Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter I: Introduction
Section 1: What is a Raised Bed?
The simplest definition of a raised bed could be soil that is piled up above the ground level,
but that level above the ground could be only about a foot. With an angle of repose of 30°
- 45°, dry soil can be piled up 1.2 - 2.0 feet high in the center of a four foot wide bed, but
there would be no additional soil depth at the edge of the bed.
Figure 1
shows dry soil piled
on top of the ground at a 30° angle without containment.
When the soil is wet, it will slump down and spread outside of the bed area. So, to add more
than a few inches of compost or soil above the surrounding ground level, it must be con-
tained to keep it from spreading out.
Figure 1.
Example of Soil Piled up at 30° Angle on top of the Ground.
Gardens have been grown for years without raised beds, so why go to all the trouble? Be-
cause there are many advantages of raised beds over traditional gardening.
