Information And Tips On How To Start A Raised Garden (2024)

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What Are Raised Beds? Why Are They Such a Big Deal?

Raised beds, sometimes referred to as garden boxes, are structures that are built to surround your growing area in the garden. They can be made of wood, concrete, steel, or many other materials. The size, shape, and depth of the raised bed is up to you! They can be wide, narrow, short, tall, square, or rectangular, etc. You decide which is best for your garden.

Information And Tips On How To Start A Raised Garden (1)

Raised beds can easily be mistaken for large containers, but what makes a raised bed different than a container is its lack of a bottom. Unlike containers, raised beds are bottomless, allowing for plants’ roots to extend into the native soil if needed, instead of becoming root-bound, which is common in traditional containers. Raised beds are usually filled with a loose, nutrient-rich garden soil, which helps with aeration and drainage.

Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening:

So now you know what raised beds are, what are the benefits of planting in them? There are quite a lot actually.

When jumping into gardening the first question you are asked is “what is your soil situation?” What type of soil you have can result in more work and in some cases dictate what you can grow. When looking at your soil, you are looking at drainage. Three minerals present in soil; sand, silt, and clay have an effect on drainage and your gardening success. When using raised beds in your garden you can control what soil is being used, allowing you to pick soils perfect for your plants.

Soil Benefits:

  • Ready to Plant: With raised beds, there is no need to amend your native soil, just fill the raised bed with your choice of soil, and it is ready for planting.
  • Plant Sooner: The increased elevation of raised beds typically keeps the soil warmer than the soil in the ground. Therefore, you can plant your spring garden a little sooner.
  • Better Drainage: Since you are adding and mixing fresh, loose soil, your raised bed will have better drainage. You will also not need to worry about compacted soil issues.
  • Variety:By controlling the soil you also open up your options on what you can grow. You can use varying soil and nutrient compositions in each raised bed to create the perfect environment for specific plants.

Modern gardeners are increasingly embracing raised bed gardening; after soil, space, accessibility, maintenance, and pest control make raised bed gardening an attractive choice.

Space, Time, and Convenience Benefits:

  • Space-Saving: Short on space? No problem! Raised beds are perfect for those with limited garden space. Raised beds can be built on top of undesirable growing areas with very little effort.
  • Grow More:Growing more plants with less space is an advantage of raised beds. Companion planting in raised beds allows you to grow plants in, up, and over the sides.
  • Weed Control: Raised beds can be built over most surfaces like grass if you put down cardboard and newspaper then your soil and top it with cardboard and mulch you can greatly cut down on those pesky weeds.
  • Help Control Pests: Raised beds help control pests. The added height will help deter some pesky garden pests like slugs and snails from snacking on your prized veggies. Incorporating wire or hardware cloth at the bottom can stop burrowing pests, like groundhogs and gophers, from getting to your plants.
  • Back-Savers: The elevation of raised beds makes it is easier to water and harvest, especially for those who have a hard time bending over.

Information And Tips On How To Start A Raised Garden (3)

I’m ready to get started with raised bed gardening! Where do I begin?

Decide which material you want to use for your raised beds. Once you decide on the material, it’s time to move onto construction!

Get to work.Now, it’s time to raise those beds! If you chose wood for your raised bed material, grab some nails or some screws and start assembling! If you chose stone or brick, put some gloves on and start stacking!

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Choose What You’re Planting.Veggies, Flowers, Succulents… Whether it’s edible or simply beautiful, choosing what you are going to plant should be your next step. By knowing what you want to plant, you can start to plan out how you will fill your raised beds. Do some research to find which plants should be placed together and which plants should steer clear of each other. Companion planting can be a great, natural way to reduce pests, combat disease and increase nutrient absorption. Choosing your plants ahead of time also allows you to create the perfect soil environment for those plants, which brings us to our next step.

Choose Your Soil.One of the great benefits of planting your garden in raised beds is that you can create the perfect soil environment for the plants you want to grow. For example, if you are planting blueberries, azaleas, or camellias, you’ll want the soil to be more acidic. Choose a soil with great drainage and fill those beautiful raised beds! It’s a good idea to line the bed withhardware cloth to discourage entry from tunneling pests like groundhogs and gophers.

It’s Planting Time!Easy as 1-2-3! Now it’s time to get those plants all cozy in their new home. It may be beneficial to draw a quick map to help you remember where everything should be planted. Don’t forget to have fun while you get your hands dirty!

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Information And Tips On How To Start A Raised Garden (2024)

FAQs

Information And Tips On How To Start A Raised Garden? ›

Cardboard or newspaper: Cardboard is a great option if you are on a budget. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to deter pests and weeds.

What do you put on the bottom of a raised garden bed? ›

Cardboard or newspaper: Cardboard is a great option if you are on a budget. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to deter pests and weeds.

