How A Sunken Garden Bed Is Constructed?

Sunken gardens are an effective, water-wise, efficient, and affordable option for any space. They can be used as focal points for landscape design or as an accent. To create a sunken seedling bed, choose a spot in your garden that receives adequate sunlight and has well-draining soil. Measure and mark the area, and determine the layout according to aspect, contour, and proximity to water resources.

Designer James Alexander-Sinclair lists five key design elements to consider when planning to build your own sunken garden. You can incorporate various ideas into your sunken garden, from a stunning garden bed to an outdoor sitting area. To make a sunken bed, prepare compost, prepare wooden forms to fit the beds, mark out the ground with string, and remove all weeds.

Sunken beds are dug down several inches, allowing irrigation water to slowly sink in rather than run off and keeping soil and roots cooler during hot seasons. Start by measuring a 6 by 8 foot (2 x 2 m.) area, dig as you would an ordinary sunken bed, and create twelve planting “waffles” approximately 2 feet deep and 3 feet wide.

To build a sunken garden, map out the area using wooden pegs and start digging to your desired depth. Build your walls and flip growing beds downward to provide water saving and fertility building through permaculture earthwork, especially in drylands. However, in most climates, the soil is dry and hard to dig, often with layers of caliche (hardened deposits).

What is the difference between a raised bed and a sunken bed?

Sunken garden beds are designed to maximize water collection and store water until it can be absorbed by the soil. They provide shelter from the sun and cooler temperatures in hotter climates, especially in areas with little rainfall. However, they can be problematic in areas prone to flooding as they take advantage of sparse rainfall. To avoid overfilling the beds, digging and creating drainage around them can be done.

Sunken beds also allow for no-dig gardening, as traditional digging practices disrupt soil life and promote weeds. By avoiding digging, the soil structure remains intact, allowing plants to retain moisture in drier climates.

What can you put at the bottom of a sunken bed?

The bed was filled with mulch, compost, lucerne hay, friable mix from dismantled wicking beds, tree rounds, and oat and fenugreek seeds. The process involved handwork, as machines only partially completed the job. The challenge of making the bed level was a valuable lesson, as an excavator was a crude tool, making it difficult to create the sunken beds and surrounding berms. The pictures show the process, showcasing the importance of proper planning and execution in the creation of a sustainable bed.

What is the purpose of a sunken garden?

Sunken gardens are traditional English gardens set up to a foot below the main ground level, used for centuries to catch and contain water in areas with limited water. They are ideal for directing water to lower areas or creating mounds and hills to protect plants from harsh weather conditions. Roses, particularly those with well-drained soil and preferring mulch, were popular in sunken gardens due to their ability to provide the right growing environment.

The Victorians, who loved the formality of a garden, often partnered with the architect and gardener to create outdoor spaces that extended the reach of the house. Pergolas were used to link different areas and levels, and neat box, privet, or myrtle hedging was used to mark borders and retain plants. Sunken rose gardens were created to trap and hold the scent of the roses, enhancing their health and beauty.

What are the disadvantages of sunken beds?

The sinking of beds in soil can result in a reduction in water dispersion, which may lead to overwatering and the formation of dry areas. In the event of heavy precipitation, the runoff of water and mulch from the garden can result in flooding of adjacent sidewalks and driveways, creating a potentially hazardous and unsightly situation.

What are the disadvantages of raised beds?

The use of rot-resistant wood boards and the implementation of a yearly soil replacement regimen represent a notable financial burden associated with raised beds. The soil is exposed to the atmosphere and dries more rapidly, necessitating more frequent irrigation due to its elevated exposure.

How do you create a sunken garden?

A sunken garden is a unique outdoor space that creates a lower level by digging out an area of your outdoor space, building walls to hold back the earth, and installing steps or a slope for easy access. This creates a “garden within a garden” with its own atmosphere, microclimate, and purpose. It can be used for growing shade and moisture-loving plants, or for entertaining by creating an outdoor room perfect for parties or lounging.

The depth of the garden should be no deeper than 120cm, as lower depths may be expensive to landscape and too dark and damp. However, dropping the level by one or two steps can give a sunken garden feel.

When not to use raised beds?

If your yard has naturally deep, level, and well-drained soil, you don’t need raised garden beds. Instead, you should place your beds at ground level and create pathways around them. The soil in your pathways will become compressed over time, and your soft garden beds will remain slightly raised. Raised beds have several disadvantages, including higher heat and drying times, high costs for creating frames and soil, difficulty in using green manures or cover crops, and more work to change the layout compared to ground-level gardens.

Gardeners often find that their interests or needs change over time, making it more challenging to adapt to raised beds with or without framing. Therefore, it’s better to use ground-level gardens and create pathways around your garden beds.

How do you make a sunken bed?

A sunken bed is a type of soil bed built below ground, where it is cooler and wetter, and is better suited for Portugal’s hot and dry summers. It was first introduced to the author at a Food Forest course with Doug Crouch at Terra Alta in Portugal and later discovered that these beds were also used by the Moors. The author and volunteers built a sunken bed over four months during winter and spring to prepare for 2018’s summer planting.

The beds were made of compost, wooden forms, and weeds, and the top soil was saved to one side. The bed was built to support annual plants like tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers, and the rewards can be enjoyed for many years to come.

What is the difference between a sunken bed and a raised bed?

Sunken garden beds are designed to maximize water collection and store water until it can be absorbed by the soil. They provide shelter from the sun and cooler temperatures in hotter climates, especially in areas with little rainfall. However, they can be problematic in areas prone to flooding as they take advantage of sparse rainfall. To avoid overfilling the beds, digging and creating drainage around them can be done.

Sunken beds also allow for no-dig gardening, as traditional digging practices disrupt soil life and promote weeds. By avoiding digging, the soil structure remains intact, allowing plants to retain moisture in drier climates.

What are the benefits of a sunken garden?

Sunken gardens represent a cost-effective method of enhancing the visual appeal of a residential or commercial property without the necessity of investing significant sums in plant material or construction materials. They can serve as focal points in landscape design or accent pieces, thereby introducing color and texture to an otherwise uninteresting area. Historical examples of sunken gardens include the Botanical Gardens at St. Petersburg.

Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed?

Line the bottom of raised beds if you’re dealing with pest or weed issues. Galvanized metal beds typically don’t require lining, as their height deters weeds and draining conditions are adequate. Avoid placing rocks at the bottom of your garden bed, as it can increase water saturation levels and allow gravel to mix with the soil, making it difficult to remove later. Instead, use metal raised beds that are tall enough to deter weeds and provide adequate drainage.