It is no surprise that a town famous for its food festival has so many keen growers. Walk around Abergavenny in summer and you will spot runner bean wigwams, fruit cages and greenhouses tucked into gardens of every size, from cottage yards to the long plots behind Victorian villas.
Growing here comes with its own challenges, though. Hillside gardens are sloping and often stony, lower ground can be heavy and slow to warm, and frost can linger in the valley well into spring. Raised beds answer most of those problems at once. This guide covers how we plan and build a kitchen garden in the town. For our wider work there, see landscaping in Abergavenny.
Where the vegetable patch should go
Most crops want sun for the greater part of the day and some protection from the wind. In practice that means the brightest part of the garden, with a wall, hedge or fence on the windward side and nothing tall to the south. On a slope facing south or west you are in luck; on a north-facing plot, the top of the garden is often the sunniest spot.
Convenience counts as much as sunshine. A kitchen garden near the house gets picked, watered and weeded; one at the far end of a steep garden tends to be forgotten by August. If the only sunny spot is a long way off, a good path and a water butt beside the beds make a big difference.
- Watch where the sun falls in spring, not just in midsummer when it is high.
- Avoid the lowest corner of a sloping plot, where cold air and water both collect.
- Keep clear of large trees, which take light, water and nutrients.
Sizing the beds so they are easy to work
The golden rule is that you should be able to reach the middle of a bed from either side without stepping on the soil. That usually means a width of about 1.2 metres, or narrower against a wall. Length is up to you, but beds of around two to three metres are easy to manage and to rotate crops between.
Height depends on who will use them. Knee height is enough for good drainage and deep roots. Waist-high beds are kinder on the back and a real help for anyone who finds bending difficult, although they need more soil and a sturdier build.
Sleepers, stone or brick?
Each material suits a different sort of Abergavenny garden.
- Timber sleepers. Quick to build, easy to shape around a slope and good value. Choose sleepers treated for ground contact, and line the inside if you want to keep soil off the timber.
- Local-style stone. Stone beds look at home beside a cottage or a villa and last for generations. They take longer to build and need a proper footing.
- Brick. Neat and very durable, with coping on top that doubles as a seat. Our guide to building brick raised beds and planters covers the detail.
On a slope, raised beds can double as low terraces, with each bed retaining a little soil and giving you a level growing area. Taller beds that hold back real weight of ground need to be built as proper retaining walls, and our brickwork and garden walls service covers that.
Good soil from the start
The soil you put in the beds matters more than anything else you do. We fill them with screened topsoil, usually mixed with well-rotted compost or manure, rather than the stony or clay-heavy spoil dug from the garden. A deeper bed of good soil drains well in wet spells and holds moisture in a dry one.
Expect the level to sink a little over the first year as the soil settles. Topping up with compost each autumn keeps the beds full and fertile. Where the ground beneath is badly compacted, we break it up before the beds go on so roots and water can go down into it.
Paths, water and a compost corner
Paths between the beds should be wide enough for a wheelbarrow and firm enough to use in the wet. Gravel over a membrane, bark chippings or simple stone paving all work. Grass paths look lovely, but they need edging and mowing and turn muddy in a wet autumn.
Round off the layout with the practical things: a water butt fed from a shed or house downpipe, an outside tap within hose reach, a compost bay or two out of the way, and somewhere to store canes and tools. For a quieter corner to sit and enjoy it all, our article on patio ideas for Abergavenny stone cottages has ideas that suit smaller spaces too.
Stretching the season on colder ground
Gardens higher up the hills around Abergavenny tend to have a shorter season than those on the valley floor, and cold air drains down to settle in low spots, bringing late frosts. There are simple ways to buy yourself a few extra weeks at each end of the year.
- Raised beds warm faster in spring than the ground around them, which is half the reason to have them.
- Cold frames and cloches built against a sunny wall let you start hardy crops early.
- Hoops and fleece fixed to the bed sides give quick protection on frosty nights.
- Shelter on the windward side, from a hedge or a slatted fence, keeps the beds warmer and stops tall crops being flattened. See windproof fencing for exposed plots.
Planning it in stages
You do not need to build the whole kitchen garden at once. A sensible first stage is clearing the ground, setting out the paths and building two or three beds. More beds, a fruit area or a greenhouse base can follow once you know how much you actually want to grow.
Tony and the team can clear the plot, level it, build the beds and bring in topsoil, and leave you ready to plant. The design side is part of our landscaping and garden design service. Ask us for a free quote and we will come and look at the best spot with you.
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Questions People Ask
How high should a raised bed be?
For most vegetables, knee height is plenty. If bending is difficult, waist-high beds are much more comfortable, but they need more soil and a stronger structure.
Are treated sleepers safe for growing food?
Modern sleepers treated for garden use are widely used for vegetable beds. If you would rather keep soil and timber apart, a liner on the inside faces does that. Avoid old railway sleepers that ooze tar or oil.
Can you build beds on a sloping Abergavenny garden?
Yes. We level each bed individually or step them down the slope like small terraces, so every one has a flat growing surface.
What soil do you use to fill the beds?
Screened topsoil, usually blended with compost, rather than the garden's own spoil. It gives crops a good start and drains better in wet weather.
Do raised beds need watering more often?
They can dry out faster in a hot spell, especially shallow ones. Deeper beds, a mulch and a water butt nearby make watering easy.