Our Superior Wooden Raised Beds are a very popular range and to give you more creative flexibility when it comes to constructing your timber raised beds, we've made the Superior Wooden Raised Bed planks available to purchase separately.
The top quality 3.5cm thick by 20cm deep timber planks come in four sizes - 0.6m, 1.2m, 1.8m and 2.4m (that's 2ft, 4ft, 6ft and 8ft in old money) - and each plank is supplied complete with two aluminium joining brackets to make assembly of your proposed raised bed easy.
The wooden raised bed planks are also planed for a smooth, attractive finish, high pressure treated with a non-toxic preservative and give you years of vegetable growing service.
- Superior Raised Bed Planks available in 4 lengths
- 0.6m, 1.2m, 1.8m and 2.4m (2ft, 4ft, 6ft and 8ft)
- All planks measure 3.5cm thick by 20cm deep
- Each plank comes complete with 2 aluminium fixing/joining brackets
- Manufactured from Scandinavian softwood sourced from sustainably managed forests
- Planks have surfaces planed for maximum aesthetic appeal
- 4 year structural guarantee
- High pressure treated with a non-toxic preservative after consultation with the country's leading organic growing body - Garden Organic - before selecting treatment. The treatment is plant and human safe, complies with all EU standards governing wood preservatives and does not contain CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenate)
- Treatment of wood helps to ensure best possible resistance to fungal decay and wood-boring insects
- Ideal for constructing your own tailor-made raised bed
Please note - additional planks are designed to fit with existing raised beds and are sized accordingly. Actual plank dimensions are 0.46cm, 1.07m, 1.68m & 2.3m
Product Reviews
Firstly, I have to say I cannot vouch for the ease of assembly - my gardener did this for me! But it didn't take him very long. The slight downside is that I ordered the planks (and posts) to replace others that had rotted. Surely they should not rot so quickly? Seven years, and several were in crumbly pieces. I was slightly alarmed when ordering as the lengths did not seem to match those taken by me ... but realised once everything had arrived that the planks may sound as though they're too short, but the additional measurements for the corner posts are factored in, so the fit was perfect. Everything looks very good now, the veg plants are flourishing, and I hope it's going to be a while before I have to replace the planks again.
I was replacing an old raised bed and thought this system would be perfect. However I was caught out by the sizes quoted for the planks as they include the posts, which is not clear in the description. The end result is that I ordered 3 600mm planks which were only 440mm when they arrived and so too small for what I wanted. I have to say that Amanda in Customer Services was brilliant and helped me sort out the problem. I ordered a 2400 mm length of plank from which I cut 3 pieces which fitted perfectly with the other 1800 lengths of plank I had bought to make the perfect raised bed for the space I had. I returned the short pieces for a refund which was less than I had expected but I had kept the brackets as I needed them. It would be a good idea if the brackets were sold separately s this would help if, like me, you want to customise from the set lengths. The quality of the wood is very high. This is the 4th raised bed I have had from Harrod and all of them were an excellent buy. Although a lot of our lawn is now given over to vegetable growing.
Very pleased with this product. Timber good quality and aluminium brackets made it easy to assemble. There are a lot of screws to drive home so ratchet screwdriver or drill with clutch and screwdriver bits advisable. Capping on superior beds gives very pleasing 'finished' look - and approved by the "Head Gardener". Should last for years.
SUPERIOR WOODEN RAISED BED FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What size is recommended for a wheelchair user?
Manger raised planters are probably the best option for wheelchair users as they allow some knee room. Raised bed tables and deep multi-tier beds are also worth considering. Everyone's needs are slightly different, so pay close attention to the dimensions listed for each product before making your choice.
2. What tiers are best for certain beds?
The depth of beds required are governed by four main criteria:
What you are intending to grow?
e.g. salads and surface crops will be happy with one tier, while root crops such as carrots and potatoes need at least two tiers. there is a depth guide on our website to help you decide.
How far you want to bend?
The deeper the bed, or in the case of mangers and raised bed tables the height off the ground, means that you will have to bend less when gardening saving you back! Capping will also help here, giving you somewhere to perch when working or resting. Deep beds also mean that you can grow root crops without problems.
How much you want to spend?
The more tiers you have, the more you will have to spend to purchase the bed and to fill it with suitable compost. It may be worth considering the mangers or the table style beds which give you a raised working height possibly without costing as much as a four or five tier bed, and will also require less soil to fill.
What are your aesthetic requirements?
The depth of your bed may be simply a matter of what looks good in your garden. You may want a bed to be elevated so that it will still be seen when positioned behind other lower beds or objects in the foreground. It also may help the crops receive more light if they are raised out of the shadows of surrounding fences or other structures.
3. What is the ideal raised bed size?
The gardener should be able to access the bed from all sides, though this will depend of the space available for the bed. Also consider how many you are growing for and the type of crop you want to grow. It's often a good idea to start small and expand you hobby in the following years as your experience and skills develop.
4. Are the dimensions given internal or external?
The dimensions given are external, from plank to plank
5. What is the maximum height for a raised bed?
The maximum height for each style of raised bed is the largest depth stated in each section of the catalogue. Also consider that optional capping will add to the overall height of the bed slightly.
