LINK-A-BORD - SIZE MATTERS!
When purchasing your Link-a-Bord kits or components, it's important to remember that the actual dimensions of the assembled bed will be greater than the length of the boards. This is because the size of both the corner and straight links is added to the board length (which, incidentally, are exactly 0.5m or 1m in length). If you've plenty of space then you're probably not too bothered about a few centimetres here and there - but if you're trying to squeeze a bed into the tightest corner of the garden, it might make all the difference!
To help you plan you garden and ensure any kits you are interested in purchasing will fit, we've compiled this handy guide to the exact sizes of the four Link-a-Bord kits...
Link-a-Bord Bed Size
Internal Dimensions
External Dimensions
0.5m x 1m
0.54m x 1.03m
0.58m x 1.075m
1m x 1m
1.03m x 1.03m
1.075m x 1.075m
2m x 1m
2.05m x 1.03m
2.1m x 1.075m
3m x 1m
3.07m x 1.03m
3.12m x 1.075m
And we haven't forgotten those of you who might be planning a bed using the individual components! As rough guide, add on 20mm to the internal size for every corner and straight link, and 40mm for each corner on the external and you shouldn't go far wrong!
PLANTING INFORMATION
We've also compiled a quick guide to the depth of raised bed you'll need to grow favourite Kitchen Garden crops. This list is by no means definitive but if you're unsure of how many tiers to go for, the over-riding advice is to go deeper - this gives you the flexibility to grow a wider variation of vegetables in the future and also helps with crop rotation. Here's that list;
Vegetable Type
Depth of Bed Required
Number of Tiers
Carrots
30/40cm
2 Tier at least
Potatoes
Parsnips
Beans
15/20cm
1 Tier at least
Peas
Courgettes
Beetroot
