Raised bed gardening will provide you with the unique opportunity to have a garden that will be the envy of the neighborhood. You will produce more, have higher quality vegetables and spend less time maintaining them. All of the work is done the first time your raised beds are created and you will enjoy the fruits of your labor for years to come.
1. Reasons for Raised Beds Creating a raised bed gardening system is a fantastic way to control the soil you use, control weeds and produce the most garden vegetables and flowers in the smallest space possible.
Raised bed gardening allows you to easily control the environment in which your garden plants grow - temperature and moisture.
Raised bed gardens allow you to start your garden sooner and extend the growing season by green housing 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.
2. Materials for Raised Bed Gardening A limited number of materials are required to create a raised bed for gardening - To build one 4'x8' Raised Bed:
(3) 2"x12" treated wood from any local lumber yard (12) Screws or long nails (24) small nails or tacks string or twine
Optional: These are used for staking, creating a greenhouse effect, and controlling weeds in your raised beds:
Roll of clear plastic, stakes, and black plastic.
3. Building the Raised Bed Take one of the 3 pieces of wood and cut it in half - creating two 4 ft end pieces. Now just create a box by nailing or screwing the four pieces of wood together. When finished you will have a 4'x8' box that stands 12" high.
Find a good location, consider amount of sun and mark off a spot that is 4x8 feet for your raised bed. Either by hand or with a rototiller prepare the area, digging at least a foot deep. If the soil is poor you may want to add things to improve the drainage before placing the raised bed over the area.
4. Create great soil for your Raised Bed Having great soil filling the Raised bed is the key to having a fantastic garden. Use a combination of regular garden soil from your yard, compost, perlite, manure, etc. so that the soil in your raised bed box is rich for growing garden vegetables and/or flowers. You can purchase garden soil additives at the lumber yard, department store or local greenhouse.
5. Raised Bed Gardening - Finishing Touches Once the garden soil is in, place small nails every 12" around the top and run your string to create one foot squares. These act as dividers and planting guides for your raised beds, also referred to as square foot gardening.
Now you are ready for planting. If you are planting a little earlier than usual, you may want to greenhouse your raised beds if the weather is a bit cold. Merely place stakes around the bed at the edges, cover with plastic and hold it in place with clothes pins.
Another nice touch is to place a dripper hose that runs up and down the rows of your raised beds for an instant irrigation system. I have been using raised bed gardens for years and would never go back to traditional ways. Once established, raised beds require minimal time year after year. One can vary the size of their raised bed(s) to create a very well organized and designed layout. Give raised bed gardening a try - you will love it!
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Raised bed gardening is the practice of raising a garden in beds that are within an above ground structure. Many people use landscaping timbers to build beds which are three or four feet above the ground. Another good item to make the beds with is concrete blocks. The soil is then placed inside of the structure and often landscaping plastic is used in the bottom of the structure to prevent the growth of weeds.
One of the reasons raised bed gardening is so popular is because you can plant the plants closer together and still have a high yield. These gardens are usually narrow enough for you to be able to work the beds without needing any large equipment such as tillers or plows. The soil in these beds is usually loose because there is not foot traffic inside the beds. The loose soil allows the roots to grow deeper and stronger because is offers better penetration.
Mixing natural compost with a high quality potting soil will provide a rich and healthy environment for plants to grow and thrive in. You can generally plant your plants closer together in a raised bed garden which will serve two purposes. Once the plants get large enough they will form a natural moisture conservation system. The soil will stay moist longer and the shade from the plants will help to retard the growth of unwanted weeds. Even though you plant your plants closer to each other you will still have high yields which will compare to those in a regular garden.
The Benefits Of Raised Bed Gardening
Raised bed gardening has many benefits that regular gardening does not have. The soil which is used in raised bed gardening is usually richer than the soil of a regular garden. You won't have to worry about erosion since the garden is enclosed. Tending to the garden is usually easier because you have greater control over weeds and unwanted grass.
You will probably be required to water the beds since most areas do not receive enough regular rain to keep them moist. The good thing is it does not take as much water since you are watering an enclosed area.
Raised bed gardening can provide high yields which are easier to harvest because of the height difference from the ground. This is also a good way to try your hand at organic gardening since the potting soil and compost will provide much needed nutrients. Netting can be applied to help ward off unwanted pests.
People who do not have a large area of land can benefit from raised bed gardening as well as those who are not able to work in the more traditional type garden. This type gardening can be fun and fruitful for the entire family.
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Robert Schpok has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Landscaping and Culture and Society. Robert Schpok - Has been using raised bed gardening in combination with square foot gardening techniques for fantastic results for decades. See raised bed gardening at. Robert Schpok's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
Kamikazeadmin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Tattoo, Vegetable Garden and Adwords. For more information about Raised Bed Gardening visit: . Kamikazeadmin's top article generates over 201000 views. to your Favourites.