THIS spring we’re creating a new area of garden on the nursery to create more space for an ever-burgeoning plant collection but to also improve on the areas we’ve been using up until now for growing vegetables with it has to be said mixed success, writes TOM ATTWOOD. I say this because we’ve been growing everything at ground level which with some crops is always a gamble being easy access for some of the most persistent pests, paws and feet. I’ve worked in several vegetable gardens over the years and without doubt one sure fire way of improving yields is the use of raised beds. I like them in the first place as it means stooping is reduced, the taller you are the more you’ll embrace this method. Additionally, if you want to sit while weeding or sidle up to a glass of beer then you can. One other enormous plus is the increased depth of soil that you’ll be creating; whatever it is you’re growing this will make a tremendous difference particularly if you live in a stunningly beautiful yet soil deprived part of the county as we do.

The material you choose to make your raised beds from can be extremely varied as can the price tag depending on what choices are made. You need to think about how you wish to incorporate the beds into your garden. If they are completely out of sight and are a purely functional structure then the aesthetics are less important. Timber is a good solution but like all wood it will have a shelf life depending on the condition, size and whether or not it’s been treated. I used to run past a gargantuan site of allotments when I lived and studied in south west London and beds built using corrugated tin were order of the day for many of the allotmenteers; there is, however, a time and place for corrugated metal. Old scaffold boards are surprisingly long lasting and are good when your resources are limited.

Next week: I’ll look at other methods of creating the perfect raised bed