Back-gentle gardening in the high bed
High beds are popular alternatives to ground-level beds in the garden. In an interview with the dpa-Theme Service, Austrian agricultural scientist and garden book author Doris Kampas explains what is important in construction and how vegetables are grown in it.
Why is it worth gardening in the high bed?
Doris Kampas: A high bed can yield twice as much as a soil bed. Due to its special filling, it provides the plants with more nutrients and warms up faster in spring. With an essay you can harvest all year round. It's also a very convenient way to garden because you don't have to bend over.
From which material do you build a high bed?
Kampas: Wood from sustainable forest management is my personal favorite because it is a natural material. But here, too, there are differences: pine wood is cheap, but weathered very quickly. Larch, on the other hand, is naturally very durable and does not need to be impregnated. In the long run, it is therefore cheaper and is best suited as a material.
High beds can also be built from clinker or quarry stones, which can be grouted with a little mortar. Or you can be creative and build it out of pallets, old wine or baker's boxes. An old bathtub or wheelbarrow can also be transformed into a high bed.
What material do they advise against?
Kampas: Metal high beds made of aluminium are not very ecological, as their production is very energy-intensive. High beds made of plastic are also unecologicalandly processed and often cheaply processed.
What is the ideal size for a high bed?
Kampas: A high bed should be built in such a way that you can garden comfortably in it. The height depends on the height: In adults between 1.60 and 1.80 meters tall, the high bed should be between 80 and 85 centimeters high, in larger people between 100 and 110 centimeters. A high bed with a height of 40 to 50 centimetres is suitable for children or for anyone who wants to grow tomatoes or bar beanins in it - otherwise you need a ladder for the harvest.
If the high bed is worked on both sides, it should be between 100 and 120 centimetres wide, so that you can work well from both sides. Two to three metres are ideal for length. In the case of longer high beds, the wood will not withstand the pressure of the earth.
What comes into a high bed - just earth?
Kampas: The filling consists of several layers, preferably with material from the own garden. An 85 centimetre high high bed is first poured half loosely with shrub and tree cutting. Thuja, conifers or bark mulch are not suitable. They acidify the soil.
This is followed by a 15 centimetre thick layer of lawn cutting and perennial residues, which are mixed with old soil so that it does not mould. Apart from quecke, farm winds and other root weeds, weeds can be used here without any problems, as long as they do not carry seeds.
Next, fill the whole thing with 10 centimeters of compost and cover the bed with foliage. In autumn, the high bed stays that way, so that everything can settle over the winter. In spring, the high bed is filled with 10 centimetres of grass and compost. The top layer consists of 20 centimeters of earth.
Do I have to do something different when planting than in usual beds?
Kampas: In principle, the planting of a high bed is no different from that of a soil bed. However, many tend to put the plants too dense. However, it is absolutely necessary to maintain the distances so that the plants can develop properly. If you want to plant your high bed in autumn or early spring, you should use an early bed attachment.
