Raised gardens are an effective way to grow vegetables and herbs, but before beginning construction you need to be aware of certain details.
Pressure treated wood for your beds’ framework could leach harmful toxins into the soil, while placing water-permeable landscape fabric may allow weeds to sprout through and tear or tear off over time.
Preparation
Raised vegetable gardens create structure and organization in any yard while simultaneously growing an array of different colored, textures, and heights of vegetables. Planting rows or combinations of beds and paths is ideal to cultivating colorful vegetable crops while providing enough sun for successful development of herbs. When placing beds outdoors for optimal success, make sure there’s adequate drainage so the vegetables won’t wither or die due to frost pockets or wind currents.
Plan Your Garden Before Planting No matter whether you are adding permanent beds or starting with existing plantings, it is crucial that you create a layout of your vegetable gardens before getting started. A well-organized vegetable garden makes maintenance simpler and helps keep track of what needs to be done throughout the year – for instance placing vegetable beds so it can easily be inspected for pests, diseases or any other potential issues will save on excessive weeding or labor-intensive tasks that would otherwise need doing regularly.
Start planning out your layout by making a list of everything you want to grow and calculating how many beds are necessary. Although their exact length and width don’t need to be precise, consider how these beds will connect together as well as any additional structures like fences or trellises that may need to be included such as fencing or trellises if required. It may be beneficial to draw a sketch of the layout if calculations of lumber need to be run for accurate results.
Planting taller and sprawling crops such as squash and watermelons in their own beds to avoid shading more compact vegetables such as lettuce and radishes is advised for optimal yields and saving space. Either train these up a trellis or choose bush varieties for more efficient space utilization and improved yields. When cultivating heavy nitrogen feeders such as corn, follow it with nitrogen-rich legumes such as beans for balance if they require additional fertilizer input.
Vegetables grown in raised beds should be mulched to minimize evaporation and weeds; straw or cedar mulch make ideal choices. Drip irrigation systems can also be installed early in the growing season to make watering easier; saving hours of backbreaking work in your garden!
Design
Raised garden beds provide you with greater soil control than an in-ground garden, making for easier tending and gardening organically with heirloom seeds. They can be created out of wood, concrete blocks or recycled materials like an old dresser drawer or toy bin. Newcomers to gardening will find them easier to cultivate fresh vegetables and flowers as well as grow organic crops organically or from recycled sources.
As part of choosing the ideal location for a vegetable garden, light exposure and water accessibility are important. Six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily is optimal; however, greens such as lettuce and spinach still benefit from less light. To minimize shading issues, orient beds so they run north-south to allow taller plants such as sunflowers to be placed at the northern side without creating shadows over shorter crops. Furthermore, access to soil must also be easily available – this makes watering, weeding and harvesting simpler.
If you live in an area with heavy rainfall, choose an area for your raised garden that won’t let water pool on the soil as this could quickly flood beds and drown plants over time. Consider including drainage solutions such as French drains or ponds as a means for excess moisture to flow off-site.
Once you have selected an ideal location for your vegetable garden, the next step should be planning its layout. No matter whether or not you intend on creating multiple beds, it is a good idea to map out their locations first on paper using a scale drawing of your backyard as reference. Be sure to leave enough space between each bed for adequate wind circulation as well as minimize fencing needs for keeping out furry nibblers like deer and raccoons!
Some gardeners may be concerned about using treated lumber in vegetable beds due to concerns that its chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treatment could leach into the soil and harm plants; however, current research shows that preservatives like ACZA and ACQ present no threat when treated in such ways.
Materials
Raised vegetable gardens maximize space, provide more control of the growing environment and reduce soil compaction while making weeding and tending easier. Before beginning, scout the yard for suitable spots for your garden – one with 6-8 hours of direct sunlight is most ideal – or consider selecting an area close to home that makes monitoring easier.
No matter your budget and aesthetic preferences, there are various materials that you can use to construct a raised bed. For an easy yet long-term option, concrete blocks or cinderblocks provide an excellent material that’s weather resistant as it won’t rot like wood does – plus, these blocks can even be stacked at various heights to make tiered gardens.
If you’re building your raised garden from lumber, look for options with good rot resistance like cedar or redwood that won’t contain harmful chemicals such as pressure-treated lumber. Repurposed pallets may save money as reclaimed pieces. When purchasing new lumber pieces for this project, opt for full length pieces (known as “dimensional lumber”) as these pieces are cut specifically to fit into their bed without the need to cut down later.
Fill your raised beds with nutrient-rich soil, such as native soil, compost or lightweight amendments like peat or perlite to improve drainage. A layer of mulch like grass clippings or leaves on top will further help reduce evaporation while suppressing weed growth.
Raised bed vegetables often need less watering than their ground-grown counterparts due to shallower roots. Mulching will help minimize weeds while making watering your plants simpler; consider installing drip irrigation tubing or tape at the beginning of each season for easy and more efficient watering.
Build
Before beginning construction of raised beds, select an ideal site. If possible, aim for at least six hours of direct sunlight daily – any less and your plants could struggle. For heat-loving crops like tomatoes, cucumbers or squash, make sure there is full sunlight throughout the day.
Consider soil type and drainage when selecting your location for your raised bed garden. Heavy clay or sandy soils may need amending prior to installing raised beds; for optimal results consider building on sloped ground for improved drainage.
Raised beds should not exceed four feet wide to enable easy planting, digging, and weeding in their centers. Too wide of an expanse will make reaching into it more challenging while compacting soils further, decreasing microbial activity and slowing moisture retention.
If your garden will include root vegetables, make the beds 12-18 inches deep to give their roots ample room to spread out and grow. For other vegetables such as salad greens, an 8-10 inch depth should suffice.
An optimal raised bed gardening mix consists of three parts organic matter (such as garden compost, leaf mold or well-rotted manure), two parts sharp sand and seven parts topsoil. For alpines or other vegetables that require good drainage, however, consider increasing the sand content by upping its ratio by double.
Before planting your raised bed garden, cover its base with landscape fabric to prevent weeds. Avoid plastic-based materials as these may leach toxins into the soil and deplete natural nutrients from it. Cardboard can also be layered along its length; just be sure it doesn’t have any ink on it that might leach into the soil.
Raised garden beds are an effective way to maximize growing space while making it easier to tend and harvest your veggies. Not only is this project suitable for any age range, it is also great fun! A family can get involved together.