How to Install a Raised Bed Garden
A raised garden bed might be a excellent idea if you have poor soil or very heavy clay soil or find gardening tiring as a result of a physical problem. Even though it will take more time to put up a raised bed, or at the outset be more expensive if you decide on a raised garden kit, it will pay for itself in the long run. Cedar raised garden kits are particularly well-liked as they are resistant to water and exceedingly long-lasting. A raised bed has various clear-cut advantages over regular crop growing and may make your gardening a good deal easier, more enjoyable and even more fruitful.
Advantages of Raised Gardening
- In a raised garden you have extensive control over the the components of the soil so you will be able to raise flowers or vegetables that need specific pH’s and nutrients effortlessly
- The soil can be bought free of weeds so you will not need to waste time weeding.
- In a raised garden plants are a lot simpler to take care of and generally grow better. The earth doesn’t become packed down from people walking on it, so air and nutrients can get to the roots more easily.
- Raised gardens heat up quicker in the Spring so you can sow a good deal sooner giving you a much longer growing season.
- It is much easier to tend a raised garden than a normal garden as you can put together the garden at a suitable height. For those with physical problems, or are in a wheelchair this is often the only way they can take pleasure in gardening.
- Raised gardens are much kinder to knees and backs! You will not hurt your back or knees from cultivating your garden.
- In a correctly made raised garden, drainage is superior to that of a normal garden. You will not have saturated soil and the plants will develop better.
Where to Place Your Raised Garden
Before you settle on where to put a raised garden monitor your backyard for at least a complete day to establish which parts get more daylight or which are in the shade. Will you be growing sun loving plants or those which favor shade? FindĀ a part where you can have space on all sides of the garden to make cultivation easier. It would also be a good idea to have concrete paths on all sides of the garden to make moving near it with gardening equipment easy. If you are making a raised garden for a person who is in a wheelchair you must make certain that access is comfortable from every side and it is a comfortable height.
Filling Your Raised Bed Garden
After your garden is built fill it with high-quality soil and compost. A combination of half compost and half soil is customarily recommended. Top soil is usually obtainable to buy in bulk but be careful of the quality as there are no standards in place. Top soil can fluctuate a greatly in composition. Garden shops also deliver soil in bulk and you can be sure that it is good quality. You could use earth from your backyard but you will need quite a large amount and it might not have all the nutrients necessary. It will also certainly have wild plant seeds and probably stones.
For economy you may want to combine garden soil with purchased soil but take care you mix it completely and if at all possible do a soil test to make certain the nutrient levels and pH are acceptable. Whatever option you choose mix in a small amount of sand to help with drainage. You may also need to top up the earth occasionally as it compacts down and add some organic matter on a regular basis. An excellent hint is to raise some ground cover plants for the duration of the winter to protect the soil which can then be dug in in the Spring to add some nutrients.
In Conclusion
Raised gardening has lots of distinct advantages over traditional gardening for each of us but particularly for the elderly or those who are physically challenged. Whether you select to build your own raised garden bed or select from one of the numerous raised garden kits obtainable you will be certain to get many years of satisfying gardening.