Advantages of raised garden beds

[Trace]

I love the look of raised garden beds. I think they look neat and organized, and provide a clear indication of where your garden's visitors should--and more importantly, should not--walk. There are a number of other benefits to using raised beds, though, and few of them are purely aesthetic.

Using raised beds allows you to have good garden soil, regardless of your normal soil condition. Because you fill your raised beds with potting soil and compost, or soil mix for square foot gardens, it doesn't matter whether your soil is rich or poor, or even exists at all (you can put your gardens on raised platforms, concrete driveways, or anywhere you like, though placing them on wood decks isn't recommended).

Raised beds help protect your plants from accidentally being stepped on, since they are clearly delineated and should not be more than 4' (1.2m) wide. Your raised garden should never be wider than you can reach from its edge, so that you never have to step or kneel in it for weeding or harvest. This maintains good drainage in your garden and promotes good root growth because soil stays loose and aerated. The downside of this aspect is that you may need to water more often to make sure your plants stay happy.

Well planned raised gardens can actually hold more plants. When starting fresh, you should not have many weeds, and because the soil is going to be nutrient rich, you can safely plant your flowers or vegetables closer together, allowing them to naturally inhibit weed growth as they grow.

Because your raised beds are narrower than traditional row gardens, maintaining your garden is easier. You can even place your garden beds up on platforms (about hip height) to eliminate kneeling and limit bending to weed your garden. Gardens elevated this way are great for elderly or disabled people because they're easy to access. Just be aware of watering needs when your beds are up off the ground.

Elevating your garden can limit access by pests as well as ease the strain on knees and backs. Certain animals, of course, won't care that your garden is 2 feet above the ground, and will find a way in regardless. Others may not be as willing to get into your veggies that way. Deer, however, will think you've laid out a buffet for them, so you'll want to take other steps to protect your veggies if you have larger pests of this type.

The biggest drawback to this type of garden is the initial expense. You will need lumber (or a kit) for the boxes, and while you can use topsoil in your raised bed, this really defeats the purpose, so it only makes sense to fill it with a more nutritious blend of potting or garden soil and compost. Your initial soil mix will be a bit expensive, and should include a variety of compost sources. You may want to elevate your garden, which will add additional lumber/plywood and block or some other support. After the first season, however, the expense begins to even out, because you'll only need to top it off with an inch or so of compost mix to refresh the nutrients each year and after two to five years you may need to replace parts of your boxes. But you'll be reaping the full benefits of this design in your first season and beyond.

 

[Antau LJn]

I had one raised-bed garden plot, but it wasn't raised very much. I liked the fact that the boundaries of the garden were well-delineated.

Were I to make my ideal raised bed, I would make it a bit higher, and I would make it narrow enough so I could reach halfway across from the sides. I had to step into my other one to reach some of the plants (it was also against the house, so I could only access it from the ends and one side).

I've seen both wooden raised-beds and round, metal raised beds. I would like to try both and see which one I liked best, or if I liked them both equally.

 

[Trace]

My last one was raised. I found that 4' was a little too wide across for me to reach the plants in the middle with ease, so this year's will be a little narrower. I'll also put a net down the center and put my cucumbers there so they can climb it, which makes keeping up with them easier.

I saw a suggestion that you should put your gardens against the house, although I'm not sure why unless it is added warmth in spring and potentially pest control. Or maybe it's even just convenience--the review didn't say. It did say that you should only make it as wide as you can reach to get to it from the long side.

I'm not sure I would like a round one, unless it were something small, like the size of an old fashioned washtub. Even a child's wading pool is a little too far to have to stretch to the middle, most of the time. Speaking of that, that's something I considered doing--putting my garden in a plastic wading pool. I might try that this year.

 

[Antau LJn]

I like the idea of putting a net in the center for the cucumbers. I'll have to keep that in mind.

My raised bed garden was against the house because it was the most convenient place to put it. It was on the south side, so that helped with warming the soil in the spring.

I planted tomatoes on the east side of my house in two different places I lived. The reason for that was that the wind came from the southwest. For some reason, that gave tomatoes a disease. One person told me that it came from tumbleweed seeds that the wind blew around. All I know for sure is that they did better than when they were not protected from the southwest wind. Also, in that area, cherry tomatoes grew great for me, but regular size tomatoes did not. If a person was lucky enough to get tomatoes, the skin was thick and there were cracks in them. They tasted okay, though.

I have also discovered that comfrey grows great if protected from wind.


With a round raised bed garden, I would make them small. I like the idea of a child's wading pool, even if I had to step in the middle of it. I see a stepping stone where necessary, and strawberries all over inside the wading pool. Mm, I'm making myself hungry.

 

[LindaKay]

I think a small garden would work very well in a wading pool. Off-topic, but I have a small wading pool that my dog plays in in the summertime. She loves it!

