Talk to me about raised beds please

[SquirrelFruitandNutkin]

Our garden is prone to flooding/ boggy-ness at the back. I'm thinking of putting a raised bed all along the back fence where this happens most. I'm hoping that will help the soil soak up the water better (as there will be more soil) and also give the plants better drainage rather than spending the Autumn, winter and spring in puddles.

So, the raised bed would be fairly narrow (less than 0.5m) but really long 6m+ I think.

Would that work?
What's the best material to use?
How easy are they to build/ should I get someone else to do it?

[Unremarkable]

Ok, I'm no expert but I hate to see a post unanswered not the ones about garden furniture, they're just unanswerable! Firstly you might want to just embrace the boggy ground and plant accordingly. Plants like astilbe and hostas will love the wet and even Iris pseudacorus if it's water-logged.

If you're sticking with raised beds then they can be any shape or size you like! Use good quality treated wood to make them so they don't rot. If you're strong enough and handy with the drill there's no reason why you can't DIY. You can buy the kits from the likes of Wickes and Harrod Horticultural.

[Ditsy4]

I used peat blocks when I lived in Scotland and fill with some grit then peat compost. I planted the whole bed with auric upas, azaleas, rhododendrons(dwarf) and other peat loving plants. In between the blocks I put plants that would cling to the blocks and grow over.

[gingeroots]

Peat blocks to build a raised bed ,who'd have thought . Sounds great .

[redmapleleaves1]

I've just bought raised beds from //www.rocketgardens.co.uk. £30 pounds for 1 metre square, dead easy to assemble (no drills needed and only 10 mins work) and deliver to house without signature needed. Recommend them.