Compost or soil suited to the method
Containers and beds above ground need a mix that drains and still holds water. Garden soil alone compacts in a pot.
Raised beds
Raised beds: what it suits, what it costs you in effort, and the plants that do well in it.
23 grow best · 12 grow well
What it is
Framed beds filled with soil mix; warmer, better drained, easier on the back. The plants below are the ones recorded as doing well this way, rather than everything that will merely survive it. Watering is the thing that changes most: the less soil a plant has around it, the less margin there is when a hot week arrives.
What you need
A watering plan
Anything off the ground dries faster than open soil. Decide how it will be watered in July before you plant in April.
Honest light
Watch where the sun falls across a day. Six hours of direct light opens up fruiting crops; below three, grow leaves and herbs.
What tends to go wrong
Drying out faster than you can keep up with
- Watering
- Volume
Almost always too small a volume of compost. Bigger containers, grouped together, mulched on top.
Growth stops in midsummer
- Nutrition
Compost is exhausted after six to eight weeks. Start liquid feeding rather than repotting mid-season.
Water runs straight through
- Compost
The compost has dried and shrunk from the sides. Stand it in water until it takes up weight again.
Roots circling the bottom
- Pot size
Pot bound. Move up a size, and tease the outer roots loose so they grow outward rather than round.
Frequently asked questions
What grows best in raised beds?
Best results come from asparagus, basil, beets and bell peppers. The full list is above.
Is it more work than growing in the ground?
Every method above ground needs more watering than open soil, because there is less reserve to draw on. That is the trade for the control it gives you.
Grows best here
The plants that do best in this space.
Also grows well
Reliable here with ordinary care.
Possible, with care
Worth trying if you can give them what they need.