 

[PaulineG]

When you plant a garden directly in the ground, you need to start with the soil that’s already there, and that soil might not be ideal for gardening. You can add things to it to make it better, but it may never be ideal. However, when working with a raised garden bed, you can use whatever soil will work best for your garden, right from the get-go.

 

[blueiris]

I once made a raised bed using some leftover cement blocks from a project. It wasn't huge but I liked the orderly look. I filled it full of dirt and planted tomatoes in it. They turned out great. But, then I needed the blocks for something else so I ended up dismantling it before the next season. It was nice while it lasted, ha,ha!

The closet thing I have to raised bed now, is an old wheel barrow that I want to plant flowers in. It's metal and the bottom has rust wholes in it that will allow drainage. I should have gotten started with that project but I've been under the weather lately.

 

[Trace]

I once made a raised bed using some leftover cement blocks from a project. It wasn't huge but I liked the orderly look. I filled it full of dirt and planted tomatoes in it. They turned out great. But, then I needed the blocks for something else so I ended up dismantling it before the next season. It was nice while it lasted, ha,ha!

The closet thing I have to raised bed now, is an old wheel barrow that I want to plant flowers in. It's metal and the bottom has rust wholes in it that will allow drainage. I should have gotten started with that project but I've been under the weather lately.

My front garden, which isn't much of a garden, really, is blocked off using cinder blocks. I've let it go badly, and now the only thing that comes up there seems to be the weeds, the daffodils, and maybe the tulips (the greenery is up, but no sign of a bloom yet, even though everyone else on the street has a riot of them). The light isn't that great there, so maybe what I'll do instead is clear out all but the daffodils and tulips, and plant useful weeds (an herb garden) there instead.

The wheelbarrow is a cool idea. I've seen those done with flowers and ivy that just look great. The best one I saw was an old wooden one, surrounded by a small herb garden. It gave it a mildly melancholy look that just added to the whole landscape.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I like having a raised bed garden also, and even though we don't have one this year, it is going to be an ongoing project to start making some raised beds, and then just keep making them until hopefully, all y Arden will be in a raised bed. I am a senior lady, and I can't get down on my knees to work in the garden anymore, and bending over to reach it, is not a workable technique for me either. I do as much as possible with a long handled tool , and then just get down and crawl around for the part that as to be done by hand.
Putting the garden up in raised beds will not only look nicer, it will be much easier for me to deal with, and won't need all the shoveling and rototilling that a regular garden has to have.

 

[Trace]

I like having a raised bed garden also, and even though we don't have one this year, it is going to be an ongoing project to start making some raised beds, and then just keep making them until hopefully, all y Arden will be in a raised bed. I am a senior lady, and I can't get down on my knees to work in the garden anymore, and bending over to reach it, is not a workable technique for me either. I do as much as possible with a long handled tool , and then just get down and crawl around for the part that as to be done by hand.
Putting the garden up in raised beds will not only look nicer, it will be much easier for me to deal with, and won't need all the shoveling and rototilling that a regular garden has to have.

You should really have someone build either some very tall ones, so that you don't have to bend far if at all, or if that is too expensive, have it built up on columns of blocks, with a plywood base. I can give you a better description of it later if the idea interests you. I have back and knee issues, so it won't be long before I start building these for myself. I've seen some very workable gardens that are hip high, and even allow room for a wheelchair under them so they're within easy reach of folks who normally couldn't garden at all. Growing older shouldn't rob you of the pleasure of gardening until you simply cannot get out to do it anymore. Like, around 104 or so.

 

[blueiris]

I love the idea of high raised beds. I have a hard time working at ground level as I have knee problems. So, I usually plant in containers that are raised off the ground.

 

[limcid]

Raised beds are the only way that I'll even consider growing food in my yard. I just don't trust the soil. I've sprayed weed killer before (usually once a year in the Spring) and I don't know how long it takes for any traces to go away. I don't want to even take the risk.

 

[Antau LJn]

Raised beds are the only way that I'll even consider growing food in my yard. I just don't trust the soil. I've sprayed weed killer before (usually once a year in the Spring) and I don't know how long it takes for any traces to go away. I don't want to even take the risk.

I understand that the weed killer soaks into the ground, so I expect it's good that this is the only way you'll grow food in your yard.

 

[TheCrazyPlantLady]

I like the idea of the really raised beds - maybe I'll see if I can talk my Mom into that. She's got a nice big garden. Every fall she says that maybe she won't plant a garden the next year, but each spring she changes her mind

But she's 82, and while she has no mobility issues, I'm sure it'd be more comfortable for her to garden without have to bend over so much.

 

[Kiese]

I was thinking of doing this myself because I was thinking it would be easier to get started if you could get some pre-made one at lowes or homedepot? I have some friends who have used old vegetable crates as a raised bed and it worked out pretty well.