Most fruit and vegetable plants feel just as comfortable in a raised bed as they do on the ground. To ensure that plants are provided with all the nutrients they need to grow, the right soil is an important indicator. Ideally, this is made up of four different layers: The organic materials become increasingly finer from bottom to top and ensure that high-quality humus forms in the raised bed, which nourishes your plants for years to come. We have summarized for you below why this is the case and how the different layers are made up.
A raised bed ideally consists of four different layers. These not only provide your plants with all the important nutrients, but also with heat that is generated by the rotting process – and should therefore enable earlier sowing and a better harvest. But what are the individual layers made of? This is what you will now find out (listed from bottom to top):
Depending on how big a raised bed is, different amounts of soil fit into it. Accordingly, you should adjust the four layers mentioned to the maximum filling quantity. The following information should serve as a guideline – based on a raised bed that is 75 to 80 centimeters high:
As already mentioned before, heavy feeders remove a large part of the nutrients from the top layer in the raised bed. In addition, it sags a little over time. Accordingly, you should refresh and fill the soil again before the next gardening season – ideally with new, peat-free raised bed soil (approx. 20 cm high). However, before you take this step, it may make sense to remove part of the planting layer and enrich the rest with fresh compost or horse manure.
And one more note at the end: If you cover the raised bed with grass cuttings or leaves before the onset of winter, new humus soil can already form through the organic filling material.
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