Raised Bed Greenhouses
Raised Bed Greenhouses ,Greenhouse beds, Greenhouse raised bed design, Raised bed gardening in a greenhouse,A raised Vegetable garden

Most often, two beds are made in greenhouses, on both sides of the aisle. BUT, this is good only if the width of your greenhouse does not exceed 2-2.5 meters. But what if you have a greenhouse 3 meters wide? This is the standard for an ordinary polycarbonate greenhouse.


How many beds do you need to make? How best to arrange them and what paths to make? In fact, everything is very simple, for a greenhouse 2 meters wide they make classic 2 beds on the sides and a passage between them. But at 3 meters, you guessed it, they make 3 beds and 2 passes. But there are options there as well. Let's consider them in more detail:

Raised bed greenhouse 2 and 2.5 meters wide


Raised bed greenhouse 2 and 2.5 meters wide

Surprisingly, the size of the beds is directly related to the size of the track! BUT, it seems strange only at first glance. In fact, greenhouses in which there are no pronounced beds at all (soil is simply poured all over) are the last century. It used to be like that, they put up a greenhouse, brought compost there, dug it up and trampled a path in the middle, and vegetables were planted on the sides. This option only seems simple: it is almost impossible to walk through such a greenhouse after watering, it is always dirty there. In addition, it is colder than a greenhouse with raised raised beds.

Therefore, we will make a greenhouse with raised beds and equipped paths! Those. according to all the rules, one that you can use for many years and enjoy.

So, back to the tracks: it is best to make them from tiles. Such paths are durable, will always be clean and comfortable to walk on. The standard size of paving slabs is 40x40x5 cm. You can use tiles of this size, but in a two-meter greenhouse it is better to make the path a little wider than 40 cm , especially if an elderly person uses the greenhouse. The width of the path should be such that you can put a small stool on it and get at least 2/3 of the beds from it. Therefore, it is better to make a path from tiles 60 cm wide (tile 60x30x8 cm) or at least at least 50 cm (tile 50x50x5 cm).

In this case, the size of the beds in a 2 meter greenhouse will be: (200-50)/2=75 cm or (200-60)/2=70 cm
In a 2.5 meter greenhouse: (250-50)/2=100 cm or (250-60)/2=95 cm

It is very difficult to care for beds 95-100 cm wide, having access to them only from one side. But it is almost impossible to place three beds in a 2.5 meter greenhouse, or they will be so narrow that it makes no sense.

Raised bed greenhouse 2 and 2.5 meters wide

Greenhouse options 2 and 2.5 meters wide

Raised bed greenhouse 3 meters wide

As we have already seen from previous calculations, making 2 beds (100-120 cm each) in a three-meter greenhouse is completely wrong. It will be very difficult to take care of them. But the need for 3 beds leads to the need for 2 tracks. Therefore, in this case, it is better to lay paths from tiles 40 cm in size (tile 40x40x5), since two such paths will already steal at least 80 cm from the width of the greenhouse from you. See our calculations:


The height of the beds in greenhouses and greenhouses

As a rule, the height of the beds is made from 10 to 30 cm. At the same time, the higher the height of the beds, the more often watering is required, but at the same time, the plants are warmer in spring and autumn. In addition, it is easier to lay foliage and other plant debris under high beds in the fall to provide warmth for spring plantings .

Most often, the height of the beds is tritely limited by the height of the material that you use to fence them. You can use boards, metal sheets, concrete curbstones, etc. for these purposes, read more about materials for beds in the material:

The height of the beds in greenhouses and greenhouses

In small greenhouses, up to 4 meters deep, you can save useful space and tiles if you enter the greenhouse from one side only, and make an additional bed on the other side.
At the same time, the door can be left and used for ventilation on hot summer days.

Raised Bed Greenhouses

The layout of the beds in the shape of the letter Ш (i.e. Gorgeous))))), in a greenhouse measuring 3 m by 4 m.
The paths are tiled with a size of 0.4 by 0.4 m.

Such a layout is not convenient in a greenhouse 3 by 6 m long. In this case, it is better to make 3 beds (the same size, 70, 80 (2 tiles of 40 cm per track) and 70 cm), but the central one will be shorter by 80 cm, than the side ones. 40 cm on each side will go to the input tracks.

Raised bed greenhouse 3 m wide and 6 m long

In a greenhouse 6 m long, you can make everything even more interesting and functional: on one side along the width of the greenhouse, make a classic path 40 cm wide (this will be a 4-tile path, turning into paths along the length of the greenhouse, as in the photo above in a 3 by 4 greenhouse m). And on the other hand, make a path 2 tiles wide and length across the entire width of the greenhouse.

What will it give? And this will give you a useful greenhouse area, 0.8 by 3 m in size (you can make it shorter by removing only 1 bed and leave the 2nd until the end of the greenhouse, i.e. then the usable area will be 0.8 by 2.7 m, or a width of 3 tiles and the size of the site will be - 1.2 by 2.7 m, there are many options).

In this area you can place

  • barrels of water (which are especially needed during cold periods to water greenhouse crops with warm water),
  • necessary tools
  • small racks for seedlings and rare crops.

Raised Bed Greenhouses

6m greenhouse with three rows of beds

What about plants in a greenhouse? What size beds do they need?

In fact, for plants, as well as for people, it is better when the beds are narrow. This provides them with better ventilation and reduces the number of diseases and pests in the greenhouse itself. By the way, it has been experimentally observed that in a hot summer the best harvest is obtained precisely on the middle bed, which is ventilated from both sides and is closer to the exit.

Raised Bed Greenhouses


FAQ

Can you turn a raised bed into a greenhouse?

Grow cool greens in winter by turning garden beds into cottages.  As a raised bed gardener living in an area with cool or even cold winters, you can easily increase your yields during the cold months by ringing your beds.


Should you use raised beds in a greenhouse?

For a greenhouse in winter, raised beds extend the growing season as the soil warms up earlier.  Raised beds also make pest control easier, help organize the garden and lay out paths, and prevent the need for tillage.  However, you can also consider shelves instead of raised beds.


How deep should a raised bed be in a greenhouse?

a raised bed does not have to be very deep to be effective.  Usually 8 to 12 inches is sufficient.  If drainage is a problem, or if the plants you are growing prefer drier soil, the bed can be taller and filled with a porous growing medium.  Vegetable beds should be 12 to 18 inches deep.



Learn More