With this compact raised bed (mounted on wheels) one can cultivate fresh herbs and lettuce on the balcony. It’s made of weather-resistant galvanised zinc sheet steel. Sturdily built, it is still lightweight and easy to navigate on its two wheels. Even when filled with earth it is not too heavy to be manoeuvred with the wood handle while the two feet keep the raised bed stable. Depending on the position of the sun (or shadows) the bed can be moved to the appropriate location. If you want to have it near the grill, just move it. If the crop becomes lush and takes up to much space, you can position it a little bit further from the seating area. The bottom steel sheet features a sinkhole in the middle so excess water (from rain or irrigation) can flow off. There’s a shelf as wide as the bed underneath for storing tools and gardening gloves, fertiliser or empty pots.

Especially when space is limited, the ancient horticultural technique of the raised bed offers the possibility of intensifying horticulture naturally and multiplying harvests without adding additional fertilizer; in southern China, cultivation on raised beds has been intensively cultivated for centuries, taking advantage of the special fertility and yield of this form of cultivation. A more recent development is the raised bed, which has many advantages to offer: the soil temperature is significantly higher than in the open field, due to decomposition processes and construction - the side walls are directly illuminated by the sun. The higher temperature allows up to three harvests a year, as seeds germinate faster and vegetables ripen earlier. Proper filling can produce the best quality soil as a prerequisite for optimal plant growth - regardless of the soil conditions that otherwise prevail in the garden. In gardens heavily infested with slugs or voles, a raised bed also offers better control and pest management options.