The structural stability of the raised bed started to be precarious, partly because of the thin battens and lack of diagonal crossbeams. I'd say it was well worth the original CHF 90.- investment, though.

Retrospectively, the floor material was too thin and bendy, especially when exposed to rain. The plastic inner lining however, stood the test, keeping the inside of the siding in good condition.

As materials, I looked at different types of drainage pipes. These seemed like the best combination of UV resistance and affordabilty. In addition, the PVC material means they could potentially be painted later, in contrast to some polypropylene (PP) pipes I looked at.

A bit of lubricant helped in assembling the pipes. All the diameters used are 110 mm. The side holes didn't have to be this big, but this way there was enough room to comfortably fit the plants, and they'll collect more rainwater, too.

The standing pipes were fixed to the pre-existing wooden wall using roller shutter straps.

I tried to more or less seal the bottom, but added a small garden hose as an overflow valve, which seemed to work in a preliminary test.

I filled the pipes pretty high, expecting the soil to settle and compact over the next few months.

Now, ten days later, all plants have survived and are regenerating well. Most have started shooting out new leaves to replace the ridiculously tall leaves they had to grow in their previous overgrown location.

The advantages of this system seem to be:

• Good control over runners, reducing the risk of overgrowth
• Easy watering
• Low susceptibility to rot due to the expected hanging position of the fruits
• Less space consumption

The remainder of the raised bed will now serve the rest of its life as a 'lowered' bed.

And between the strawberry towers and the exiting stairs I even found a good space for a tiny garden tool shed.