make for those who want to get a neat garden with a minimum of effort, the most common materials and technologies for creating structures based on them. The reader will learn how to combine vegetable crops in one bed and prepare the soil for planting cucumbers. The article contains practical recommendations for beginner gardeners.
Designing the right garden beds will solve many problems and open up new opportunities for the owner of a summer cottage:
- protection against soil erosion in the garden when there is a large amount of rainfall or watering the plants. The sides of the bed will keep the nutritious soil in place, preventing it from washing out onto the paths. In addition, the passages between the structures themselves will remain clean, no dirty puddles or streaks;
- the possibility of forming the basis for creating a temporary greenhouse for the spring period. By installing high sides as fences, a multi-layer bed can be organized inside the structure, which can be used as a greenhouse. To do this, it is enough to install special arcs and stretch the film. The result will be a neat greenhouse house;
- improving the appearance of the garden due to orderly and even plantings with beautiful framing;
- creating boundaries to prevent the spread of weeds.
Making beds with your own hands from boards and other materials allows you to clearly limit the planting area, thanks to which weeds and harmful plants do not have the opportunity to spread widely. If the garden fence is dug to a greater depth, the level of protection increases and perennial weeds, which are unable to overcome this barrier, can no longer penetrate into the garden bed.
Pay attention! With the help of beds with well-buried fences, the spread of plants such as reeds and creeping wheatgrass is effectively blocked. Their root system is capable of covering large distances underground if left unconstrained.
Photo interesting designs beds, recommendations for their creation. Tips for Designing the Unusual landscape design on the site.
The best place is an area where there is sun throughout the day. It is allowed to install beds where there is shade in the morning or during the day. If the proposed construction area is dark throughout the day, you should not use this place for arranging a vegetable garden.
How best to make beds in the garden: choosing the optimal design
The design of the beds is selected at an early stage of planning, when a place for the vegetable garden has already been selected.
Each type of beds has certain advantages:
- raised or - the most efficient designs that are best suited for growing vegetable crops. Construction materials they are not expensive to create, and the soil does not need to be dug up. The width and height of the structures determine how much effort and time will be required to build them. Most often, summer residents prefer wooden beds made of boards. On the Internet you can find photos of raised beds with your own hands; such structures do not have fencing. They also fall into the category of elevated structures;
- container beds - will be beneficial in cases where site space is limited. Small, large and medium-sized pots are suitable for organizing such beds. Garlic, peppers, lettuce and herbs feel especially good in containers. Mobility is another advantage of container beds, which can be moved to any location if desired;
- beds in open ground- the oldest method of growing crops that are planted directly into the ground. In such conditions it is more difficult to obtain good harvest Therefore, the technology of joint planting of vegetables in the garden is often used.
Useful advice! If you plan to plant crops in open ground, it is recommended to determine the quality of the soil, fertilize it and check the compatibility of vegetables in the garden according to the table.
How to make beds from boards with your own hands: useful tips
Raised beds are most often made from wood. This material, in comparison with others, is considered the most practical and environmentally friendly. Such designs look very aesthetically pleasing in the photo. Do-it-yourself beds made from boards have other advantages:
- a simple maintenance system involving easy weeding, harvesting and watering of plants;
- the ability to grow vegetable crops even where the soil is completely unsuitable for these purposes. A frame is made on the basis of the boards, which is subsequently filled with fertile soil purchased in the store, so there is no connection to the quality of the soil and its composition. Thanks to this, plants can be grown even in areas with rocky surfaces;
- Box structures allow you to hold soil inside the bed. In addition, the presence of sides simplifies the process of installing arcs to form a greenhouse. It is much easier to secure these elements to the fence than to dig them into the soil;
- Even without knowing how to properly make garden beds, any summer resident can cope with the manufacture of wooden box structures. The boards are easy to process, and the construction and assembly of the frame does not require expensive tools;
- there is no chance that plants planted close to the sides will get burned in the summer heat. Wood, unlike metal, is not prone to overheating.
Pay attention! The environmental friendliness of the material allows you not to worry about harmful substances getting into the soil. Wood is much safer than asbestos-cement sheets (slate). The exception is boards treated with chemicals designed to double the life of the material.
Making practical beds from boards: how to make the right choice of material
Summer residents most often create wooden structures based on blanks that they find on the farm. To make beds, timber, round timber, slab, and lining can be used.
When it comes to purchasing boards in a store, you should pay attention special attention The type of wood from which they are made:
- a board made of ash or oak will last a very long time. Although the cost of such products is quite high;
- pine remains the most favorable in terms of price and processing. But this type of wood is highly susceptible to rotting while in the ground, so its service life is short. Due to impregnation and antiseptics the life of pine can be extended by a couple of years;
- boards made of cedar and larch wood are considered the most suitable material for making boxes. Larch is naturally impregnated with resin, thanks to which the product will retain its newness for many years without the use of additional impregnations. Cedar wood is characterized by a lower resin content, but it is not inferior to larch in terms of durability and at the same time has an affordable price;
- Boards made from acacia feel good in the ground. It is worth noting that this type of wood is durable and has a solid structure, so its processing will be more difficult. To work with acacia you will need a powerful electric tool.
