Raised beds come in many colors, shapes and sizes. There are small raised beds for the balcony, large vegetable raised beds in the kitchen garden or privacy screen beds in front of the terrace. There are table raised beds, low stair raised beds and many more. What all of these shapes have in common is that they should be built according to ergonomic principles in terms of height, depth and length - otherwise back pain is inevitable.
What depth should a raised bed have?
The optimal depth of a raised bed depends on the length of the gardener's arms: 120 to 140 cm is recommended for free-standing raised beds, while leaning raised beds should ideally be 60 to 70 cm deep. The height should be 80 to 100 cm when gardening while standing and 50 to 60 cm when gardening while sitting.
Bending deeply damages the back – gardening ergonomically
Anyone who puts a raised bed in their garden often does so for the sake of convenient gardening. After all, pretty much every gardener knows the feeling that comes after a long afternoon of weeding in the garden: excruciating back pain that, if you're unlucky, lasts for a few days or weeks. Ideally, the raised bed is designed so that you can work comfortably standing or sitting on it and can reach anywhere.
How deep can a raised bed be?
In terms of height, such a bed should reach up to your pelvis - i.e. between 80 and 100 centimeters high, depending on your height. If, on the other hand, you want to work on the raised bed while sitting, a height of between 50 and 60 centimeters and an integrated seat are recommended. The bed depth or bed width depends on your arm length. As with worktops, for example for the fitted kitchen, it is best to use 120 to 140 centimeters for a free-standing bed that can be accessed from both sides. A leaning bed, on the other hand, should not be wider than 60 to 70 centimeters, as you can only reach it from one side.
Tip
If you want to build a small raised bed for your children, you will of course have to use appropriate dimensions - an adult-sized raised bed is simply too big for the little ones and therefore too uncomfortable. However, remember that children grow quickly. Ideally, the height and depth of the raised bed can be adjusted - then you and your kids can enjoy it for longer.