Raised Bed GardenS
When we moved to our farm, almost ten years ago, one of the first garden tasks we took on was gardening in raised beds. I love the clean look of raised beds, not to mention they are a great way to corral aggressive growing plants, such as marionberries, boysenberries, and strawberries. We currently have raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, marionberries, boysenberries, as well as artichokes and rhubarb growing in raised beds that skirt the perimeter of our family garden. Cut flowers will also grow exceptionally well in raised beds.
The hardest part is deciding size and design of your beds. I suggest not making the beds too deep. Ideally, you want to be able to easily reach across the bed to harvest your plants. Also, give yourself room to walk between the beds with a garden cart. Be conscious of your choice in supplies. If you use wood, I advise against using timber treated with chemicals as it can leach into your soil and plants. I have included some links to different raised bed designs.
After you have built your beds, be sure to lay cardboard or weed fabric down prior to adding your soil. We added a layer of wire to try to deter pests (voles are my nemesis). If your raised bed is very deep and you do not want to pay a fortune in soil, you can add organic material, such as leaves, logs and sticks.
Don’t agonize over your soil choices. If you have the means to transport soil, visit your local nursery and ask for their recommendations. A gardener’s blend is perfect (usually a mix of compost and loam). If you don’t have a truck and trailer, you can buy raised bed mix soil at your local garden store.
Lastly, consider how you will be watering your plants. If you are able to create a drip irrigation system, you will use less water and have the option of setting up a timer. All of our plants are watered through drip irrigation (Drip Depot) and set on a timer (Home Depot). I couldn’t manage the amount of plants we have without irrigation and a good timer system.
As always - email if you have any question.
- Jessa jessica@scravelhill.com
