Raised Bed Gardening For A Bountiful Crop Of Wholesome Robust Vegetables

Raised Bed Gardening is the ideal solution if your present planting objectives include plants and flowers that necessitate decent water drainage. If you're anything like me, I am sure you already understand how infuriating it is to have a back garden that just won’t cooperate.

There are a number of plants and flowers that can deal with any excessive water that comes about from being in an area that doesn’t drain adequately. In fact in some cases, it may well contribute to them blooming even more.

Having said that, many other plants do not manage as well, and the extra water will probably lead them to a grisly death. It is wise to find the water requirements for all plants you intend to acquire. Just make sure that it won’t conflict with areas you are considering planting in.

So that you can check the amount water your chosen area of soil will preserve, dig a hole roughly 10 inches deep. Fill it with water, and come back when all of the water has gone.

Repeat the exercise and if the 2nd hole full of water isn’t gone within 10 hours, your soil most likely has a low saturation point. Which means that any time water soaks into it, it will hang in there for a long period before dissipating. This is undesirable for virtually any plant, and means that you are going to have to find a solution it in order for your plants to thrive.

The most common method for making improvements to drainage in your garden is to go for raised bed gardening. This calls for creating a small bed which includes sufficient soil to raise it above the ground by a minimum of 5 inches.

You’ll be somewhat surprised by how much the water drainage is improved by this modest customization. In the event that you’re planning to create a raised bed, your probable area is likely to be on either on grass or on soil.

Building a raised garden in a non grassy area means that you won't have much difficulty. Simply obtain a frame (usually timber) to support the soil.

It's possible to buy diy kits to assemble yourself but more often than not you will be able to build one from odd timbers laying around in your garden. I made one from timber left over from an area that had decking installed.

Once you have built the sides, you need to add the correct quantity of soil and manure. According to the length of time you intend to wait until planting, it is advisable to adjust the ratio to allow for any deterioration that may possibly take place.

---

In Short...

Planting ,growing and maintaining your plants in Raised Bed Gardening is pretty straightforward. It is fundamentally the same procedure as your regular planting program. Just make sure that the roots don’t extend too far into the original ground level.

The main reason for establishing a raised bed is to help with drainage, weeding and to keep the roots from the soil which saturates easily. Letting long roots extend that far into the ground completely destroys the point.

Once your plants have started growing you’ll become aware of an almost immediate improvement. The additional soil makes it possible for much better root development, while simultaneously water loss is avoided and decomposition is discouraged.

All of these points when added together create an ideal environment for virtually every plant to grow in.

So There You Have It...

Creating you own raised bed for raised bed gardening is a straightforward and simple process that I’m sure you’ve already realized, and the long term results are worth every bit of work.

---

Return From Raised Bed Gardening To Vegetable Garden Main Page

Gardening Tools Home Page