Useful advice! It is not recommended to skimp on the quality of the material. Boards made from poor wood are susceptible to rapid rotting. After a few years, holes will appear on the fences of the garden beds, through which fertile soil will be washed away during rains and watering of plants.
Making beds from boards with your own hands: photos, dimensions of structures
Box beds have a rectangular shape and are made of boards. The simplest design does not require special knowledge and skills, so any novice summer resident can handle its production. The main thing is to correctly calculate the dimensions of the boxes.
- height– many summer residents strive to create the highest possible sides. However, this approach is erroneous if it is not intended to build a warm bed for cucumbers or other types of crops, where a fence height of up to 0.7 m is acceptable. The technology for manufacturing such structures requires laying multi-layer insulation. For ordinary beds, such high fences are not required; it is enough to limit them to 0.15-0.2 m. Excessive height of the sides is also unprofitable in economic terms, because their construction will require a lot of boards. In addition, wood is susceptible to deformation changes under the influence of moisture, so there is a risk that over time high fences will swell and lose their attractive shape;
- width – experienced summer residents It is recommended to choose a width equal to half the height of the person who will care for the beds. Most often, this parameter is in the range of 0.9-1.2 m, because during work a person should be able to reach the middle of the structure from the side fence;
- length– this parameter is practically unlimited. Although excessively long structures reduce the level of rigidity of the side rails, it is therefore recommended to choose a length within 4-6 m.
Useful advice! When choosing dimensional parameters for wooden beds, you should take into account that between them you need to organize passages 0.4-0.6 m wide. Only after this is considered the layout of structures on the site.
Creating mixed plantings of vegetables in the garden: photo examples and optimal schemes
The method of combining crops is very effective in practice if the companion plants are chosen well. Therefore, plot owners use a special table to calculate the proximity of vegetables in the beds before planting. Some types of vegetables have a depressing effect on each other, others can improve the growth and development of neighbors and provide them with protection from pests.
The correct proximity of vegetables in the beds: compatibility table
Many summer residents note that thanks to the proximity of beans as a seal for the beds where potatoes are grown, the number of Colorado potato beetles is significantly reduced. Marigolds effectively protect cabbage from the white butterfly. Despite this, a certain balance must be maintained. After all, an excessive amount of marigolds in the garden can stifle the growth of cabbage.
Table of vegetable neighbors in the garden that create a successful tandem:
| Name of vegetable crop | Plants for successful combination |
| strawberries | beans, spinach, marigolds, garlic, lettuce |
| kohlrabi | cucumber, lettuce, onion, beets |
| peas | carrots, corn, cucumber, calendula, eggplant |
| onion | tomato, celery, beets, savory, carrots |
| beans | potatoes, cucumber, tomato, strawberry, eggplant |
| cucumber | radishes, peppers, peas, cabbage, beans |
| carrot | lettuce, onion, sage, tomato, peas |
| salad | strawberries, cucumber, carrots, radishes |
| pepper | salad, cucumber, beans |
| tomato | calendula, basil, beans, nasturtium, parsley |
The following pairs of plants are characterized by poor compatibility of planting vegetables in the garden:
- cabbage and strawberries;
- onions and beans;
- carrots and celery, dill, parsley;
- cucumbers and potatoes.
Useful advice! In addition to the main crops, it is recommended to spot plant herbs and ornamental herbs in the garden bed. Thus, the garden will not only be beautiful, but also useful.
Examples of mixed planting of vegetables in the garden: popular schemes
A good example of the compatibility of vegetables in the garden is the combination of onions and carrots. As an independent crop, onions can produce about 2.5 kg of yield from 1 m² of bed. Carrots on the same area yield approximately 6 kg of yield. When growing these crops together, 1 m² can produce 9 kg of vegetables. These plants create protective barriers against pests for each other, so the efficiency of the used area increases.
Of course, when planning to grow crops together in a garden bed, you need to group the plants based on their height so that none of them blocks the light for the other. This is necessary because vegetables can not only have different heights, but also grow at different rates. It is desirable that the compactors that are planted additionally be lower in height than the main vegetables. The principle of multi-tiered juxtaposition of vegetables in the beds makes it possible to create favorable conditions for the root system of crops, and also promotes the rational use of solar energy.
High yields are collected from the beds where beets and late cabbage are planted. To do this, beets (9 plants) and cabbage (4 bushes) should be planted on an area of 0.8x0.8 m, not forgetting to fertilize the holes with a glass of compost and a handful of eggshells (grind first).
To get excellent result When planting beans and tomatoes, it is recommended to place the plants in a row with a step of 0.3 m. Along the row with bush beans, it is installed so that each plant is located at the dropper. Tomatoes are planted in the central part of the garden bed. As a result, the bean and tomato bushes should be arranged in a checkerboard pattern.
Useful advice! It is better to trim tomato stems for the winter, and as low as possible. On the contrary, it is recommended to leave beans untouched.
Table of crop rotation of vegetables in beds by crop groups
Crop rotation can also affect the yield of beds. If the annual change of crops grown in the same bed is carried out in the correct order, the garden will produce good harvests.
