Ready for the second step in creating your garden? Hopefully you have read and put some thought into the first step which is to choose your garden site. Here is the link to that post in case you missed it.
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| Raised beds allow intense planting that results in greater harvests |
Reasons to use raised beds
- Gardening is easier in raised beds
- Easier to build your soil and add soil amendments and fertilizers
- Controlling weeds is easier. Weeds levels diminish if the beds are mulched and maintained.
- A well prepared bed allows for better drainage than in ground garden
- Soil warms sooner in a raised bed allowing you to plant sooner
- Allows you to grow more in a small space
- Soil does not become compacted
Size of Raised Beds
- 4'x8' or 3'x 8' or 3x10' are all good sizes for a raised bed. The boxes can be any length but the width should be no wider than 4 feet.
- If you have back issues 3' wide is a more comfortable reach You need to be able to access the box from the sides without stepping into the box onto your soil. We don't want to compact our soil.
- I like to use 10" or 12" high boxes. You can build the boxes taller but you need to be able to fill the box with good soil and it will require more soil amendments; however, taller boxes are easier on the back.
How To Build a Raised Bed
- To build one bed that is 4'x8', buy three 2x12x8's. Two boards make up the sides and one board cut in half will provide the two ends
- Use screws to join the sides together
- Build the box away from the garden so you can prepare the site for the box
- There are fancy raised bed plans online or boxes can be purchased. Keep in mind when your garden is mature, your plants will be the focus not the box. I think if you have limited funds use whatever lumber you have available and put your money into building your soil.
Preparing to Install the Raised Bed
- Be sure to think about the layout of your garden. You will be so excited about the success of your garden box next year you will want to add more so make sure to have room to expand.
- Be sure to allow wide enough paths between the boxes to get a wheel barrow around but not so wide you spend more time weeding paths than the garden
- I like to line garden paths with a high quality weed block and cover with bark so my time is NOT spent weeding paths. This will be done after you have the raised beds in place.
Installing the raised bed
- Remove rocks and large weeds from the spot the box will go
- Rototill the ground where you are going to put the box
- If you have a broad fork which has 18 inch tines you can use that instead of a rototiller to loosen the soil. It actually gets down deeper and doesn't not destroy soil structure.
- If you have nothing else, a shovel also works to turn the ground over and loosen the soil. Compacted soil is an enemy to good, healthy gardens
- Only loosen or till the soil where the boxes will go. Leave paths undisturbed or you will turn up lots of weed seeds
- After tilling or broad forking remove all rocks that turn up.
- Level the ground and place your box on top
- Do NOT put a cover on the bottom. Trust me you'll regret it. It inhibits root growth and makes it hard to trap gophers. It's better to have a gopher hole you can put a trap in than a hole down under the box that you can't get to.
- You can paint the box with a boiled linseed oil. I have never done that. I just replace old beds.
Raised Bed Rule: When you are done, do NOT walk on your beds!
Next post in this Beginning Gardening
Series will be on the soil used to fill your box.
Series will be on the soil used to fill your box.
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