High beds in the country house with their own hands. Why are they needed?

Advantages of high beds

The main advantage of loose beds is the possibility to place a larger number of plants and vegetable crops in a small area. Thus, summer residents increase the yield of strawberries, cucumbers, medicinal, fragrant herbs. But this is not the only attractive side. There are lots of other advantages in the high vegetable gardens on the site:

• the loose beds can be filled with a purchase, ideally suited for a specific garden crop, with soil;
• the ability to regulate the thickness of the soil under the root system of a particular plant;
• bulk gardens are easier to dig up and weed;
• arrangement of elevated beds is not tied to the terrain of the site - they can be broken down anywhere;
• on raised garden gardens can be planted earlier, as the soil warms up more quickly;
• on loose gardens, the soil remains friable longer, allowing the root system to breathe better;
• high beds are ideal for stretching plants that can simply hang from the edges of the embankment, forming fruit tiers;
• , depending on the material, you can create not only practical and comfortable bulk beds, but also make them a designer "piece" of the garden, arranged in the form of a mosaic;
• on the high beds, filled with purchased soil, there is almost no weed, and the soil is not exposed to infection with fungus and mold.

Types of high beds

Summer residents distinguish several types of tall gardens. They differ not only in the material from which they are made, but also in functionality. Some types of loose beds can be made without using building materials and tools, and for others you will have to apply building skills.

Types of loose beds:

• With a triangular section.
• Trapezoidal high beds.
• Multi-level high beds.
• Decorative high vegetable gardens.

Materials for the equipment of high gardens

Modern building materials allow creating high beds in the country house without much trouble. But keep in mind that slate, cinder or wood treated with antiseptics, have high toxicity and can be harmful. If you use these materials, then before installing on the bed, it's best to wrap them with a thick film.

Wood( boards, beams).

This is the most eco-friendly material that is inexpensive and there is in any country house. Borders for beds can serve, as boards, and logs or a beam. The main drawback of the wooden perimeter is that it quickly undergoes rotting, cracking and cracking. If you chose this option, do not rush to treat boards or logs with an antiseptic, but rather wrap them with a garden film.

Branches.

From tree branches many summer residents create beautiful, decorative high beds in the country. Such structures look very effective, but braided from the branches of the board do not hold the ground well and are short-lived.

Stone.

The stone buildings look spectacular in any dacha section. In addition, it is a very durable material that allows you to lay out to build tall gardens of any shape - round, square, oval, triangular. The main difficulty in creating high stone gardens is the high cost of the material. But, if there are natural deposits of stones nearby, then boldly take them to the site and build a garden.

Brick.

High brick gardens are perfect for creating a summer garden with a classic style. Such beds are perfectly combined with a brick house and a fence. This kind of material will require financial costs, and to create a beautiful, original masonry, you need to have certain building skills.

Plastic.

Often you can see in the gardens of gardeners high vegetable gardens of large and medium plastic containers, as well as plastic panels of different colors and thicknesses. It is very user-friendly and durable material. But when buying a container or sheet plastic, ask if there is a marking on the non-toxicity or the corresponding mark in the certificate of quality. Often in shops you can find inexpensive plastic products that can not be used next to food.

Width, height and length of bulk gardens: important parameters when planning

Height.

At what height to arrange high beds in the country, each horticulturist decides, depending on their own preferences, the volume of the root system of plants, the characteristics of the main soil.

• the minimum height of the bed is 15 cm;
• , when isolated from the main soil, increase the height to 30-40 cm;
• the warm raised kitchen gardens should be not below 50 sm as on its bottom it is necessary to lay a compost a layer to 20 sm;
• narrow beds can be raised to a height of half the human growth, such designs allow you to care for plants and harvest without bending down.

Length.

This parameter is not limited to anything other than site boundaries. But if the tall garden is too long, further strengthen its sides so that the soil load does not break them.

Width.

With the arrangement of high vegetable gardens on the site, remember, the main thing is that they should be comfortable for any agrotechnical work. You should not have difficulties in watering, feeding, weeding or harvesting. Therefore, the ideal width of the bed should be such that you can safely reach its middle, and if the bed is attached to a higher design, then it should be convenient to work, standing on one side. Optimum width - 90-120 cm.

. On the raised beds you can grow absolutely any plants. But the peculiarities of high vegetable gardens are such that it is better to refrain from placing plants with high stems, since it will be inconvenient to collect fruits from them. As a rule, cucumbers, tomatoes, root crops, strawberries, peppers, all kinds of fragrant greens, flowers are planted on loose beds.

