Why Build Raised Bed Gardens

So you do not want to kneel down or bend over to garden, well you do not have to, simply raise the garden up, and reduce the effort required to do your gardening chores.

There are many ways to raise the garden up, you can put down some straw bales and plant right into them. You can put containers on a table or other platform; if you use a bench that a chair can slide under you can sit down and garden.

You can build your own raised bed garden using wood, bricks, concrete blocks, rubber tires, or compost and earth piled up above the ground. The approach you take is up to you and your needs, the time and resources you have available.

In a hurry, buy some organic soil, cut a slit into the bag and plant right into this, if you want it higher, put it on a table or bench.

If you choose to build a raised bed from wood for example, or buy a kit, the most workable size for the bed is four feet across, this way you can reach anywhere in the bed without stepping into it and compacting the soil by a minimum of eight feet long. You can make it longer or build more than one raised bed that is up to you and your situation.

One of the advantages to using a raised bed, besides the ease of gardening, is that the soil in the raised will warm up faster in the spring and you can get an early start. Another advantage to a raised bed is you can build a seat or two along the edge of the bed so that nine who is gardening can sit down while doing so.

The ease of access means that the various gardening chores, such as planting, weeding, deadheading, watering and perhaps the most fun, harvesting require less effort.

The organic gardener grows soil and this is often done by adding organic material such as compost to the soil. The raised bed make this a simple process because you first, control the soil you put in the bed so can start off with an ideal mix from day one, and second, a wheelbarrow and your hands, wearing gloves, of course, will be all you need to add the compost to the bed.

The raised bed will need to be placed where the plants you choose get that light they need. A second location consideration is putting the bed as close as possible to the water source should the rain be insufficient to meet the plants’ needs.

If you are putting in a new garden take a close look at the raised bed garden, you may just appreciate the advantages.