[Zippy]

An observation - I have halkf of my plot as raised (not edged) beds and the other half as 4 foot wide beds with narrow access paths. I do not walk on the beds - as if they were raised.

My soil is very sandy and as I have only just taken over (one year ago) it is gutless - no manure or compost for years.

I notice the plants in my raised beds are parched for water whereas  the flat beds are ok.

I wonder if it is worth shaping raised beds in sandy soils as the plants are further away from the water table and dry out too quickly, whereas the way to go seems to be flat beds that you never walk on.

Should have the same effect - no?

[Aunt Sally]

Raised beds are recommended for ground that gets water logged as it helps them to drain more freely.  So the converse must be true - Raised beds in free draining soil will become very dry !  

If you want to keep them raised to make them easier to tend then you must incorporate LOADS of organic material to hold the moisture and water regularly in dry weather.