How do you prepare the ground for raised beds? ›

Remove all rocks, old roots, and plant debris. Dig down a little further with the shovel (a few more inches) to just loosen up the soil. Mix the soil with organic matter such as compost. We recommend that the compost make up about 25% of your soil.

What do I need to know before building a raised garden bed? ›

Determine Size Of Raised Beds

Choose the right size to ensure you can work comfortably to reach your plants. Easy reach into the bed from any side makes it comfortable to dig, plant, and weed your plants. Height is also an important aspect that you need to decide on depending on the type of plants you choose.

What do you fill a raised garden bed with? ›

The smaller pieces are placed on top of the larger pieces to fill space, such as branches and sticks, and then grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps. Compost and topsoil are on the top two layers for your raised garden bed so you can start planting as the organic matter beneath decomposes.

Why put cardboard in raised beds? ›

It acts as a physical barrier to block out pernicious weeds. Usually, 2 – 3 layers of cardboard will suffice, though you may want layers in more weed-prone areas. The damp environment created by the cardboard is conducive to earthworms and other beneficial soil microorganisms.

Should you put landscape fabric under a raised bed? ›

The fact is, landscape fabric is not a necessity if say, you want to control weeds because the confined space makes it easier to control weeds. But, you can use landscape fabric as a raised bed liner for other reasons, such as preventing soil erosion or improving the life of the raised bed itself.

How deep should a raised garden bed be? ›

Vegetable Beds: On the other hand, when it comes to vegetable beds, the bed must be approximately 12 to 18 inches deep to ensure adequate depth for the roots of your plants. This is especially important if your raised bed is placed on cement or the patio, which will inhibit roots from growing deeper into the ground.

Do raised beds need potting soil? ›

Whether deep or shallow, raised beds give a gardener a way to create ideal soil conditions on an even larger scale. While potting mix alone is too light for use in raised beds, creating a 50:50 blend of potting mix and Miracle-Gro® All Purpose Garden Soil will give just the right balance.

What are the two cons of raised beds? ›

Water Usage and Seasonal Considerations - Due to a raised garden's superior drainage, they tend to dry out faster in the warmer months. This requires more frequent watering to keep your plants hydrated. Due to the increased air circulation, raised beds can become colder sooner than natural soil.

How many plants can you have in a 4x8 raised bed? ›

You can grow up to 32 different plants inside your 4' x 8' raised garden bed using “Square Foot Gardening” techniques. There are countless books and online resources available to guide you in this rewarding method of gardening.

What are the best plants for raised beds? ›

Some perennials that grow well in raised beds include daylilies, lavender, oregano, rhubarb, raspberries, and hostas. Just know that if you plant these in your bed, they'll continue to occupy that space for quite a while (unless you decide to pull them, of course!).

Can you fill a raised bed with just soil? ›

Can you fill a raised bed with just top soil? Topsoil is good for filling raised beds, but always use it as part of a mix with compost or other organic matter. Topsoil on its own will not drain well in raised beds and it may not contain the same levels of beneficial microorganisms as you would get in compost.

How do you fill a raised bed cheaply? ›

Fill the bottom half with broken branches, twigs and general forest waste. Add green material like grass clippings, weeds (without roots or seeds) comfrey cuttings, kitchen vegetable waste. Top up with 6 inches of topsoil and home-made compost mix.

What is the best and cheapest way to fill a raised garden bed? ›

Use the Lasagna Garden Method

To start, lay down sheets of cardboard or newspaper for weed suppression and then fill the raised bed structure halfway up with alternating layers of nitrogen-rich materials (like kitchen scraps and grass clippings) and carbon-rich materials (like wood chips and dried autumn leaves).

What is the best filler for the bottom of a raised bed? ›

Plant Waste or Compost

We have a huge pile in the back of our property where we burn leaves, large pieces of wood that we don't want to split, twigs, etc. It's really good to layer all of that stuff in your raised beds as it will break down even more. There were, of course, ashes from burning which will also be good.

What is the best liner for raised beds? ›

You can line your raised bed to make it more durable and to prevent toxics from leaching into the soil. For lining, use landscape fabric found at garden supply stores or cloth fabric from clothing. Avoid non-porous plastic, as it can retain too much water and discourage beneficial insects and worms.

Should I put sand in the bottom of my raised garden bed? ›

A strong and stable base is essential for the health and productivity of your raised garden bed. By using the right materials, such as gravel, landscape fabric, sand, compost, cardboard, or soil, you can create a well-draining and nutrient-rich foundation for your plants.

Should I put sticks in the bottom of my raised garden bed? ›

PSA: It's completely fine to put logs, sticks, twigs, and garden scraps at the bottom of a raised bed to fill up space!

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