Advantages of proper crop rotation:
- eliminates the possibility of soil fatigue on the site, since the same vegetable absorbs the same set from the soil every year nutrients and he does it from the same depth;
- the spread of diseases and pests that affect plants of the same family is prevented;
- it becomes possible to use fertilizers rationally.
The most primitive way of organizing crop rotation in a garden bed involves planting plants from different families in the same area every year. The easiest way is to divide cultures into four groups:
- Leaf crops - these include various types cabbage, green onions, lettuce, and spinach.
- Fruit vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, pumpkin.
- Legumes - beans, chickpeas, peas.
- Root vegetables - potatoes, beets, radishes, carrots.
Table of the simplest crop rotation in the garden:
| Sequence of landing by year | Recommended crops for planting | |||
| 1st bed | 2nd bed | 3rd bed | 4th bed | |
| 1 year | fruit | roots | legumes | leafy |
| 2 year | roots | legumes | leafy | fruit |
| 3 year | legumes | leafy | fruit | roots |
Arrangement of beds for cucumbers in open ground: photos and recommendations
To grow cucumbers in open ground, beds are usually prepared in the fall. This should be done before the rains and temperatures drop. The planting area must be carefully dug up and saturated with organic fertilizers. Cucumbers like fertile, light soil that has a good level of air and water permeability. If the soil on the site is heavy, sawdust, peat or sand can be added to the soil to facilitate loosening.
Useful advice! To get a rich harvest, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of superphosphate and a glass of ash per 1 m² of area. Instead of ash, you can use dolomite flour.
The process of preparing a bed for cucumbers in the spring includes the procedure for disinfecting the soil. To do this, the site of the future garden is spilled with potassium permanganate. The solution must be hot and strong. In addition, soil fertility can be increased by adding chicken manure or manure. This procedure is carried out locally, that is, the fertilizer is placed directly into the trench or hole. After this, the bed is covered with a small layer of soil, where the seeds are then planted.
How to make a bed for cucumbers: agrotechnical secrets
To get a rich harvest of cucumbers from the garden, you must adhere to the basic rules:
- There should be no irrigation canals, streams or flowing reservoirs near the beds.
- If the planting area is not protected, it is better to place the garden in a quiet place where there are no drafts.
- Procedures such as watering and loosening the soil must be performed on a regular basis. Otherwise, a hard crust will form on the surface, and the bed will dry out greatly.
- Cucumbers grown in open ground need to be fed much more often than those grown in closed beds.
- During harvesting, it is not recommended to change the position of the plant's vines or turn them over.
- Weeding plants in open beds must be performed more often than is done indoors.
- It is recommended to cover the entire surface of the bed with black film.
Cucumbers need a rich biological composition of the soil. Therefore, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with organic matter, for example, grass, humus, branches, rotted manure, and food waste. In the process of their decomposition, not only does the fertility of the soil increase, but also heat is released, warming the soil. To prevent high temperatures from damaging the root system of cucumbers, experienced gardeners advise abundant watering.
Interesting fact! Sometimes decomposition organic fertilizers occurs so actively that the soil in the garden bed warms up to 80° C. Under the influence of such high temperature Many pests, viruses and pathogenic fungi contained in the soil die. As a result, it happens natural sterilization soil.
There are several ways to grow cucumbers in open ground. For these purposes, you can form a long ridge bed, a hole, dig a ditch, or build a high structure.
How to make cucumber beds in the garden with a bookmark
To form a bed with a bookmark, you will need to dig a trench. The depth of the ditch should be equal to two shovels. Then branches are laid out across and sawdust is poured in. The next layer consists of straw and garden waste. You can add autumn leaves, cardboard or newspapers, compost. The thickness of the fertilizer layer should be within 5-7 cm. The layer is poured warm water and covered with a mixture of compost and soil.
A bed with a bookmark can effectively serve for 5 years. In the second year of operation there will be no need to add top layer compost, because during the decomposition of organic components, the bed itself will produce nutrients.
Advantages of a bed for growing cucumbers with a bookmark:
- convenient watering system;
- stagnation of water is eliminated;
- In spring there is no need to dig up the soil, just loosen the soil.
Plants can be planted on such a nutrient basis much earlier than is customary in conventional beds. It is not recommended to use beds with filling in low-lying areas and areas where water stagnates.
Warm surface beds for cucumbers in open ground
This type warm beds for growing cucumbers, it is built on the surface of prepared soil. This technology will be the best option for areas located in lowlands. In order to enhance the heating process, the bed is covered with film. As a result, a greenhouse effect is formed, which has a positive effect on the growth of cucumbers and their productivity.
Surface beds also include structures in the form of boxes made of brick, slate or boards. The bottom of these containers is filled with sand, then with wood waste. Next comes a layer of organic waste and straw. After laying each component, the contents are carefully compacted and filled with liquid manure. Finally, the bed is filled with a mixture consisting of soil.
Useful advice! Vegetable and fruit skins, fallen leaves, eggshell(ground into powder).
