Whether you’re planting outside or inside a greenhouse, raised beds are a great addition to any yard or balcony. Not only can you plant herbs, spices and vegetables on a small surface (hello, exotic smelling balcony), it’s also easily set up and allows you to get growing right away. Whether you want to plant seeds or baby plants, a raised bed will allow even a novice gardener to grow some yummie greens.
When you have a greenhouse, you can grow crops in a raised bed all year long! Let’s take a look at how to use raised beds in a greenhouse!
Advantages of raised garden beds in a greenhouse
There are plenty of advantages you’ll get to experience when doing raised bed gardening.
Better organization: When you tend to get a bit carried away while planting in your greenhouse (like I do), it can get messy with pots and plants all over the place. A raised bed helps you keep track of what you’ve planted where and allows you to group similar plants. I for example have a herbs and spices raised bed, a lettuce raised bed and a fruit raised bed.
No pests: Greenhouses work wonderfully for preventing pests from getting to your hard work. When placing your plants in a raised bed, you have even less of a chance of bugs eating away your plants. Pots on the ground can sometimes still be invaded by slugs and other ground bugs, even though it seems impossible, they still find ways to enter your greenhouse.
Better drainage: The more elevated your garden bed, the better the chance that gravity will do the work and help drain your soil of any excess water. Overwatering can harm your crops and in pots you need to be extra careful for water to accumulate. A raised bed will decrease the risk of overwatering.
Less back-breaking work: Ah yes. Gardening can be hard work. Almost to the point where it can be detrimental to your back thanks to all that bending over. No need to give up gardening because you have back or knee problems! A raised bed in your greenhouse will allow you to grow your crops year round.
The only disadvantage of gardening with raised garden beds (inside or outside a greenhouse), is the cost. The initial investment of a raised bed is obviously higher than when you’re just buying some plant pots. However, a well built raised bed will last you many years and offers you so many advantages during that time. Are you a handy (wo)man? Build your own raised bed and control the cost!
Raised beds vs shelves
Most greenhouses are organized with shelves, and raised beds might be a little less common. In our opinion, a combination of both will allow you to optimally use the available space. When you just use shelves, you have the option to move your crops around, but they won’t receive an equal amount of light. In a raised bed, you create a very constant condition for all plants, which will have a positive effect on their growth. When your greenhouse is large enough, you can put shelves on the sides (or on one side) and place one or two raised beds in the middle of your greenhouse. Make sure you have plenty of room to move around though!
Hoop houses: What are they?
Hoop houses are temporary greenhouses that you can use while you are growing your garden during the winter months. Their purpose is the same as any other greenhouse. It will have the ability to provide a warm, temperature-controlled environment for your plants. Plus, it provides you with excellent insulation on colder days. And when the weather warms up, you can easily tear them down and instantly give them the same environment that you’ve used outdoors.
The good news is hoop houses are not as expensive to build as a full-scale greenhouse. All it takes are three things: PVC pipes, plastic sheeting, and some stakes. That’s it. To build a hoop house, simply make measurements for the desired size and plant the stakes alongside your raised beds. Then bend the PVC piping and place them over the garden beds themselves. Wrap the piping around with the plastic sheeting and you should be in business.
Obviously your plants won’t receive the same kind of protection in a hoop house as in a greenhouse. They will be protected against mild winter conditions, such as light rain, but as soon as the temperature gets too low, frost can still destroy your plants. When you live in a climate with mild winters, a hoop house can offer sufficient protection to allow your plants to survive winter.
Building a raised bed
While we choose to purchase our raised garden beds, because we don’t want it collapsing after a couple of months (which tells you more about our DIY skills than it does about building your own raised bed), it’s perfectly possible to build a raised bed yourself. Take a look at this video if you’re thinking about building a raised bed: How to build a raised bed cheap and easy, backyard gardening.
Planting in a raised bed
You can grow pretty much anything in a raised bed, but there are some plants that really benefit from the controlled conditions a garden bed offers them.
- The easiest option for raised beds is to create a little herb garden, perfect for beginners! As herbs don’t need much room, it allows you to combine many different kinds on a small surface. Basil, chives, dille, thyme, … We have a raised bed in our greenhouse, purely dedicated to herbs and we love taking a pair of scissors and a bowl while cooking dinner to add homegrown basil or thyme to our dish.
- Lettuce and spinach are also a good and easy choice to plant. They love raised beds, as they need soil that’s not too wet.
- Root vegetables, such as carrots and beets will thrive in a garden bed, they need gentle soil, free of rocks, to optimally grow.
- Some plants require a lot of nutrients, such as onions and tomatoes. Because of the controlled environment a raised bed offers, you can add plenty of compost to give them the best circumstances. Take into account that onions need a long time to grow, so these will grow even better in a raised bed inside a greenhouse, as this will extend the growing season.
