Raised garden beds allow plants to reach an ergonomic working height, improve drainage, and decrease soil compaction – helping prevent root rot while making cultivation and harvest easier.
Before purchasing boards for your bed from a hardware store, be sure to double-check their thickness. Many 2-inch boards may only measure 1 3/4 inches thick!
Location
At the forefront of choosing a location for a raised vegetable garden lies sunlight exposure. Most vegetables require at least six hours of sun per day for proper development; if limited sunlight exists in your garden, planting strategies that utilize its daily cycle could help compensate.
Drainage should also be an important consideration when choosing the location for your raised vegetable garden site. Vegetables thrive best in loose, loamy soil; make sure the area chosen has good air flow for proper drainage. Furthermore, consider whether or not your garden is close to water sources like a pond, irrigation system, or rainwater catchment system; proximity will make watering crops easier as you can reach them with hand-held hose or drip irrigation tubing or tape.
Raised vegetable gardens tend to be easier to care for than in-ground ones, since they’re less susceptible to weeds. Even so, it is wise to mulch the soil surface regularly in order to reduce evaporation, stop weed growth and protect against erosion – straw or wood chips are great mulch options; but compost or leaves could also work just as effectively.
At the planning stage of your raised garden bed structure, it’s important to give thought to its color or finish. There is a range of paints and stains available – both natural, organic, and water-based varieties – but keep in mind that any chemicals from these products could leach into the soil, so whenever possible try to avoid using them.
Joe Lamp’l is widely recognized as “Joe Gardener”, an esteemed gardening expert specializing in cultivating vegetables and other plants. His life-long dedication and enthusiasm for all things horticulture led to his award-winning PBS show called “Growing a Greener World”, authoring many books available at JoeGardener.com as well as being featured frequently as an expert guest on CNN programs. Joe lives north of Atlanta Georgia and regularly appears as an expert guest.
Soil
Growing vegetables in raised beds relies heavily on soil quality for successful harvests. If you start with nutrient-rich, organically amended soil, your veggies will flourish healthily and strong; in contrast, poor soil is often responsible for garden failures like weeds and pests as well as disease or low productivity.
If your native landscape soil needs improvement, try mixing in compost and one of our vegetable garden soil recipes into the top six inches or so of your bed. Over time, both organic material and plant roots will contribute to further improving it.
Vegetable gardens need full sun, so make sure that your raised bed is located in an area receiving at least 6 hours of direct sunlight every day. If it receives less, shade the area using canopies or another means.
Building your raised bed garden frame out of any suitable wood is possible, though cedar stands out as being particularly resistant to rot. Plus, its silvery gray hue turns beautiful as it weathers.
Avoid using treated lumber or old railroad ties for the framework as these will leach toxins into the soil over time. Instead, salvaged railroad ties offer more sustainable solutions while looking better than standard lumber.
Raised garden beds place your vegetables at an ergonomic working height for easy weeding and harvesting, plus are easy to keep neat and tidy. In this video from This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook, learn how to build one out of cedar lumber.
Selecting the proper soil for a raised garden is of utmost importance in building one. Vegetables require well-draining soil that’s rich with nutrients. A good combination might include topsoil, compost and soilless growing medium such as vermiculite or peat moss; this will keep moisture levels consistent while permitting roots to expand freely.
Compost
If you’re going through the effort of building raised garden beds, investing in top quality soil should be part of the investment plan. Poor quality soil can make growing even basic herbs or vegetables challenging; good soil can promote root development, nutrient availability and healthy plants with easier harvest times.
An ideal soil for a raised vegetable garden consists of organic matter and ingredients that encourage plant health, such as compost or leaves from fall/spring cleanups. Such soil should provide ample moisture while still draining well, while its texture should be crumbly yet loose, not sandy or clay-like. Incorporating compost or leaves from these events would further ensure optimal performance of a garden plot.
When selecting soil for raised garden beds, select an organic blend designed specifically for vegetable gardening. Organic components will help improve drainage, aeration and nutrient supply of your soil; while it may cost slightly more than generic bags found at home improvement stores initially, it will save money in the long run.
Some raised garden bed suppliers offer combo packages of topsoil and compost that combine into an excellent loamy soil blend for vegetables, making this an excellent solution if budgets are tight or you simply don’t have the time or inclination to mix your own blend yourself. This method offers convenience if time and resources are both limited.
Planning a raised garden requires considering several key points: where and how big to place the beds, watering plans, furry neighbors who might nibble away at your produce, fencing plans if living near deer or raccoons and more.
Raised garden beds can help increase food production while simultaneously decreasing maintenance requirements for your plants. Plus, they allow you to grow veggies in an area more likely to draw your attention each day, keeping you engaged with both the garden and its produce!
Water
Rainwater is ideal for watering raised vegetable gardens. Packed full of dissolved minerals and completely free from chlorine, rainwater is more beneficial for soil than tap water. To use rainwater efficiently in your garden, set up a gutter system to funnel it directly into a bucket or large tub; fill a clean watering can with this rainwater once weekly instead of using tap water treated with chlorine for this task.
If rainwater is unavailable to you, supplement it regularly by installing an irrigation system which delivers low-pressure streams of water directly to the roots of each plant. Many raised vegetable garden beds come equipped with such systems; alternatively you could build one yourself for your home garden.
To build a raised vegetable garden frame, select strong wood boards. Pre-made boards of various widths and lengths are readily available at most hardware stores or home improvement centers; look for ones at least 2 inches thick for extra durability compared to thinner alternatives.
Avoid using railroad ties or treated lumber as the structure for your raised vegetable garden, as their toxic substances could leach into the soil over time and damage its integrity as well as harm your produce’s health.
Soil type in a raised vegetable garden is equally as crucial. Instead of digging up heavy topsoil from your yard to use for this project, opt instead for potting mix, which typically consists of peat moss, vermiculite and other ingredients to promote drainage, aeration and moisture retention. You may also add compost or fertilizers for additional nutrition in this sterile formula.
Other methods for preparing the raised vegetable garden site include clearing away any grass or other weeds growing in the area before beginning planting, as this will prevent them from competing with your vegetables for nutrients and moisture. It is also a good idea to draft up plans of your vegetable garden before beginning construction, giving you an idea of the size of bed you will be creating as well as spacing out vegetables for optimal sunlight exposure.