Cucumbers are planted in two rows. Plants are placed along the edges of the box bed, which ensures a sufficient level of illumination. If you plan to plant cucumbers early spring, the structures can be converted into greenhouses. To do this, you will need to install plastic arcs and stretch plastic film over them. Thus, heating is enhanced and it becomes possible to obtain early harvest. Moreover, the result is completely independent of weather conditions.
Raised beds for cucumbers in open ground
Warm beds with a raised structure are used in cases where the site is located in a region with a cold and humid climate. Due to this, the soil is fully warmed up, allowing for early harvests. If they get too close to the garden groundwater, the bed is raised high, due to which the plantings do not get wet on soil that is oversaturated with moisture. Stone fruit trees, whose roots are severely affected by groundwater, are planted in a similar way.
As borders for these structures they are used various materials. The most popular of them are slate and wood. In rare cases, metal is used. This type of bed can even be installed in the middle of the lawn. If you frame it in the form of paving stones or tiles, a raised vegetable garden with cucumbers will become a worthy decoration of your summer cottage.
As alternative solution It is possible to build a bulk hill on the territory that does not have a fence. You can take any length for such a bed; the optimal width is 1 m. You should not raise the ornamental garden to a height of more than 1 m. The air that remains in the voids formed between the elements of large organic matter provides good ventilation and promotes rapid heating of the soil.
To speed up the decomposition process of fertilizers, the soil is spilled with a solution saturated with special bacteria. The procedure is carried out twice a year. The first time the soil is watered with bacteria is in the spring. After treating the beds, you should wait at least a week before planting plants. The second time the soil is spilled in the fall after the crop is harvested. When the soil has already been treated with the composition, it should be loosened so that the soil is saturated with oxygen and the drug itself is evenly distributed.
How to make beds in the garden: video review of technology
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A dacha is not just a site for growing and harvesting crops. For many, this is a favorite place to relax and implement ideas for. Often the method of planting vegetable crops is relegated to the background, but this is not correct, because the appearance of the entire landscape largely depends on their interesting location and attractive appearance. This article tells you how to make beds for the lazy at your dacha in the easiest way. Photos and descriptions of the most good ideas, as well as ways of their implementation should help make your site comfortable and well-groomed.
Tall board structures for planting crops will be the highlight of any area
A garden bed is most often a fenced plot of land intended for growing a specific type of plant.
The main thing for a good harvest is fertile soil, correctly chosen planting time, and high-quality processing. However, in some cases you should pay attention to other factors:
- Orientation to the cardinal points.
For most crops this does not matter, but for example, rows of tomatoes and cucumbers must be positioned from north to south for a good harvest.
- Height.
If you want to harvest earlier than usual, you should install tall structures. They are not difficult to make (for example, you can assemble them from boards with your own hands without special tools in a short period of time), and the earth in them warms up faster.
When planning future beds, you need to know several aspects:
- Productivity of the selected crop (that is, how many plants grow on 1m2 of area).
- Compatibility of plants that you plan to plant in one area.
- Slate.
Typically, this material is used only if it is available (for example, left after a roof repair).
- Plastic.
The main feature of plastic is that it can be molded into any shape, so it is great for round or other curved fit options. In addition, it is not affected by precipitation and low temperatures, therefore it will last a long time without losing its original attractiveness.
Expensive and durable option.
- Natural stone.
It makes the most impressive sides that will last for many years. Unlike bricks, stones have irregular shape, which will allow you to design a landscape in an eco-style. Disadvantages of stone sides: high cost and gradual sinking into the soil under the influence of its own weight, so such a side must be periodically checked and corrected.
A well-made one made with your own hands from scrap materials will serve for many years, but for a good harvest, its correct location is also necessary.
Placing beds in the vegetable garden: how to arrange, photos, tips
From the proper arrangement of beds to summer cottage The quality and quantity of the harvest depends, so this issue should be given special attention. First of all, you need to know the following:
- Beds located on the cardinal points (from north to south) - good decision only for low plants on a flat horizontal area.
- If the site has a slope that cannot be leveled, the beds should be across it regardless of orientation.
- It is advisable to make the rows of one plant the same size. This will make it easier to calculate the amount of fertilizer, the degree of watering and planting.
- If there are slopes in different directions on the site, choose the south side (the crop will ripen faster on it).
In small areas there is often a lack of free horizontal space for planting. If this is your case, try one of the following ideas:
- Create vertical structures.
- Use unused objects (for example, a wheelbarrow, a barrel, etc.) to plant plants.
- Attach the garden bed to the seating area.
How best to make beds in the garden - options
Beds are classified according to design features, with the following types being distinguished:
- Traditional (level with the rest of the area, dimensions allow you to easily reach the center from any side (right or left)).
- High (30-40 cm above ground level, contribute to the fastest ripening of the crop).
- Deep (when installing, a trench 20-30 cm deep is dug, thanks to which the ground most often does not freeze, and planting can be carried out earlier).
- Narrow (for example, according to the Mittlider method, described in detail in the next chapter).
- Vertical (an excellent solution for small areas, but not all plants can be planted in this way).
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How to make beds from boards with your own hands
Now let's look at how to properly make garden beds from wood. This material is the most common when arranging beds. Board structures have the following advantages:
- Reliability.