What kind of raised bed do I need?
We mostly use raised beds in our greenhouse, but most raised beds will work great both inside and outside a greenhouse.
Raised garden beds usually come in metal or wood. A wooden raised bed has a more natural look and will usually last you 10 to 15 years. Metal raised beds are the most durable and can last 20 to 25 years. Price wise there’s very little difference. There’s cheaper and more expensive options on both ends. To be honest, it’s mostly a question of taste… We prefer the wooden raised beds because they fit nicely in our yard and greenhouse. When you’re more into an industrial look, steel is your way to go!
Another decision to make is whether or not you want your raised garden bed to be elevated. You can place raised beds on the ground, but you can also choose a higher model. The advantage of an elevated one is that it’s even better for your back and knees and the slugs will have a harder time reaching your plants. However, if you’re looking for a larger raised bed, it will always be a lower model. The elevated garden beds are more suited for smaller surfaces.
The best raised beds for greenhouses
As you know, we like to share our favorite products! If you have any questions or recommendations for us, we’d love to hear from you!
Wooden raised beds
- LARGE PLANTING SPACE: Designed with a long bed space (5CuFt) deep enough to provide your plants and vegetables with ample room to breathe and grow healthy
- PROPER DRAINAGE: Allows excess water to drain out, keeping soil fresh and protecting plants from waterlogging or mineral buildup
- ALL-WOOD CONSTRUCTION: Naturally durable Chinese fir wood provides a water- and weather-resistant structure while optional foot caps discourage absorption and breakdown
- 【Selected Materials】: This garden bed is made of solid wood without painting. The boards are well sanded to prevent any undesired injury caused by wood splinters. 1.5 cm/ 0.6’’ thick solid wood boards are joined and fixed by screws, making it a durable piece for your long-term use.
- 【3 Tiers Design】: This elevated planter provides 3 growing areas for different plants or planting methods. Each tier is connected with wood plugs, which allows this 3-tier garden bed to be easily transformed into 3 single separate growing beds in different sizes if needed.
- 【Large Capacity Makes Healthy Growing】: The divider boasts ample space for soil and plants. With adequate amounts of soil, plants will have spacious space to develop their roots and grow lush.
- 【Natural & durable material】: The garden bed is made of solid wood without paint. The boards are sanded well to prevent any undesired injury caused by wood splinters.
- 【Flexible setout】: With this practical garden bed planter, you can grow two different plants or try different planting methods at the same time, or remove the middle partition to have a whole box as you need.
- 【A single piece of side plate】: Comparing to other planting beds that have several small pieces of wooden plates at the side, our planting raised bed has a piece of complete side plate at each side of the garden bed. This single-piece design makes the whole structure very stable, and the installation very easy.
- ASSEMBLE IN MINUTES: No Tools! Our outdoor planters are among the easiest beds/boxes to assemble. Enjoy easy assembly in minutes!
- HOME GARDENING: This raised planter is the best way to start your garden in your backyard or patio. Perfect for your choice flowers, small vegetables and much more!
- STRONG DESIGN, FARMHOUSE FEEL: Its classic whitewashed vinyl design will add a stylish pop to any yard. Vinyl is strong, durable, abrasion and moisture resistant and is the world's most versatile plastic, making it an excellent substitute for cedar wood/wooden designs.
Metal raised beds
- NO MORE SORE BACK: At 3-feet high, this raised garden bed is at a height that your back will enjoy. Designed for you to stay in your garden for much longer and enjoy it.
- STRESS-FREE ASSEMBLY: Most customers tell us they can assemble the garden bed in less than an hour. Tips include using a helper and reading the helpful reviews below.
- GALVANIZED STEEL : Now our raised garden bed comes with a much easier to remove clear plastic film. We read your reviews and made the change. Thank you!
- SIZE: 40-1/2" L x 15-1/2" W x 31-1/2" H overall, planting box: 37-1/2" L x 15-1/2" W x 8" deep, holds about 2.5 cubic feet soil, provide ample growing space to raise vegetables, herbs, flowers and plants
- ERGONOMIC: Elevated raised planter box with legs eliminates the need to bend over, making gardening convenient. Raised garden bed on wheels, move to anywhere you want, with handy shelf holds accessories or tools
- METAL: Made of stable galvanized steel raised garden bed with anti-rusty grey coating, not made of wood which may rot. It can place outside or indoor for long time use
- ✔ SIZE: 96''(L) x 48''(W) x 12''(H), provide extra large growing space to raise vegetables, herbs, flowers and plants
- ✔ DURABLE: Made of stable thickened galvanized metal, strengthen crossbar with anti-rusty coating for long-time use
- ✔ OPEN BOTTOM: Sits on the ground garden bed, provide good drainage, keep weeds away from soil, defense against pests, and protect your plants
Photo source: Rhino Garden Supply
