All about Raised Bed Gardening
Article by Bee Roberts
Raised bed gardening is an exciting way of growing your plants. It is useful for those who want to grow plants but have limited space. You can even set up your own raised bed garden in your patio or deck if you really have no space for gardening. The garden beds should be built at a right level to reduce aches and pains caused by reaching down or bending over your plants. This makes raised garden beds ideal for gardeners with arthritis or limited mobility. Raised bed gardening is growing plants above ground level. This can be attained by constructing a wooden frame above the ground and then putting soil in it. Aside from wood, you can use bricks, concrete cement and other materials as frame. These raised kits are also available for your convenience. Kits are perfect to get you started with your gardening.
Raised garden structures are useful, easy to use, and are more beneficial than the traditional gardening. For example, you easily control your soil cultivation on a raised garden bed than ground garden because it is smaller. Raised beds have better drainage too than ordinary garden. A raised garden eight inches above the ground has a greater drainage advantage. Another obvious advantage of raised bed is the height. The height is adjustable according to your preference. Stacking more woods will increase the height of your raised bed frame. These beds also prevent you from stepping into your garden which can harm your plants. In this way, you can be able to produce more fruits and vegetables. Garden maintenance is simple with raised bed gardening. It is easier to remove the weeds and pests in a raised garden and pests and rodents will find it hard to access your crops in this type of garden. Crop rotation is also easy with raised bed and this can prevent your crop from acquiring disease. Watering is also simple with raised garden beds. Another advantage is changing of soil and plants easily with this type of garden. With raised flower beds, it is easy to beautify your garden and be creative by using different materials like stones, bricks, hardwood, and many others.
If you are planning a raised plant bed, it is crucial to plan very well to achieve a good design for your raised garden. Make a draft of your yard including your deck, patio, walkways, etc. Drawing your garden bed will help you envision your garden including the trees, turf, walkways, and decors. If you want to build a bigger flower bed, it is crucial that you examine your yard well at daytime so that you can pay attention to specific details like sun, air, shade, etc. List down the plants you want to raise in your raised garden. Consider the location and design of your garden and choose the best plants that will satisfy your preference.
When you’re choosing for your raised garden location, consider that you will be working on your garden as well. Consider the level, walkway, or mulching your garden. Maximize sun exposure by facing your bed on the south direction. Put enough space in between the beds for moving around while maintaining your garden. Provide a big space if you are using equipments like wheelbarrow or lawn mower.
Choosing plants for your garden bed is the same as choosing for traditional garden – only with a minimal difference like the depth of the garden. If your raised garden is deep, you have more choices for plants to grow, if you have shallow raised bed, you can only grow herbs, annuals, and some vegetables. Take into account the needs of each of your plants like sun exposure, wind exposure, pH level, water, soil, etc. Plants with the same requirement should go together in one raised bed. Separate the plants with different needs.
It’s very simple and easy to construct your own raised garden bed. All you need are wood, stones, soil, cinderblocks, and anything that you may need for your garden. You can get ideas in the internet, from brochures of the kit, from other gardeners or from garden shops. Make sure you have the right tools and materials needed to construct and install your raised garden bed.
About the Author
Raised Garden Beds are extremely useful for gardeners that have little to no soil available for planting. It is always a good idea to look for the best raised bed kits for your individual situation.
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
Related Gardening Articles