The tree perfectly retains moisture inside the row, and also does not deform for a long time.
- Low cost.
This material is often left behind after construction. If you don’t have it, you can buy boards at a fairly low price.
- Easy to install.
The main thing is high-quality wood processing; if this is not done, insects and moisture will quickly destroy the structure.
- Attractive appearance.
Wood is a material ideal for eco-style beds.
The only drawback of board structures is their fragility (in comparison, for example, with plastic or brick). However, the ability to quickly and cost-effectively change them more than outweighs this.
How to make a bed from boards with your own hands: photos, dimensions, installation sequence
If you decide to do wooden structure, first of all you need to choose the type of wood:
- Oak or ash– hardwoods, the boards of which are perfect for in this case, however, their price is quite high.
- Pine– cheap, but short-lived. The service life of such a fence can be extended by periodic chemical treatment.
- Cedar or larch– the best price-quality ratio. Due to the presence of resin in the data coniferous trees, there is no need to process them.
- Acacia- Also great option for making beds.
What are the optimal sizes of board beds? First you need to decide on the height of the structure, which depends on the following factors:
- Features of the planted crop.
Some vegetables require a certain depth (for example, for potatoes, the planting depth must be at least 40 cm).
- Soil fertility.
If the soil is fertile, the sides can be made 10-15 cm high. If backfilling of fertile soil is required, 30 cm or more.
- Type of bed.
For example, warm ones are characterized by a height of 50 cm.
The most important parameter when arranging beds in a dacha is their width, since ease of use largely depends on it. If you make it too wide, it will be difficult to reach its center. Therefore, the maximum width is considered to be 100 cm.
In most cases (if the planned design does not have too much complex shape) it will not be difficult to make a bed from boards with your own hands. The size of the boards depends on the size of the future bed, but if you only have material of insufficient length, it doesn’t matter, several boards can always be joined along the length.
Procedure for constructing a wooden structure:
- Preparing the area.
On at this stage it is necessary to level and dig up the area for the structure.
For a rectangular structure, you need to connect 4 boards and attach support bars to them, which should be 20-30 cm longer than the future sides. They need to be sharpened a little with an ax on the free side (to make it easier to enter the ground).
- Installation of the structure.
We drive the structure into the ground, and it is important to use a level to achieve maximum evenness of the structure.
- Surface treatment of boards.
First of all, the surface is primed (to protect it from moisture and pests), then coated oil paint(optional, you can leave the wood color).
- Backfill.
The composition depends on the type of structure and the selected crop. But in all cases, the first layer should be drainage.
Most often, they try to plant only one crop in one area, but sometimes they practice joint landing vegetables in the garden. However, it is worth remembering that not all plants get along with each other. Therefore, below is a table of compatibility of vegetables in the beds.
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Interesting ideas come to mind for many summer residents and owners of private houses. In the article we will look at original photographic examples and several instructions for creating such beauty.
Mixed planting of vegetables in the garden: examples, photos
More and more summer residents are interested in obtaining not only a large harvest, but also an environmentally friendly one. Therefore, the question arises, how to achieve a high-quality harvest without resorting to chemicals?
An excellent solution is mixed planting of vegetables. After all, some cultures have a beneficial effect on each other. However, in this matter you should be extremely careful, since not all plants like any kind of neighborhood at all.
Thanks to the science of “allelopathy”, a table of the proximity of vegetables in the garden has been compiled, using which you can significantly reduce the use chemicals for pest control and fertilizer.
The proximity of vegetables in the beds - compatibility table
The table below reflects the compatibility of vegetables in the garden. Planting using this information will ensure a high-quality harvest with minimum investment funds.
Mixed planting of vegetables in the garden: examples with photos and tips
Each friendly or unfriendly neighborhood of vegetables in the garden has its own justification. For example, strawberries and onions make great neighbors. Onions protect the berries from rot and disease, and if you plant parsley nearby, they prevent the appearance of slugs.
Onions are also an excellent companion for most garden crops, as they protect them from pests. The most interesting neighborhood of this plant is with carrots. Both crops have their own pests - onion and carrot flies, and the first cannot stand the smell of carrots, and the second - onions.
Garlic is great for pest control and is therefore a good companion for most crops. However, it is not recommended to plant it next to plants of the legume family, since the latter are leaders in the intake of nutrients, and garlic needs quite a lot of them.
Growing crops together in the garden can be detrimental to other vegetables. For example, tomatoes cannot be planted with cucumbers, as they require different degrees of watering. Thus, the proximity of these two crops will create difficulties during processing (there will be a need for spot watering, which will take much more time and effort).
In addition to the properties of plants, it is necessary to pay attention to their size. For example, when alternating cabbage and radishes, the second crop will not receive enough sunlight, causing the quality of the crop to deteriorate significantly.
So, you have developed an ideal arrangement of all the vegetables in your summer cottage, but every year the harvest gets worse. What to do? It is necessary to ensure crop rotation.
