Are raised garden beds good for vegetables?
The greatest advantage of raised beds is the ability to get down and do things that need close attention without too much bending – a real boon as we get older and stiffer. So, for salad crops, french beans, and anything else which needs fiddling at ground level, they are great. If you have naturally deep, level, and well-drained soil in your yard, you not only don’t need raised garden beds, you probably shouldn’t build raised beds! You are better off just laying out your garden beds at ground level, and creating pathways around them.While generally minor, raised beds do have some disadvantages. Raised beds dry out faster than level garden sites. Accordingly, they have to be watered more frequently in dry weather. Initial construction of the raised bed may take more effort than maintenance of the conventional garden.If poor drainage is a concern in your raised bed, start with a layer of organic materials like small branches, wood chips, or straw. These layers naturally break down into nutrient-rich compost, eliminating the need to compost.Adding gravel to the bottom of your raised bed for drainage is not necessary and adds another expense. If you don’t add junk to the bottom of your bed and use appropriate soil, you should have good drainage. Don’t fill your raised bed with ground soil. That defeats the purpose of having a raised bed garden.Bottomless raised garden beds are great for natural drainage and root growth, while garden beds with a bottom are ideal for hard surfaces and pest control. At Vegega, we recommend starting with a bottomless design unless you have a specific reason to add one.
How deep should a raised bed be for vegetables?
For best results, there should be another 12″ or more of good soil below the bed. This gives your plants at least 18 – 20″ of soil. The soil in raised beds is usually a few inches below the rim of the bed. This is because soil compresses after several waterings. While generally minor, raised beds do have some disadvantages. Raised beds dry out faster than level garden sites. Accordingly, they have to be watered more frequently in dry weather. Initial construction of the raised bed may take more effort than maintenance of the conventional garden.Raised beds need water more often since the soil is more exposed to air and dries quicker. Similar to growing in containers, the extra watering can leach nutrients out of the soil quicker than in-ground gardens. For that reason, raised beds will likely need fertilizer more often.For successful growing, it’s important to understand the difference between garden soil and raised bed soil. Ignoring this difference could very well lead to inferior produce or plants. A significant difference is the amount of moisture and heat these two soils require to break down organic materials.You should never use only topsoil for raised garden bed soil, or only compost. Your plants need a healthy balance of both in order to grow properly. This will depend on your climate and if any of your plants are heavy feeders that require lots of fertilizer.
What is the best mix for raised vegetable beds?
Add a mixture of compost and purchased topsoil in a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio, to the top of the bed. There are vendors who sell topsoil mixed with compost. Alternatively, fill the bed with compost and a soilless growing mix in a 1:1 ratio. If you’re going to pay for a product to fill your raised beds, again, it should just be really good soil and compost. I only recommend a thin layer of gravel at the bottom of your raised bed and under the edges to help you level the area. Save the rest of your gravel for your garden pathways.For raised beds, you’ll want to select a product that’s closer to a 50/50 blend of potting mix and garden soil.For an 8-inch high raised bed cover the cardboard, landscape fabric or hardware cloth with a 6-inch layer of topsoil, then top with 2 to 3 inches of a low nutrient organic matter or one inch of a high nutrient organic matter such as manure and another inch or two of a low nutrient organic material such as peat moss.Add a mixture of compost and purchased topsoil in a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio, to the top of the bed. There are vendors who sell topsoil mixed with compost. Alternatively, fill the bed with compost and a soilless growing mix in a 1:1 ratio.
What is the best material for a raised vegetable garden?
Build your raised bed with a decay-resistant type of wood, such as cedar, black cherry, oak (bur, chestnut, post, white), black locust, Osage orange, or redwood. Source: USDA Forest Products Lab) Use a non-wood material such as stones, concrete blocks, bricks, or synthetic lumber. Metal beds have less design and quality consistency, with some being flimsy, stiff and impossible to adjust. This means metal beds also lose points for their lack of personalisation — a novelty that wooden beds can offer, giving you a bespoke sleep (more on that later in the blog).However, they may not be the best choice for all gardeners, as they come with advantages and disadvantages. Durability: Metal raised beds are typically more durable than wooden or plastic beds. They resist rot and insect damage and can last for many years, even decades, with minimal maintenance.Durability: Metal raised beds are typically more durable than wooden or plastic beds. They resist rot and insect damage and can last for many years, even decades, with minimal maintenance.
What do you put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?
If your budget doesn’t allow for weed barrier cloth, you can add several layers of cardboard to the bottom of your raised bed before filling it with soil. The cardboard will decompose in about 4 to 6 months. Cardboard and carpenter paper will both break down over time, which is fine for underneath your raised beds, but I recommend using weed barrier cloth under your pathways. You can find weed barrier cloth here or here.Cardboard and Wood Chips: Layering cardboard at the bottom of your raised bed is an effective, cost-efficient way to suppress weeds. It eventually breaks down, enriching the soil with carbon. Wood chips can be added on top of the cardboard as an additional layer for weed control and moisture retention.Add a physical barrier like burlap or weed barrier cloth to the bottom of your bed before you shovel in the soil. You could even use several layers of cardboard as a weed barrier. Just make sure to remove tape and any areas with glossy print first. The cardboard will break down in about 4 to 6 months.Weed suppression*: Cardboard can help prevent weeds from growing up from the bottom of the bed. Soil retention*: It can help keep the soil from washing away or settling too much.