A bed makes space for a wide variety of design options in your garden. Whether you want a colourful sea of flowering perennials or are planning on taking a step towards self-sufficiency with a vegetable patch, there are no limits to your creativity when it comes to creating and planting your bed.
We’ve put together some helpful tips on how to design and build a plant bed, and what you need to know to ensure you can enjoy it all year round.
There are various types of plant beds. Perennial beds and vegetable beds are two of the most popular garden beds you’ll find. Perennial beds are for ornamental garden plants, while a vegetable patch, on the other hand, promises a delicious yield of potatoes, cucumbers and more. For a striking design choice, an island bed, which is located in the middle of a lawn, is a great option.
The soil in the garden plays an important role when planning and building a plant bed. Is the soil very clay-heavy or is it sandy? What nutrients is it lacking? A soil analysis will reveal all this information. These analyses are not expensive and can easily be ordered via the internet. An analysis will help you avoid unnecessary fertilisation, which is advantageous because if soil is already sufficiently rich in nitrogen, for example, additional nitrogen could even have a negative effect on the soil and plants in the long term.
The general function of a border is to separate the bed from the paths and the lawn in the garden. The border also prevents grass from growing into the bed and visually separates the lawn from the bed. There are various materials that can be used to make a border. Here are a few suggestions for bed border materials:
One very traditional way to add a border to your bed is using stones. Basalt, sandstone or granite are suitable for this, for example, and all look beautiful. The stones are embedded in the ground to form a border for the bed. If you want to make sure the surrounding grass does not grow into the bed, it is best to place the stones in two rows, offset from each other
Simple wooden boards can also be used as a border for a bed, while fence trims made from woods such as robinia or hazel offer a more attractive alternative. One thing these natural bed borders have in common is the fact that they will weather over time and need to be replaced.
So you’ve selected the location, determined the size and decided what type of bed you want to create. Very good – now it’s time to prepare the bed surface and the soil. First, remove any overgrowth and weeds from the area. If you want to turn an area of lawn into a bed, you can loosen the turf and turn it over.
Loosen the ground with a fork. If the soil is very clay-rich and firm, it may be necessary to dig over the area. Work in some natural fertiliser and compost as you dig, to improve the soil. Bonemeal is also good for improving soil quality. Finally, level the soil with a rake.
You can find detailed instructions about soil preparation in our guides on vegetable patches and perennial beds.
How to go about planting depends on the type of bed. For vegetables, you can choose between seeds and young plants, which you can purchase from the DIY store or at a nursery. Seeds are cheaper than plants and offer greater diversity. To grow potatoes, you will need to sow seed potatoes. For a bed of ornamental perennial varieties, you usually place the plants directly in the bed, but flower bulbs are also a good option. Essentially, there are no limits to your creativity. However, you must pay attention to the location of the bed and its soil quality.
A raised garden bed is a decorative alternative to a traditional bed, and is also kind to your back. In our article, you will learn how to plant a raised bed and what to consider when planting beds in general.
Beds are a great addition to your garden, but you also need to take care of them so you will be able to enjoy them for a long time to come. We have put together a few basic tips for you. Watering beds is not that time-consuming if you follow a few simple rules.
Regular raking of the bed saves time and effort when watering. The raking loosens and changes the soil structure so that less water evaporates. Apart from that, how often you need to water your growing bed depends on what is in it. It is better to water generously and infrequently rather than little and often. Save water by using a water butt to collect rainwater for watering.
A vegetable patch should be left to rest for one season every three years. If the bed is continually cultivated, the soil quality may deteriorate over time and the soil can become depleted of nutrients. A short break prevents this and gives the bed an opportunity to regenerate.
A plant bed enriches your garden and offers a wide range of design options, whether you opt for a vegetable patch or a perennial bed.
When to plant beds can be well coordinated seasonally. Basically, the soil should neither be frozen nor too hot. Autumn or spring are ideal, although spring is usually recommended because then the bed can already be planted.
Which fertiliser is used for a bed depends on the bed and the plants growing in it. Fertiliser is then applied according to the soil conditions. Compost or natural fertiliser can be worked in as a preparation. Horn shavings can also improve the nutrient supply. A soil analysis provides clarity about the needs of the soil.
There are various options for edging beds. A simple border made of stones prevents the lawn from growing into the bed. Wooden or metal borders are also possible. Ultimately, bed edging is an aesthetic decision that should suit the garden.
When to dig up a bed depends on the type of bed. Basically, a bed should not be dug up too often, as this mixes the soil layers and the microorganisms living there have to reorganise themselves. Lightly raking the bed, on the other hand, can improve water retention in the soil.
The question of which plants can be planted in a bed depends entirely on the type of bed. If you choose a perennial bed, you bring together plants with similar site requirements. If a vegetable bed is planted, good neighbourliness between the vegetable varieties is important.