Crop rotation table for vegetables in beds
Crop rotation is the organization of alternation of crops in the garden. Ideally, this process should be continuous and annual. However, in real conditions, achieving this is very problematic for the following reasons:
- There is insufficient information about soil contamination and the presence of pests in it.
- There is no time for precise calculations of the ideal landing option.
Why is crop rotation a must for a good harvest? Each crop has unique characteristics when it comes to obtaining nutrients. Someone is looking for them in surface layers soil (for example, a cucumber), someone, in search of water, sinks their roots several meters deep (for example, a watermelon). In addition, for the growth of each plant, it needs (to a large extent) different elements(for example, for tomatoes - phosphorus, for cabbage - nitrogen).
Now imagine that from year to year a certain layer of soil is depleted, and the content of precisely those substances that are necessary for a given crop decreases. To make it easier for you to decide how to alternate vegetables, below is a table of crop rotation of vegetable crops in the garden.
Important! The main thing is that the culture does not return to its original place for 3-4 years. During this time, the soil will have time to recover and accumulate required quantity nutrients.
How to make a bed for cucumbers in open ground: photos, methods
Cucumbers are a rather capricious crop that requires special care. Many people believe that it can only be planted seedling method, however, thanks to many years of selection, there are currently several varieties that can be planted directly in open ground.
First of all, it is necessary to prepare the beds for cucumbers in the spring:
- Choose the right direction of the rows - from north to south.
- Fertilize the soil ( best solutions – cow dung or chicken droppings, but if they are not there, any mineral fertilizer will do).
- Place sides (preferably at least 25 cm).
The main secrets of growing cucumbers in open ground are choosing the right planting time (from May to mid-June depending on the region) and choosing the right variety.
How to make beds for cucumbers - general features
In the case when seedlings are not used, grow a high-quality crop in the usual way (on standard beds) will not work. It is necessary to use one of the other methods of growing cucumbers in open ground:
- Arranging a bed with a bookmark.
- Installation of a warm bed (including a raised structure).
These methods are non-standard, so they are described below in detail to prevent errors during installation.
How to make beds for cucumbers in the garden with a bookmark
To set up a bed for growing cucumbers with a bookmark, you need to dig a trench 30 cm deep and fill it sequentially with the following layers:
- Branches and sawdust.
- Straw, leaves and compost (at this stage you need to fill everything with warm water).
- Sand.
- Organic waste (leaves, bark, etc.).
- Straw.
- Fertilizer (manure is best).
- Earth and humus.
- No dirt from the beds due to the presence of sides.
- High yield.
- Aesthetic appearance (you can make beautiful identical beds).
- Even faster warming of the soil, which means the harvest will appear earlier.
- Convenient (no need to bend over to care for cucumbers).
The main thing is to thoroughly compact each layer, otherwise the soil will turn out to be too loose, and you should not expect a good harvest.
Advantages of warm beds for cucumbers:
Raised beds for cucumbers in open ground
In unfavorable climate conditions, it is advisable to arrange raised (or high) beds 40-50 cm high (for convenience, you can make it higher). In this case, the sequence of layers remains the same as in conventional warm structures on the surface of the earth. Such designs have the following advantages:
How to properly arrange beds on a site for high yields
Owners summer cottages Over time, they notice that certain crops produce greater yields when planted in certain place vegetable garden But there is an opportunity to receive bountiful harvest regularly if careful planning of the land is carried out.
Land preparation
Initially, the area that you have chosen for the beds needs to be processed, dug up and plant debris removed. If there was previously a building at the chosen location that you demolished, you need to remove all construction debris, and there will be a lot of it: glass, wood chips and nails.
Source: Depositphotos
Planning a site is not difficult if you have a compass or exact landmarks of the cardinal directions
Ideally, of course, bring new land to such a site, because there is a possibility that the soil is no longer fertile.
The most important thing is to prepare the bottom layer of soil. If it is dense, then moisture will accumulate on it all the time, which is why the rhizomes of plants can rot. In order to loosen the soil, it is better to use a cultivator - this will be difficult to do manually. And give some soil for testing, so you will find out the acidity level, because there is a possibility that the soil is not suitable for growing crops.
How to arrange beds on the site
Correct placement of all crops on plot of land This will not only increase their productivity, but will also significantly reduce the number of sick and dead plants. This will also make it possible to reduce watering, and the ripening of vegetables, fruits and berries will occur much earlier. Many gardeners have also noticed that crops grown in a properly located area last much longer.
For proper zoning of land it is important:
- Draw up a schematic plan of the garden with the designation of all the buildings, shrubs and trees on it.
- List all types of crops proposed for planting and determine them according to their requirements for soil and climate best place for landing.
- Take into account the admissibility and priority of the proximity of different cultures.
- Schematically indicate on the plan the size of the beds and the plants that will be planted there.
This kind of work seems difficult to do. For it, you can hire a specialist in the field of landscape design, who can easily draw up required project. But it is not difficult to carry out such calculations independently. And having done this once, you can forget what a bad harvest is.
