Raised beds provide a wonderful growing environment. They are easy to manage and keep up with.  They are beautiful.

BUT Raised garden beds are not for everyone.

To tell you the truth, building a large, raised garden is quite an undertaking.

1. It takes materials.
2. It takes soil.
3. It takes strength.
4. It takes time.
5. It takes fertilizer (compost or manure).
6. It takes paths.
7. And you may even need to fence the dang thing

It is a bit of a project – but it still may be the best garden-style for you.

Why You Should Consider Raised Garden Beds

Raised Beds can Save Your Back

If your back hurts, raised beds can help.  Elevating your beds to a comfortable height will require less stooping and bending.

Raised Beds Provide Care-free Walking Paths

With raised beds you only maintain the beds themselves, instead of a huge garden plot.

Walking paths are for walking and will not need to be fussed with.

If you cover the walking paths, you will never need to think about them again.  Simply overlay the ground with pavers, bricks, gravel, or mulch.  Even cardboard boxes or newspapers would work.  If the soil is covered, weeds can not grow.

No weeds – no problems.

Designated walking paths make working in the garden simple and cleaner.  Rain or shine – you can get in your garden.  I love to weed right after a good drenching rain (the weeds will come out easily roots and all).  For conventional gardens, this is a messy, muddy chore.

You and your children won’t be covered in dirt or mud after working in a raised garden with walking paths.

Raised Beds are Less Work

In addition to paths that do not need weeding, raised beds significantly reduce the amount of work you will do.

When topdressing or fertilizing, you only focus on the beds.

When watering, only the beds.

Because you only weed the beds, there will be significantly fewer weeds to deal with.

Raised Beds Provide a Longer Growing Season

Raised beds will extend your growing season (soil warms up faster in raised beds in spring).

Raised Beds are Beautiful

Raised Beds means No Tilling

If you hate your tiller or feel like it beats you up – raised beds may be what you want.  Because they don’t get foot traffic, the soil in raised beds will not be as compacted.

Raised Beds Contain Great Soil

Regardless of the condition of your soil (clay? sand? silt?) raised beds can provide the perfect growing environment.  Simply fill the beds with glorious topsoil or compost.

Raised Beds give More Food in Less Space

Short on space?  Raised beds allow you to grow more food in less space.  When plant roots can go deep into the ground you can space plants closer together.  Closer plants mean you can get more veggies in each bed.

Also, you can expect to get higher yields from plants in raised beds– intensive gardening practices used in raised beds can produce a 4 – 10 times greater harvest – source

Raised Beds provide Good drainage

Poorly drained soil will water-log roots and kill plants.  With raised beds, any excess water will easily disperse.

Raised Beds are More enjoyable

Because raised beds are easier to maintain and less work they are usually seen as a “pleasant hobby” rather than a “dreaded chore.”

If you think it’s too good to be true – you’re probably right, most things are.

Here are some reasons NOT to use raised beds:

1. Work – erecting and building the beds is a lot of work.
2. Materials – frames, tools, etc for creating raised beds- you will need to find it, buy it, move it and assemble it.
3. Money – if you can not find free materials, it will cost money.
4. Time – it takes some time to build.
5. Hot weather – depending on how high your beds are raised, those beds may get really hot in the summer months and harm plants.
6. Watering – if your beds do not contain the right balance of compost, they could require more watering.

Whether you chose a conventional row garden or raised beds you can have a beautiful, productive garden.  The choice is personal.

Not everyone has the time, energy, or resources to construct a raised garden.

BUT if you can build it, you will probably be glad you did for the next 15 years!

Do what works best for you!

Are you a dedicated gardener?  Do you want to garden but don’t know how to begin?

You should join the – GROW YOUR OWN – Organic Gardening Class!  Learn more about the class HERE.

XO,

Candi