Soil Quality
Fact Sheets - Raised Beds
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- Raised Beds 417 Kb PDF
Summary
Waterlogging occurs whenever the soil is so wet that there is insufficient oxygen in the pore space for plant roots to be able to adequately respire. Lack of oxygen in the root zone causes root tissues to decompose, and causes roots to appear as if they have been pruned. Consequently, plant growth and development is stalled. If anaerobic circumstances continue for a considerable time the plant eventually dies.
When the waterlogging is identified (see Waterlogging factsheet) the first thing to consider is improving drainage. Options vary from shallow surface drains (i.e. Spoon- and ‘W’-drains) to more intensive drainage using wide-spaced furrows to raised beds. The efficiency of surface drainage increases respectively as does the degree of management. This fact sheet addresses the raised beds and is a short summary of “A Manual for Raised Bed Farming in Western Australia” (DAWFA Bulletin 4646).
