Raised vegetable gardens bring plants up to an ideal working height and improve drainage, as well as provide aesthetic value and accessibility for those with mobility issues. Roger Cook of This Old House landscape contractor shows us how to construct one out of cedar lumber that looks great while remaining safe for children or people with special needs.
Location
Raised vegetable gardens give you more control over the soil in which your veggies will flourish, as well as creating a comfortable working height for tending or harvesting your produce. Plus, it keeps pests away from lower-level roots since most critters won’t be able to dig under fences! In this video from This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shows how to create one from cedar lumber – safe material that weathers into an attractive silvery gray hue over time!
As you determine where to locate your raised vegetable garden, take into account how much sunlight the space receives each day. Most vegetables need at least several hours of direct sun every day in order to grow properly, as do beds without shading each other or their surroundings. When setting up a trellis to support vine crops such as squash, cucumbers or melons it should be placed towards either end of the bed near its north or western edges – this way the longer-growing vine crops can block out weeds that would otherwise appear between closer planted shorter crops planted close together.
Consider how simple and manageable the area will be for work and maintenance, including any potential risk from hazardous chemicals such as lead paint or oil that have seeped into the ground. Furthermore, don’t situate your garden too close to any play areas or activities in the backyard and consider ways that pets won’t enter it accidentally.
Be sure that the garden site is close to both your home and water source for ease of access for watering, fertilizing and weeding purposes. Drip irrigation must also be close enough so you can easily fill watering cans or hoses when necessary – an ideal location would be near a faucet with hot and cold water so as to allow you to fill any necessary containers or hoses when necessary. Always consult local utility companies prior to any digging as stepping on any underground wires could prove fatal!
Frame
Cook prefers using cedar for their raised vegetable garden frames; other durable woods may also do. Once assembled, ensure all boards are securely fastened together using screws in order to avoid detachment and collapse when filled with heavy vegetables and plants. When recycling lumber into edible crops such as edible crops such as lettuce or other edible crops. If using recycled lumber materials ensure it does not contain creosote that could harm them.
Raised bed gardens can be built either in an area with flat or sloped ground. When building on sloped land, follow its contour and adjust bed height according to terrain. Before beginning construction on any site it is crucial that all existing vegetation be removed as well as levelling off any ruts or dips in soil surface before any plans begin.
Once the site is cleared, rototill or dig down 6 to 8 inches with a rototiller to improve aeration and water-holding capabilities in your new vegetable bed. Furthermore, hardware cloth should be laid at the base of each raised bed to deter burrowing pests like gophers, moles and voles from chewing through them and creating havoc within.
Dividing the raised vegetable garden into sections for specific plant families can make harvesting much simpler. For instance, one section can be dedicated to nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants and peppers) while another section could contain cucurbits (summer/winter squash, cucumbers and melons). This makes rotating your plants each year much simpler.
Raised beds offer several other advantages over in-ground garden beds. They’re easier to maintain as weeds tend to spread less vigorously there and tighter spacing allows more crops to be planted per square foot. Furthermore, looser soil makes harvesting and disposing of plant material much simpler – saving both time and effort when gardening!
Soil
If you opt to use a raised bed vegetable garden, the soil must be healthy and drain freely. Conducting a soil test to assess any deficiencies or imbalances within the native soil can help guide organic amendments or fertilizers that can enhance it further.
For optimal success in raising a vegetable garden in raised beds, the ideal soil should consist of rich organic compost mixed with native topsoil or commercial blend designed specifically for vegetables and herbs. If the raised bed will be placed on concrete patio or other hard surface, weed cloth should be added as protection from grass growth and unwanted weeds; to deter mice or burrowing rodents in your area hardware cloth can also be placed along its perimeter to keep out.
Vegetable beds should be filled with soil that contains at least 50% organic matter, preferably more. This helps retain moisture and increase fertility of the soil. If you have extra native topsoil in your yard, that may work; otherwise look for quality soil that has been screened to remove large rocks or debris.
Grass clippings make an excellent mulch to prevent weeds, conserve water use and add nutrients. A layer of about two inches should be spread over all the beds for best results and chemical-free environments. Cook recommends selecting lawn clippings from lawns not treated with herbicides or pesticides so as to not introduce toxic substances into vegetable plants.
Vegetables grown in raised beds often yield higher yields because the plants are closer together and can shade out weeds more effectively. Furthermore, raised bed gardens tend to experience less problems from nematodes – microscopic worms which feed off root systems and reduce production – than traditional farms. If nematodes are an issue for you, line your garden beds with poultry wire or hardware cloth strips and place poultry feed around their perimeter. If this doesn’t help, use an alternative ground cover such as wood chips or pavers in their place instead of traditional fencing for protection. If you plan to use wood in lining raised beds, select wood preservatives that do not leach toxic chemicals into the produce. CCA was phased out for residential use in 2003; alternative options such as ACZA or ACQ may be more suitable options that will protect vegetable gardens.
Planting
Raised vegetable beds not only add beauty and charm to your garden, they can also improve productivity. Vegetables planted in raised beds have a much greater chance of reaching maturity in an optimal growing environment that offers adequate sun and air circulation; thus reducing disease risks.
If you want to use a raised bed, look for an area with full sun all day. Without proper exposure to light, your garden won’t produce vegetables; so be mindful when selecting where and what crops to grow in this space. When planting multiple types of crops at once, plant closer together than when doing so in soil beds.
Once your bed is completed, you have two options for planting vegetables: immediate or later in spring when frost has lifted. Either way, early spring offers the ideal conditions to work on raised beds as the soil will become improved and more manageable after its winter hibernation period ends.
Make your raised garden bed in autumn and cover it with a thick layer of mulch for protection from weather until planting time comes around – this will also help control weeds!
Fill your raised garden with high-quality organic compost, worm castings or another compost-like material such as pine needles. At least twice annually, add slow-release organic fertilizer for best results and to give plants all of the essential nutrients to reach their full potential.
Be wary when selecting materials for your raised garden frame, such as treated lumber or old railroad ties that could release chemicals into the soil that can harm vegetable plants. Furthermore, try not to purchase inexpensive landscape fabric to line the bed as this could end up becoming more costly to replace within several years.
One advantage of raising beds is being able to select vegetable varieties that will best work within your space constraints. Consult seed packets or plant tags for information regarding height and spread recommendations of mature plants so you’ll have room to grow everything you desire. When planting taller vegetables toward the back of the raised bed, be mindful not to block sunlight or airflow for other crops that need sunlight and airflow.