Creating raised bed for planting vegetables or flowers is a great way for those with little space, poor soil or poorly drained clay soil to easily create a thriving garden. A raised bed allows the gardener to create a planting bed with exceptional soil while providing an easy way to control moisture and weeds. Once the raised bed is build, which is quite simple, you’ll have a low maintenance garden and contained space to plant.
Raised beds can be created out of anything that can contain about 12” of soil. Stones work great as do landscape timbers. To build a bed out of timbers make sure that they large enough. 12” x 4” x 12’ timbers or a couple 6” x 6” x 12’ timbers are ideal. The dimensions can vary and should meet the need of the garden. Basically, create a rectangle which is about 4’x6’ that has walls of 12” high.
More than likely you want to find a sunny locate to place the garden, though a raised bed can also hold shade garden. Whatever the dimensions you chose, rototill the soil where you’ll be placing the raised bed. If the soil is poor you may want to add a sandy mix of soil or a few stones to provide adequate drainage before placing the raised bed over the area.
Soil for the Raised Bed
Filling the raised bed with a rich, high quality mix of peat moss, compost and top soil is critical to the success of the garden. Unlike the gardens at ground level, gardener‘s utilizing a raised bed are able to have complete control over soil they use. With no rock to deal with and roots robbing the plants of water and nutrient, vegetable an flowers planted in a raised bed thrive
Raised bed gardens allow you to start your garden sooner and extend the growing season by greenhousing the raised bed. Raised bed gardening additionally makes it very easy to fertilize and control any types of garden pests that might otherwise damage your garden plants.
If you are planting your garden a bit early and the weather is still cold you may want to create a greenhouse over the garden. To do this place a few stakes around the bed at the edges and cover with plastic and hold it in place with clothes pins.
Maintaining a raise bed is simple. As a contained, separate planting space you’ll encounter very few weeds. In traditional gardens weeds tend to creep into the planting beds from the lawn or other adjacent spaces. Rasied beds allow you to produce the most garden vegetables and flowers in the smallest space possible.
To irrigate your raised bed simply add a soaker hose throughout rows the garden. Be sure to monitor the soil during the hot summer months. Once established, raised beds require very little maintenance and will provide years of gardening joy.
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