You would like to build or buy a raised bed and are unsure of which material? The following article provides an overview of the most common materials and explains the advantages and disadvantages.
Gardening in raised beds is on everyone's lips and the selection of prefabricated raised beds is immense. While the first raised beds were made of wood, modern raised beds come in a wide variety of materials and adapt to almost any garden style.
But do the materials live up to their promises? In this article, we'll take a look at the different raised bed materials and the pros and cons of each.
Advantages of Raised Beds
Raised beds are particularly suitable for people who have difficulty bending down or other problems with their knees and back. If you build your own raised beds, you can adapt them optimally to your own height and garden again without any problems. Another advantage of raised beds is that snails and voles have little chance of destroying the harvest if the beds have been properly lined beforehand.
The materials at a glance
But which materials are particularly suitable for a raised bed? And what are the advantages over other materials?
Raised beds made of wood
Apart from stones, wood is the most natural building material and is still the classic when it comes to building raised beds. The offer is correspondingly varied and different. But so are the differences in quality.
Many inexpensive entry-level models are made of softwood such as pine and spruce, which is not nearly as durable as hardwood. This in turn is much more robust, but also more expensive. Commonly used hardwoods are oak, larch and Douglas fir. Unfortunately, the boards on inexpensive models made of wood are usually thinner, which can reduce their durability.
Wood is much more susceptible to external influences than other materials and should therefore be coated once a year. On the other hand, it can also look very nice if the raised bed has a patina and no longer looks like it was freshly built.
As an alternative to ready-made raised beds, you can look at thesebuild it yourself. In addition to boards, whole logs or demolition wood from the attic can also be used, for example. However, it is important to take a close look at whether and with what the wood was treated.
If you want to build a raised bed yourself, you should follow good instructions so that you can enjoy the raised bed for many years to come. You can find step-by-step instructions for a raised bed on the Bauen.de website. There you will learn how a raised bed is constructed and filled and which plants can then be placed in the raised bed.
Stone Raised Beds
Stone raised beds can be designed very individually. Almost any desired floor plan can be easily realized with stones. It doesn't matter whether the raised bed is built with found field stones or purchased natural stones, whether it is round or square.
Stones are robust, durable and completely insensitive to weather influences. If they are simply stacked and not further plastered or grouted, they also provide shelter for insects and other useful helpers.
Depending on the size and scope of the raised bed, obtaining the right stones can be very time-consuming and sometimes cause high transport costs due to the weight. On the other hand, stones, no matter what type of design, fit very harmoniously and naturally into their surroundings.
Metal Raised Beds
Meanwhile, materials such as stainless steel and aluminum have found their way into raised bed design. While raised beds made of stone or wood often have a rustic look and are more likely to be placed in the garden, raised beds made of metal are also suitable for use near the house or directly on the terrace.
Whether you buy cheaper raised beds with thinner walls or invest in more expensive raised beds with slightly thicker walls - metal raised beds often appear light and playful and therefore fit well into the individual patio design.
If you prefer a raised bed made of metal, you should definitely find out about the acquisition costs in advance. These can be a lot higher than raised beds made of stone or wood. There is no need for repairs or maintenance and you will enjoy your raised bed for many years.
Plastic raised beds
After plastic decking has found a place in many gardens, there are now plastic raised beds.
At first glance, you cannot tell the difference between high-quality plastic raised beds and those made of wood.In the case of inexpensive models, however, it is often quickly apparent that they are made of wood.
But most plastic materials are very weather-resistant and can be used for many years without maintenance. Modern plastics also have UV protection, so that even intense sunlight can no longer cause any damage.
Plastic raised beds are usually assembled using the plug-in system, which can easily be done alone. Due to their low weight, the raised beds can be moved around more easily than is the case with stones and wood.
The price of plastic raised beds is about the same as that of wooden raised beds, but they are often cheaper.
Raised bed made of gabions
Whether as a bench or garden fence, gabions are very popular thanks to their wide range of uses. So now raised beds can also be made of gabions. The matching wire frameworks are available in different sizes, so that a quite individual implementation is possible.
If you want to use gabions for the construction of the raised bed, you should consider that the bed should be planned accordingly large. Depending on the model, the wall thicknesses of the gabions are sometimes quite pronounced and the actual bed area may then appear too small.
The wire mesh can be filled with different stones and in turn form a habitat for beneficial insects. As with the garden fences, the gabions can be filled with LED stones, making the raised bed a highlight in the evening garden.
Gabions offer so many extension and design options that seating can be easily installed in or near the raised bed.
Here, too, it is important to find out about the purchase and transport costs of the stones in advance so that there is no rude awakening afterwards.
Mix of materials for raised beds
In addition to the materials presented above, there are raised beds that combine the advantages of different materials.
There are raised beds made of wood, for example, whose feet are in aluminum sleeves and are thus protected from moisture and direct contact with the ground. Or durable plastic is reinforced with metal around the edges for greater overall strength.
The mix of materials also allows constructions that look very light. In turn, these raised beds are ideal for the terrace, so that you can quickly fetch herbs for the kitchen without coming across a bulky raised bed.
Small raised bed models, which are intended for small flower or herb plantings, are sometimes equipped with rollers and can therefore be set up flexibly. In this way you can optimally adapt the planting and location to the respective season.
Conclusion
The large selection of raised beds enables a wide variety of individual applications. Regardless of the style in which you set up your garden, you can almost always find a suitable raised bed. If you're on a tight budget for a raised bed, you'll be just as able to achieve your dream as someone with a bigger budget.