Raised Beds Gardening
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Gardening With Raised Beds
Raised beds gardening can be an important alternative for those with soil or climate conditions that aren't conducive to growing a healthy garden.
Living in the Pacific NW our growing season is relatively short. Planting a raised garden would help address that fact and turn it to our advantage.
Raised beds come in all shapes and sizes and you get to decide which type suites your needs. There is no reason you can't take some of this information and develop your own style of raised beds.
I will share some of the advantages of raised bed gardening in this article and some resources for more information.
Image Courtesy Of Popular Mechanics
Living in the Pacific NW our growing season is relatively short. Planting a raised garden would help address that fact and turn it to our advantage.
Raised beds come in all shapes and sizes and you get to decide which type suites your needs. There is no reason you can't take some of this information and develop your own style of raised beds.
I will share some of the advantages of raised bed gardening in this article and some resources for more information.
Image Courtesy Of Popular Mechanics
Some Advantages Of Raised Bed Gardening
Whether your raised garden consists of contained areas or mounds of dirt, there are distinct advantages to this method. Soil improvement, better drainage, and the ability to plant earlier in the growing season are just a few of the advantages.If you do plant in contained areas, you will probably have even more of an advantage in the end. There is less chance of soil erosion in contained beds but gardening on mounds or slight hills of dirt can work as well.
As stated earlier, where I live, we usually cannot plant until late June. If we plant in raised beds, the planting ground would warm up much earlier and make for a longer growing season.
Raised bed gardening also means less chance of weeds since you can put barriers between the bottom of the ground and the dirt placed on top for planting. The weeds and grass that do take root can be easier to remove and keep in check, as the dirt is not as tightly packed as in traditional gardening.
I really like the idea that you can build your raised garden to any height so that there is less bending and stooping while tending the garden. It would be much easier on the back and joints which I am all for.
Lastly, if you raise your bed high enough, it can be a great deterrent for dogs and burrowing rodents that may otherwise harm your garden.
Here is a great article that talks about how the raised gardening beds in the above image were constructed.
Lasagna Gardening
by Patricia Lanza
Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!
Amazon Price: $7.60 (as of 06/03/2012)
Another easy way to build a raised bed for your gardening needs is using the Lasagna Gardening method. There is no digging, weeding, or tilling and it's easy on the back too! I've done this method for several years now and truly love it. Our soil is very rocky and hard. This method of raised bed gardening was the perfect solution for our gardening needs! Your bed can be framed or sloped on the edges. Choose whichever way works best for your gardening needs and give it a shot!
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Make Health Food For Your Soil
Make Your Own Compost Soil For Your Raised Beds
Fall is high season for making compost, the finest of all foods to feed your garden soil.Compost-worthy materials abound this time of year, so all you must do to make a batch is to pile up dead or dying plants, cool-season weeds, fruit and vegetable waste from your kitchen, and maybe some shredded leaves.
Will such a simple project really make a difference in the performance of your veggies next year? You bet it will!
Read the rest of this article and check out more gardening posts while there.
image from growveg.com
Books About Raised Bed Gardening
Planning Your Vegetable Garden Layout
The Easy Way!
The Grow Veg Garden Planner has taken the guess work out of vegetable garden planning. Here is what they have to say at Grow Veg about this wonderful garden planning tool!"Growing your own vegetables is not always as easy as people imagine. Not only do plants have to be spaced correctly but to achieve the best results they should be 'rotated' to different places each year to prevent the depletion of nutrients in the soil and build up of pests.
The online Garden Planner at GrowVeg.com makes this simple with its unique color-coded system showing the spacing and plant family for each crop. The software remembers where plants were located in previous years and advises on where they should be placed the following year."
Read more about this fantastic Garden Planner and a free trial here!
How To Build Raised Beds Gardens
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Gardening Articles And Tips
More Gardening Resources
Visit these gardening blogs and sites to further your research!
- Jun 1, 2012 @ 11:13 amWalls O Water and Broccoli from My Square Foot Garden
- So I tried a new thing this year, Walls of Water. Basically, this is a product that allows you to plant your tender and very tender vegetables earlier, offering them some protection. It is like a circ...
- May 30, 2012 @ 7:10 pmMoroccan Zucchini Boats from My Square Foot Garden
- Hi again! It's Tarah, from What I Gather. Today I have another recipe that you can cook with ingredients from your own square foot garden. The weather here in Indiana must be perfect for zucchini beca...
- May 30, 2012 @ 12:18 amLandscape Fabric | 5 Weed Barrier Options to Consi... from Gardening Tips ?n Ideas
- The idea behind landscape fabric is to provide a barrier against weeds and to protect your precious topsoil. In effect, the most natural way to keep your topsoil intact is to allow weed coverage. But...
- May 25, 2012 @ 10:00 amWestern New York Square Foot Gardening Plan from My Square Foot Garden
- Gardening Year: 2012 Location: Niagara Falls, NY Planting by Color: Yellow Hi I am Jessica, I technically am from Niagara Falls NY, but figured my info could help anyone in WNY. So the garden…...
- May 23, 2012 @ 10:49 pmJack-in-the-Pulpit: Wildflower Wednesday from Cold Climate Gardening
- Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a native plant that has entranced me since childhood, probably since I was first introduced to it on a Girl Scout camping trip. In my previous post about wi...
