How to water raised beds in the UK
Raised beds are the pride of many UK vegetable gardens, but their free-draining soil is also their weakness. A hot summer day can take them from moist to dusty while a neighbouring border still looks green. The trick is not more water — it is stopping the water you do use from escaping.
Soak, don't sprinkle
A light sprinkle every evening only wets the top few centimetres and encourages shallow roots. Water until the top 10 cm of soil is visibly dark and a little water drains from the base. Two deep soaks a week beats seven shallow sprinkles.
Mulch the surface
A 5 cm layer of compost, straw or bark chippings on the soil surface can halve evaporation. It also suppresses weeds that compete for water and keeps roots cooler during a heatwave.
Water at the soil line
Overhead watering wets leaves, which invites blight on tomatoes and mildew on courgettes. A dripline laid along the surface delivers water exactly where roots are, with almost no runoff or evaporation.
The takeaway
Raised beds reward deep, infrequent watering at soil level. Get that right and you can grow more while watering less.
Calculate your bed's weekly litres