High bulk beds in the form of a trapezoid

The principle of creating a high bulk bed in the form of a trapezium is very similar to that described above. In order that it does not collapse, the edges of the bed are sometimes covered with boards, slate fragments or plastic, but experienced summer residents prefer not to do so. Unopened soil surfaces are better heated by the sun's rays, and the root vegetable crops on this bed are "breathing".For most garden plants, the optimal width of the planting surface is 70 cm. For root crops, the height of the garden should be at least 50 cm, the remaining plants are quite enough from 20 to 30 cm.

Multi-tiered high beds and their advantages

Such landing surfaces are formed from ridges of different heights. Many-tiered high beds and vegetable gardens significantly save the country territory and allow to get a bigger harvest of .Equip such beds with metal or wooden structures in the form of boxes or boxes with a bottom, into which the soil is buried.

The peculiarity of such ridges is that planting should take into account plant preferences in the amount of sunlight. More photophilous plants are planted in the upper tiers, and those that easily carry the shadow - in the lower.

Competent arrangement of multi-storey high vegetable gardens gives an opportunity to get a variety of vegetables, berries and flowers, even in a small area. And the quality material chosen for the construction of the sides will last several years.

How to build a high bed of wood. Step-by-step instruction

If you seriously decided to create a decorative style on your backyard with raised beds, then you need to come to work with all responsibility. First you need to plan a place. Choose well-lit areas on which plants will be comfortable.

It's the easiest to build high vegetable gardens from wood. Suitable thick boards or timber. In this case, experienced truck farmers prefer to make a small blind on the outer perimeter of the bed. The contour along the edge of the board side not only gives a neat appearance to the bed, but also allows you to gently and without hassle cut the lawn with a lawn mower or garden trimmer.

For construction of a high garden you will need the following tools:

• tape measure;
• level;
• screwdriver;
• wood screws;
• brush;
• shovel;
• trowel.

Prepare sawed-off beds of boards, sand-cement mix for solution, drainage filler, mulch and soil, and also use our detailed instructions that will tell you how to build a high bed in the country.

The first level.

Remove the layer of soil along the perimeter of the future bed and set the boards so that they stand smoothly - check the level. To level the height of the edges, you can clean the ground under the boards or put the planks under them. Check roulette length of diagonal sizes, it should be the same. If the height of the boards is the same, and the diametrical dimensions are the same, fix the corners with long self-tapping screws.

Height increase.

The required number of rows of boards is added to the desired height. At the same time, they should be stacked on the previous row with the edge so that the corner joints are lapped. The joints are also fastened with screws.

Filling the bed with natural material.

To minimize the germination of weeds, as well as to protect the soil from pests, mold and fungus, experienced gardeners use geotextile .It is spread on the bottom of the structure. If you do not have this material, put a simple newspaper on the bottom.

The next step is to fill the with .In the form of drainage, you can use any absorbent, pebble or rubble, as well as fragments of brick, stone or ceramics. Over the drainage composition, the soil is covered. At this stage, you can already plant the prepared seedlings. All the surface of the beds and the intervals between the plants are covered with mulch, which will keep the soil moist and protect the roots of plants from possible frost.

We make a blind area around the bed.

First you need to make a markup around the structure. If you use brick , then baste the bricks at a distance of one width of the brick from the board boards and tighten the lanyard. Now you need to remove the turf around the high bed. The depth of the trench should be several centimeters greater than the height of the brick.

Pour cement grout into the groove around the wooden boards and lay bricks, tapping them with a rubber mallet. In the intervals between the bricks, also lay the mortar and evenly distribute it, and remove the surplus trowel or a hard brush.

Strawberries on high beds

High vegetable gardens on the site are especially liked by connoisseurs of garden strawberries in the cold regions of the country. But for summer residents from southern regions, this way of growing a sweet berry is not suitable, because even in spite of abundant mulching, moisture from high beds quickly drains and the root system lacks food.

A high bed for strawberries is built at a height of not less than 15 cm. A bushes of strawberries are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other. All the soil surface is sprinkled with ordinary baking soda, which will help protect berries from yet another of its connoisseurs - ants. The ground is covered with agropan or is abundantly mulched. If you use agrospan, then do not forget to fasten it, sprinkling the soil around the edges, or stuck a hairpin into the ground.

High beds help to protect strawberries from frost, extra weeds, pests. This is an excellent option, for those who want to grow a fragrant berry in not exactly suitable climatic conditions.

Cultivation of carrots on high beds. Video of