How to properly place beds according to cardinal directions
When deciding to arrange the beds correctly, taking into account the cardinal directions, the first question that arises is in which direction to extend them - from west to east or from north to south. It is important to take into account the region in which the land is located:
- In the central and northern regions, landing should be carried out in a direction from north to south. This way there will be enough light for all plants;
- IN southern regions The direction of planting crops should be from west to east. This will allow the plants to provide a little shade for each other and prevent the soil from overheating.
But placing beds on a site oriented to the cardinal directions is not always advisable. For example, north-south beds work well for low plants and horizontal section. In this case, there will be enough light and the water will not stagnate.
If this tall plants, then suitable option there will be an arrangement from west to east, so that the morning and evening rays of the sun can freely penetrate the rows of plants and illuminate each of them.
Source: Depositphotos
Your garden is located in a regular spawn zone strong winds? Landing must be carried out across the movement of air currents
When the site has significant unevenness, the beds in these places should be located exclusively across the slope. At the same time, the south side will be ideal for growing vegetables.
What to consider when planning
You have completed the first stage, but to go further and plan the location of the beds, you need to take into account some factors.
Lighting
Most crops love the sun and well-lit areas. Only some plants can grow in partial shade, e.g. onions. That is, in the garden bed on which the shadow of a fence, house or other buildings falls, you can plant it and some types of herbs. The harvest, of course, will be small, but other crops are unlikely to yield anything in a shaded place.
Culture compatibility
By planting a cucumber next to beets, you will get a good harvest of these vegetables. But cucumbers will not get along next to tomatoes - they have different preferences for soil moisture levels. Dill extends the fruiting period of cucumbers, and garlic and onions protect against pests. Legumes stimulate the growth of cucumbers. But there is a catch here too. Beans also stimulate the growth of potatoes, spinach, corn, radishes, radishes and basil. By the way, basil also helps legumes and fights weevil.
Good neighbors for tomatoes are onions, celery, lettuce, corn, radishes, garlic, radishes and spinach. And if you plant tomatoes next to cabbage, the cabbage butterfly will stop spoiling the harvest, because it cannot stand the smell of tomato tops.
Cabbage grows well with other crops, but its best neighbors are onions and potatoes. Also lettuce and celery: they drive away flea beetles from cabbage, and dill drives away aphids.
For example, plant onions or garlic among strawberries and you will forget about gray rot and strawberry weevil. And parsley planted along the edges of the bed will drive away slugs. In general, garlic is considered a good helper against pests - because of its smell, pests will not spoil the crops. Aphids react especially sharply to it: plant garlic, and it will disappear in a couple of days.
Beets, in turn, have a positive effect on the growth and development of beans, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes. And all due to the fact that its root vegetables secrete a liquid that has antibiotic properties. That is, beets not only stimulate growth, but also improve the health of crops, especially carrots.
The best neighbors for carrots, in addition to beets, are tomatoes, radishes, peas, lettuce, sage, parsley, spinach and onions. The most interesting thing is that there is a carrot fly and an onion fly. But carrots cannot stand the smell of onions, and onions cannot stand the smell of carrots.
What crops used to grow on the site?
Firstly, only beans, potatoes, tomatoes and strawberries can be planted in one area for several years, but others need to be swapped every year.
Secondly, consider what crops you planted that season. For example, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and legumes are recommended to be planted in the place where cabbage used to be. But you can’t plant pumpkins, radishes, carrots and cucumbers in its place.
Planning your beds is half the battle. In addition, it is very important to know how to alternate crops.
The goal of every gardener is to get the richest, high-quality harvest possible, using every square meter of plot. But these indicators do not always depend on the area of land being sown. It is much more important to properly organize the available space so that the harvests are pleasing and work in the garden is not so exhausting. And during the summer season, experience aesthetic pleasure from contemplating your own work. Properly laid out beds are not just strips of land with vegetables or herbs. The dimensions of the beds - length, height, width - provide maximum comfortable conditions for each crop, ease of site maintenance, plant care, harvesting.
Standard sizes of garden beds for different crops
Standard bed sizes vary within the following limits:
| With access from one side | With access from both sides | Path between the beds | |
| Width(cm) | 50–60 | 70–100 | 20–50 |
| Length (m) | 5–10 | 5–10 | |
| Height (cm) | 15–20 | 15–20 |
When choosing one size or another, they are guided by the requirements of the planting scheme (the distance between rows and between plants in a row).
Types of beds and their sizes
Agricultural technicians and amateur gardeners, summarizing the experience of cultivating crops in different regions, looking for optimal options organizing beds. Therefore, beginning gardeners have a wide choice. Taking into account his own needs, climatic conditions and the characteristics of a particular site, each summer resident will determine what type of planting site he needs.
Traditional
The most common type of domestic beds with standard sizes- a ten-meter strip of land, the width of which can reach 2 m. Up to 40 cm are allocated for paths between them. The construction of such ridges does not contain any intricacies: when digging a site, the earth is thrown back from the strips that will become paths. They are trampled down and the planting area is leveled with a rake. The disadvantage of traditional ridges is the impossibility of high-quality cultivation of plants in the center of a wide strip of land; these crops receive less sunlight and often do not have enough space.