6. Once my bed has been erected, can I add to it to make it bigger?
This is possible but not advised, the majority of the structure will need to be changed. For example, posts and extra parts will need to be purchased to increase the height. If you are absolutely sure you want to do this we will of course assist you if you contact our Customer Services Department or call them on 0845 218 5301.
7. Will you be stocking any larger sizes in the future?
At the present time the largest raised bed that we sell is 8ft x 8ft. We are not planning any larger additions as it gets very difficult to reach the centre of the bed without walking on it - which really defeats the object of raised bed gardening!
8. Apart from the thickness of the wood, are there any differences between the styles you offer?
The wood is of similar quality across all styles but due to the difference in thickness there are differences in the length of structural guarantee. The depth of the planks and the thickness of the planks varies depending on the style of bed, for example, the Allotment planks are 150cm deep and 2cm thick, where as the Standard planks are 150cm deep and 3.5cm thick and the Superior beds are 20cm deep and 3.5cm thick. The capping also varies in size between styles.
The Superior beds use aluminium brackets to secure the planks to the posts which are also unique to the range. The posts allow the Superior beds to be linked together to create multi-level schemes, extra linking parts are available separately.
9. Is there an alternative to the liners, for those beds that we do not sell them for?
We recommend lightweight porous ground cover to use as a liner – always buy bigger than the bed – press down inside of the bed, then fill with soil and trim around the edges to make neat. The ground cover can also be held in place with drawing pins or staples. Note that we have recently (2011) increased our range of liners due to demand.
10. Why can I not purchase separate parts for the Allotment and Standard range, like you can for the Superior range?
We sell the Superior range parts separately because they can be used to join kits together to make linked schemes. The Allotment and Standard range do not have corner posts, it is not possible for these ranges to be joined in the same way, however if you need separate parts we are happy to sell them to you please contact our Customer Services Department or call us on 0845 218 5301.
11. Can raised beds be placed onto concrete or slabs?
Yes they can, but we recommend that the bed is lined before filling with soil to prevent fine sand and grit being washed out of the bed.
12. Can I put a raised bed on a lawn?
Yes you can, if you want the ground beneath the bed to be part of your growing medium we recommend cultivating the soil underneath the bed, to mix with the soil going into the bed. If you want to prevent the soil beneath coming in contact with the soil in the raised bed (to suppress persistent weeds etc) then we recommend using a liner.
13. What is the capping for?
The capping protects the edge of the planks from knocks and scrapes cased by boots and tools. As well as looking great it also makes it possible to perch on the edge of the bed whilst working or simply resting. The Superior range capping offers the comfiest seat being 10cm / 4" wide.
14. What does Sustainably Managed Forests mean?
Sustainably Managed Forests are carefully managed so that as trees are felled they are replaced with seedlings that grow into mature trees. Harrod Horticultural sources all of the softwood used in the Raised Bed range from such well managed and sustainable forests.
15. Why don’t Harrod sell different sized corner beds?
At the present time there is not enough demand for the corner beds, however if there is enough demand we will produce them so make you feelings known to us!
16. How does the capping attach to the bed?
The capping is attached using zinc plated screws which fix into the edge of the uppermost planks of the bed.
17. Can I cut the planks down to suit my requirements, and still fit them as normal?
The planks can be cut down to create a size that is not standard, however this will affect the guarantee for that product.
18. Will the soil in the raised bed become compacted?
The soil in a raised bed will compact less than normal because it is not being walked upon. At the beginning of each season it is always good to feed and turn the soil to improve the structure. this will be less effort than a traditional bed as raised beds do not get walked on which compresses the soil.
19. Do you sell kits/covers for the triangular raised beds?
Yes we do! See our Fitted Raised Bed Kits and Covers page on our site.
20. Does the timber need to be treated yearly?
Our timber products are treated prior to dispatch, however as per our instructions, treating the raised beds will certainly do no harm and will help prolong the life of the timber.
21. Can you use copper tape around the beds to prevent slugs from climbing into them?
Yes, copper tape can be use on the raised beds.
22. Do you make a raised bed to a size to suit me?
Unfortunately we are unable to make bespoke raised beds. Should you require a different size to what we currently stock, you can purchase a bigger size, and then modify it to suit your requirements.
23. How wide are the feet on the 4ft Manger Raised Bed Planter?
The size of each foot is 115mm x 45mm.
24. Can you disassemble a raised bed once constructed?
Unfortunately when fixings have been in place for a while they become very firmly imbedded, as the wood swells, and surface corrosion forms on the screws meaning that they can become almost impossible to remove. For this reason we do not recommend disassembling raised beds once they’ve been constructed.
25. When can I erect my raised bed?
Raised beds can be erected anytime throughout the year. The main planting times for vegetables are early to late spring.
26. Do you offer an installation service?
Unfortunately this is not a service that we offer. We do have some helpful video clips on our website though!
27. What makes the raised bed tables strong enough to withhold soil?
The table raised beds have been tried and tested when it comes to the amount of soil they can hold. The tables have support braces that run along the underneath at the bottom and extra supports along the sides to ensure that they are strong enough. They are also covered by a structural guarantee.