- May 23, 2012 @ 10:00 amSweet Potatoes from My Square Foot Garden
- Sweet potatoes are a very-tender vegetable that grows best in warm weather. They spread on the ground as a thick groundcover, so look for bush varieties if growing in a small space or squar...
- May 21, 2012 @ 10:00 amRoasted Green Veggies and Grapes from My Square Foot Garden
- Tarah here, from What I Gather, back with another recipe! This Roasted Green Veggies and Grapes recipe is a delicious and nutritious way to enjoy your Spring harvest. Broccoli, asparagus and onion mak...
- May 18, 2012 @ 10:00 amMay 2012 Garden Update from My Square Foot Garden
- First, I have to show you one of the things on my gardening wish list that I finally got: These are Sloggers Gardening Boots. I love that I have something to slip on quickly, tromp in the dirt and wa...
- May 16, 2012 @ 10:00 amAsparagus from My Square Foot Garden
- Asparagus is a hardy perennial vegetable that produces spears for 10-15 years. If you choose to grow it in a square foot or raised garden bed, you will need at least 18? (30cm) of high qual...
Square Foot Gardening 101
A Very Popular Raised Bed Style
These ladies take you through the steps of square foot gardening on this Youtube video.
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Raised Bed Gardening Kits
Amazon has a lot of gardening kits and gardening supplies to help get you started with your raised beds gardening.
Click on any link below to see lots more options to choose from!
Click on any link below to see lots more options to choose from!
Raised Beds Gardening In The News
These headlines about raised beds gardening are updated daily!
- Students Take On Hunger, Say 'Yes' to Grow-A-Row
- By taking on a 20 by 20 foot plot at the new Hamilton-Wenham Community Garden, 18 Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School students seek to help nourish those in need. Brick Ends Farm donated the compost for the raised bed garden plots at the ...
- 17th Annual Spring Garden Tour
- The Master Gardener Demonstration Garden was first established by a Memorandum of Understanding in 2004. Eight years later, it contains multiple examples of garden themes and techniques. The food production area includes vegetable raised beds, ...
- Community gardens giving back
- So, he took a master gardener's course through the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. After completing the class, he started Aunt Katie's Community Garden in 2010. The garden features raised beds and row crops with plants like carrots, strawberries, ...
- Homegrown: Plants thrive in a raised garden bed
- After years of seeing others have success with their raised garden beds and vowing to build my own, I finally have one. The use of raised beds has become widespread in Eastern Iowa. I know some gardeners who have used them for years, but they are also ...
Raised Beds Gardening Images
Updated Daily
More Raised Beds Gardening photos from Flickr to help inspire you with your raised bed gardens! As you can see, raised bed gardens come in all shapes, sizes and styles.
Click any image for larger views.
Click any image for larger views.
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Raised Beds Gardening
Raised beds gardening can be an important alternative for those with soil or climate conditions that aren't conducive to growing a healthy garden. Living in...
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If you are searching for an easier way to garden this year then you may want to consider the Lasagna Gardening Method. This gardening method was designed to...
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Raised Bed Gardening Kits On eBay
More Raised Bed Gardening Kits To Choose From
If you would rather purchase a kit for your raised bed garden than do it yourself, here are more options to consider. You can also click on any item below and look more if you want to see more.
How Do You Feel About Raised Beds Gardening?
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Will You Be Using Raised Beds For Your Gardens This Year?
I would love to hear your thoughts and comments!
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nightcats
May 12, 2012 @ 2:27 pm | delete
- A friend let me use a raised bed garden in her yard last year because I do not have a garden. It was a lot of fun.
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MaryStuart
Apr 30, 2012 @ 3:55 pm | delete
- The raised gardening kits look like they'd be fun to try.
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cajkovska
Apr 17, 2012 @ 2:49 pm | delete
- Nice idea... maybe I will try using it next year.
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JoshK47
Apr 15, 2012 @ 11:14 am | delete
- Very cool, indeed!
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Papier Apr 10, 2012 @ 6:05 pm | delete
- You're really smart to share that square foot gardening idea. Raised beds is the only way to go.
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mamabush
Apr 9, 2012 @ 2:29 pm | delete
- I had to stop back by as I'm planning on doing my raised beds sometime next week. Great tips you have here! Hope you had a lovely Easter! :)
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Pastiche
Apr 2, 2012 @ 10:02 am | delete
- I have two big raised box/raised bed gardens in my former home and one ground level raised bed hoop house at my new home. This season my daughter and I will be building a complete raised bed garden system in the back yard. It will be lots of fun and we get organic veggies for almost free.
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RenaissanceWoman2010
Apr 1, 2012 @ 7:01 pm | delete
- This was a great introduction to raised bed gardening. I learned several new techniques that I can use immediately. I like the strategy of introducing the seedlings to the outdoors over several days. I've never tried a square foot matrix before but I appreciate the ease demonstrated here. Thank you for all of this food for thought. Valuable information, for sure.
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drbilltellsexcitingstories
Apr 1, 2012 @ 12:06 am | delete
- This is something I really do want to do. Thanks for the info! ;-)
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Einar_A
Mar 28, 2012 @ 8:44 pm | delete
- Very informative article! I have used raised beds in the past and had a lot of success with them.
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Square foot gardening is all the rage! This updated and latest book by Mel Bartholomew shows how "anyone, anywhere can enjoy a Square Foot garden. Children, adults with limited mobility, even complete novices can achieve spectacular results." Get your copy today!
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