When planning the construction of your raised beds for gardening it is important to check the surroundings first, keeping in mind the number of beds you plan to have, the size of the beds, width and length, the amount of sunlight and the availability of water. Trees too close to the area may cause some root problems under your garden and too much shade on your plants. Watering will always be needed so it is important to have water available with a minimum of effort on your part.
I have tried several different sizes for the beds and it is my preference to have beds of different sizes. I have one bed that is 4 x 8 feet that I find just right for the amount of squash needed for my family. Sometimes that same bed may be used for cool weather crops such as leaf lettuce, radishes, or carrots. With the four foot width the plants can be reached from both sides for picking vegetables. The length of this bed runs east and west and it still receives enough sunlight for those crops.
A space needs to be left between the beds large enough to be able to mow or use a weed-eater and to walk and carry a container for the harvested vegetables. I doubt a wheelbarrow would be needed often for harvest of a 4 x 8 foot bed. I have placed paving stones on the ground between the beds that help to keep down grass and maintenance. Occasionally a weed-eater is useful to keep grass from growing up close to the edges and into the garden bed though.
On each side of the 4 x 8 foot bed, on the 8 foot sides, beds can be placed that are 8 x 8 foot. I am told that beds running north and south will give the maximum amount of sunlight so, with the square bed, I run the garden rows north and south. I plant rows on each side of the 8 x 8 foot beds and leave a walk-space down through the center and cover it with some kind of mulch, usually peat moss or compost. The rows in this kind of bed may be reached from each side as well as the center of it. I do this to save on building materials and space that would be wasted on the sides between beds.
When the spring vegetables are finished in the 8 x 8 foot beds and it comes time to plant sweet potatoes, a bed is spaded or tilled and the entire bed is planted since there is no reason to walk in among sweet potatoes. They don’t require anything but a little water from the time they are planted, fertilized and established until time to harvest them. Harvest can begin from any side and progress toward the middle of the bed without walking on plants or sweet potatoes. I feel the 8 x 8 foot beds are more economical for me.
I recommend spading or tilling very deeply and using the existing soil for a base, even if it is heavy clay. I have heard of placing garden beds over concrete, gravel or even trash. I like to be able to dig down and incorporate more of the existing soil into the added sand, compost and topsoil if needed. I have never had to do it but I think if you make really bad mistakes in mixing your soil, you can just remove it and use it to fill in low spots in your yard, add it to the compost pile and mix it in, and start over on your garden soil mix. By enriching the soil with compost often I have never had to replace the soil in my garden.
I do not recommend using concrete for the borders in raised bed gardening. It has been my experience with flower beds enclosed with scalloped concrete borders to see the heat build up enough in our Texas climate to literally burn up the plants nearest the concrete. For maximum yields in an already small garden, every plant counts. I use wood borders and build the soil only high enough to enclose and protect my garden from exposure to contaminants and flooding.
I never use pesticides in my garden but I do sometimes have to use chemicals to control fire ants on some parts of our property. If the ants get into my garden over the winter, I simply pull the soil back to expose them to the sun to chase them away from my garden and then kill them before I plant the garden. I live in a very small town and I have neighbors who use pesticides in their yards. With heavy rains, the run-off water sometimes extends onto my property. That is the most important reason to me for raised bed gardening. With good drainage on each side of my garden, hopefully that run-off water does not contaminate my garden soil. It is important to keep this in mind when deciding where to put your garden and how high to build it.
With raised bed gardening you can plant several weeks earlier than in a regular garden since the soil warms earlier in raised beds. The beds can be covered more easily in case of a surprise late cold snap. Earlier crops can extend the growing seasons and allow for more successive planting for maximum yields. Moisture is more easily controlled in raised beds and drainage is improved. Soil compaction is much easier to handle if it is ever a problem. Economical watering and fertilization are more easily obtained.
Some vegetables require more water or fertilizer than others and different kinds of care. Using raised beds divides them so they can have their individual needs met for better production. It also seems to break the chores up into blocks. I like to finish one bed and then move on to the next, knowing I have completed something as I go. That may sound silly, but it encourages me.
Getting the beds and soil established in raised bed gardening is more work from the beginning but, as time goes by and the soil is developed, the work decreases. Each individual can decide how important the structure and beauty are in building the garden beds. One good thing is that the beds can be changed, added to or taken away from, or totally removed when they are no longer wanted or needed without damage to your property.
You may find more information from articles I have written, “Plan Your Fall Garden When You Plan Your Spring Garden” at http://bit.ly/16tELZ, “Small Vegetable Gardens” at http://bit.ly/FT9J7 and “Raised Bed Gardening: Ends in the Fall With Preparation for Winter Rest and Spring Garden Planting” at http://bit.ly/1Oshq7.
Source:
“Plan Your Fall Garden When You Plan Your Spring Garden” at http://bit.ly/16tELZ
Euwyn Pegues
“Small Vegetable Gardens” at http://bit.ly/FT9J7
Euwyn Pegues
Aggie Horticulture
Aggie Horticulture Plant Answers: http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_calendar/march.htmhttp://versa.tamu.edu:8080/Phtm_cgi.exe?search
“Raised Bed Gardening: Ends in the Fall With Preparation for Winter Rest and Spring Garden Planting” at http://bit.ly/1Oshq7.
Euwyn Pegues
Return to Garden Designs, Tips and Ideas
By: Euwyn Pegues
Related Articles:
