Raised Bed Gardening

Gardening in raised beds means that you grow your plants above the level of the ground. This is usually achieved by building a structure such as a wooden frame and filling it with soil. You can also use concrete blocks, bricks, and many other materials to build your raised beds including planter boxes.

Here are 3 benefits to gardening with raised beds.

1. It helps with planning. No more guessing where you grew your tomatoes or your beans last year. With permanent beds, it’s easy to remember exactly where you grew last years crop. You don’t want to grow the same vegetable in the same spot season after season. That is the best way I know to avoid soil-borne diseases.

2. Raised bed gardening isn’t just for large yards. They will work well in smaller areas, too. Most of our raised beds are 6 to 8 feet long; but yours can be any length you want. It’s the width that matters. And,

Just be sure to keep them narrow enough that you can reach into the center without stepping on the planting area (that means 3 to 4 feet).

Why? Because stepping on cultivated soil packs it down – and that defeats the whole purpose of creating raised beds in the first place! Packing the earth forces oxygen out from the surface of the soil. And, you will wonder why your seeds don’t grow.

3. Take some advice from Ed Hume (famous Northwest Gardener). Pay close attention to how high your crops eventually get before you decide where to plant them. If he is growing a tall crop like corn or staked tomatoes, for instance, he ‘d try to keep them on the northern edge of the vegetable garden.

In such a case, they wouldn’t shade out the shorter plants still facing the sun such as bush beans. Or, he‘d take advantage of the shade for heat-sensitive crops, like lettuce and peas, by keeping them to the north or east side of taller companions.

Want to know more? Even Michelle Obama in the White House is doing raised beds.

And, If you want to ask a question, click on the contact link above and send me your question. Or,

Post a comment for me to respond to. And,

Follow me and tweet me in the Tweeter and Facebook links up above on the right side.

Yours truly for a great garden with outstanding berries,veggies and flowers.

Polly-organic gardener