Recently, we talked about the importance of planning your garden. In case you didn’t see it, you can now go back and review it. Today I will discuss a final consideration before you begin your garden: building raised garden bed.
What is a Raised Bed?
Raised garden beds elevate your garden above the ground. How high you build the bed is dependent on how tall it is. They usually measure about 11 inches in height, which is approximately the height of two 2×6 boards (2×6 boards actually measure 14cm across each end).
The beds are rectangular in shape and rest on the ground. They are then filled, usually with higher quality gardening soil than regular topsoil.
Why Should Raised Beds Be Considered?
Raised gardening beds offer many benefits over traditional gardening.
- Accessibility is a major benefit of raised beds: Accessing your plants is much easier because they are higher above the ground.
- Increase your Growing Time: If there is a cold winter in your area, it will take you a while to plant. You can use raised beds to extend this time because the soil inside the bed warms up faster than the soil below.
- It’s easy to irrigate: As you start with new soil, it’s relatively simple to add irrigation to your raised bed.
- Improved Weed Control – Because you will be adding new soil to top of your existing soil, it is easy and cost-effective to add a weed barrier.
- Better soil health: Raised beds encourage better soil because they reduce compaction and allow for better drainage.
- Protect your plants: Raised beds are easier to fence around hungry animals. To keep them away, you can lay chicken wire and then fill it with soil.
Additional Tips for Raised Bed Gardening
There are many benefits to raised beds, but there are still some things to be aware of before you make the commitment.
- It’s an Investment: Before you can get started with raised beds, it is necessary to purchase the material or build the beds.
- Space Awareness is Essential: A raised bed has a limited area so extra planning is necessary to ensure that certain plants (such as squash) don’t take up too much of the space.
- Expansion: You can add more soil to your traditional garden. But, with raised-bed gardening, you will need additional boxes to build or buy.
Although these are minor concerns, raised bed gardening can offer many benefits over traditional gardening. Raised beds can be a great option for those who are new to gardening, and don’t mind an initial investment of time and materials.
