Baytree Garden Centre's tips on raised vegetable beds

In this week's Out in the Garden column, Baytree Garden Centre's Mark Cox explores the ways to get your own raised vegetable bed.

I’ve known David for a number of years now probably dating back to when I first moved to the area in the late 90s. David like many people I know has quite elderly relatives and his parents who were once both keen gardeners are finding it increasingly harder and he wanted to know what he could do to help them.

He could remember as a child his father tending his vegetable crop like a proud expectant father.

Fast forward 40 odd years and the once immaculate vegetable bed has gone and has now been replaced with a concrete patio.

I scratched my head for a bit as it was itchy and told David that he could always invest in a raised vegetable bed.

These raised bed stand on legs and raise the soil to a level where you don’t have to bend or stoop over.

Best of all these free standing beds are perfectly at home on a patio.

Most garden centres carry these vegetable containers and for around £100 including vegetable plants and compost you could restore your father’s proud expectant grin that you’ve not seen for many years.

I told David that putting the planter together really wasn’t difficult anyone with basic DIY skills could assemble it in less than an hour.

One you have the frame built line the planter with a porous line like such as a weed control fabric.

This liner will stop the soil from falling through any small cracks and spaces in the planter.

It is important also with a raised planter such as this to ensure there is adequate drainage for the soil so it is always a good idea to add blocks of polystyrene to the bottom of the container.

This will allow water to drain and it means that the container will not be full of heavy compost.

Jacks Magic which is an all-purpose compost, mixed with a little well-rotted farmyard manure would form a perfect soil into which your father could grow his vegetables.

At this time of the year it is not difficult to get vegetable plug plants so it’s just a case of heading to your nearest garden centre and choosing what you want to plant.

The great thing about plug plants is that they are already fully formed plants. They are not quite hardy yet as the end of March and the beginning of April can still be a little cold but with a little care your plants will thrive.

I didn’t hear back from David for a couple of weeks and I began to think the worst about what might have happened to his father, then this morning I received this photo.

I hope that come the summer that I might get an invite from David’s father to taste some of his produce.