The Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

As I started working outside a few weeks ago to get the garden ready for spring planting, I remembered from last season that some of my raised beds needed replacing. The soil in them was fine, it’s that the wood was starting to rot away, destroying the structural integrity of the frame. After nine years, some things just get worn out. So I went about purchasing wood and screws to complete the task.

As I was working, I got to thinking about raised beds and how happy I am with them compared to growing my crops directly in the ground as I did in the past. They are so much easier and more convenient.

In a raised bed I have a lot more control over the soil. I can add soil as needed and if I’m feeling really crazy, I can sieve it to remove the large rocks. (I did this when I first built the beds, and fortunately I only had to do it once!) Fertilizer is also easy to apply as needed. And most importantly, since no one is stepping on the ground in a raised bed, the soil does not get compacted. This helps because plants need air spaces in the soil for their roots to grow. The less compacted the soil, the healthier the plants.

Since the beds are raised, it’s easier to reach them, and this is good for my aging back. It also helps because the soil is above the level of the grass and weeds around the garden. Thus, weed seeds – and therefore weeds – are kept to a minimum. And when weeds do get in, for some inevitably will, I can pull them out with ease since the soil is not compacted from stepping on it.

Raised beds also help increase the yield of my harvest. Because plants are not competing with weeds for water or nutrients, I can plant them closer together – in sections, rather than rows. As plants grow and need more space, I thin them out and use the ones I thinned in the kitchen. Thus, I get more harvest from a smaller area. This concept, known as square foot gardening, is perfect for raised beds.

There are a million ways to make raised beds, but if you do plan on building them, I have a few suggestions, gained from experience, before you start:

1. Choose your location carefully, because once you’ve made your bed, you’re not going to move it. This means observing the location, perhaps for months beforehand, to make sure it gets as much sun as you need (full sun is direct, unfiltered sun for at least 6 to 8 hours a day). Do not forget that leaves that were not there in winter or early spring may shade your garden as the season progresses and the timing and angle of the sun change with the season as well. And if you build more than one, make sure there is enough room in between for the lawn mower.
2. Do not use treated wood for the frames. You do not want to harvest food grown in beds with chemicals used to prevent the wood from rotting. I use 2 X 12 Douglas fir, and the wood lasts for about 8 to 10 years. Also, buy the wood from a good lumberyard. The wood I bought some years back from Home Depot for a few of my beds warped and rotted much quicker than from the local lumberyard.

   

3. You can make your raised bed as long as you want, but do not make it more than four feet wide. At this width you can reach every spot within the bed from one side or the other, without ever having to step on your soil. Most of my beds are 4 X 8 feet, although I do have a few smaller ones for perennial herbs, blueberry bushes, strawberries, and raspberries, all of which I do not want to disturb from year to year.
4. Get your soil right, from the beginning – you don’t want to ever have to remove it. Sieve it if you want, but this also means testing your soil to see if it needs to be amended with nutrients. In most locations you can get your soil tested at your local county extension office for a few bucks. Before you dump nutrients in with abandon, it’s worth it to see what your soil needs. Don’t forget that nutrients get used up by your plants as they grow and too many can leach out of the soil and get into groundwater. It is best to test your soil every few years.
5. Monitor moisture. Because water can run out of raised beds and there is a little more exposure above the ground for evaporation, soil in raised beds dries out faster than in the ground. So always monitor your moisture level and water as necessary.

Can’t do raised beds because you don’t have enough space? Containers or pots on your porch, deck, or patio make a great alternative, and there are lots of dwarf vegetable varieties available that take up little space but are strong producers.

While there are some initial financial outlays and it certainly takes some physical effort to make raised beds for your garden, the benefits far outweigh the costs. I can’t imagine ever going back to gardening directly in the ground.

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