Big
Large planting areas are allocated for potatoes, beans, pumpkins and zucchini, which do not require regular care and careful weeding initial stages growth. The width and length of such a garden bed are determined by the required volume of crops, but the total area exceeds 12–15 m2.
Kholmikovaya
A mounded bed for vegetables is similar to tall warm ones: rotting organic matter, placed in large quantities at the base of the hill, increases the soil temperature by several degrees relative to ordinary beds. For the device, a strip 1.90–2.0 m wide is measured, and the length depends on the choice of the landowner. The turf layer of soil is removed from the selected area, fertile soil is removed up to 30 cm deep. On the bottom - in a strip up to 0.6 m - boards, branches, twigs, stalks of corn and sunflower are laid. Sod and a large volume of organic matter are laid on this ventilation and drainage layer: leaves, weeds, rotted sawdust. This layer should be at least 20 cm.
Next, a mixture of immature compost, humus, peat, and straw is formed. 20 cm of fertile soil mixed with compost completes the construction of a hill, the height of which varies from 0.8 to 1.0 m and is considered the optimal size. The hill is prepared in the fall so that all layers settle and become compacted. As soon as the sun begins to warm up and the snow melts, cover black film, so that all layers warm up faster and the mechanism of decomposition of organic matter starts, which will result in internal heating of the earth.
Before sowing crops, a small groove is made in the center of the hill to collect and retain moisture. Any vegetables grow well in mounded beds. If there is a desire to combine crops, then tall crops are planted at the very top, and those that do not grow tall are planted below. This way all plants will have enough light. At the end of the season, the mound is mulched with a good layer of organic matter.
Over 5 years of service, the vegetable mound bed will settle, and completely rotted organic matter will become a source of fertile soil with a high humus content.
High
Raised beds are most in demand in regions with harsh climate, where spring is late and autumn comes early. High rise can extend summer season for almost a month. And in regions where flooding is possible on the site, this is the only option to cultivate garden crops without the risk of losing the entire harvest.
Everyone determines the optimal size of a high garden bed in accordance with their needs, but the ideal parameters for the combination of width and height are: width up to 150 cm, height – about half a meter. The width of the passage between the high beds should allow you to move freely with buckets and other equipment, freely mow the grass with a trimmer, place a bench for weeding in a comfortable sitting position, that is, the paths should be made at least half a meter wide.
The material for production can be very different: boards, slate, corrugated sheets, PVC panels, brick, natural or decorative stone. High beds are filled according to the same principle as mounded beds - in layers.
Deep
Planting vegetables, strawberries, and herbs in deep beds is effective in regions with dry, hot summers, where moisture does not linger in the area and the soil erodes. The principle of organization is the same as for tall ones, only the layers are laid not in a box of boards, but in a trench.
The optimal width of deep ridges is 0.9 - 1.0 m, and the distance between them should be at least half a meter. This width of the paths between the trenches allows each plant to receive maximum illumination and enough space for development, because in the final version the height of the beds is at ground level.
Narrow
More and more theorists and practitioners from vegetable growing agree that the size of the beds is of fundamental importance not only for the ease of their maintenance, but also for the efficiency of use. If it was ever believed that, than larger size beds and narrower paths, the more usable area. Experience shows that the right bed– high and narrow (the width of such a garden bed is up to 110 cm) with optimal sizes Row spacing is about half a meter.
Plants planted along the edges in a checkerboard pattern receive maximum light and do not compete with neighbors for space. Root systems plants do not compete in obtaining moisture and nutrition, and the summer resident does not break his back and bushes trying to reach the plants, because with such an organization the width of the beds is very convenient.
Maintenance of plantings in high narrow ridges is minimal, since it does not require digging. After harvesting, add a rich layer of organic mulch to the box, followed by compost in the spring. Charged according to the basic principle raised beds, they are ready for sowing much earlier than standard ones.
Beds using the Mittlider method
An American farmer, developer of his own bed system, Mittlider is a supporter of narrow beds in the vegetable garden. Correct sizes according to Mittlider - this is a maximum of 50 cm of planting area in width, earthen sides from 10 cm and above, and paths of 0.9–1.1 m. The length is not of fundamental importance, but the author advises to make all the beds the same length to make the work as easy as possible and width. To effectively implement the methodology, it is important to take into account the location of the site:
- the technology will not work in low-lying areas where flooding is possible;
- The beds should be as horizontal as possible to avoid problems with watering and washing out the soil.
In areas with a slope, if it is impossible to level the ground level, a vegetable garden-terrace is arranged, placing the beds in boxes made of boards in a “ladder” pattern. According to Mittlider, vegetables with a voluminous above-ground part - cauliflower and cabbage - are planted in a checkerboard pattern, and root vegetables in two rows.
Beds for greenhouses
The standard of beds in greenhouses is 3x6 – width 60 cm, height up to 40 cm, paths from 40 cm: this results in three beds with two row spacings. The central bed is surrounded by a path on all sides. This arrangement, in compliance with the specified dimensions, is most convenient for caring for plants and maintaining the land. Taking into account all the features of the area: climate, relief, wind rose, seasonal rains or drought, it is easy to choose suitable look beds or a combination of varieties so that working on the land is a joy.
