Raised bed gardening has some great benefits like warming up faster in spring, looking nicer and if you make them tall enough, they are easier on your back. Here are some tips to help you grow right in your raised bed garden.
This post contains affiliate links: I am grateful to be of service and bring you content free of charge. In order to do this, please note that when you click links and purchase items; in most (but not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. Your support in purchasing through these links enables me to keep blogging to help you start homesteading and it doesn’t cost you a penny extra!
See Disclosure, Terms and Conditions for more information. Thank you for supporting Misfit Gardening.
You can tune into the podcast episode or read on to learn more.
Placement
Putting your garden in the wrong spot is a huge mistake, and it’s difficult to correct when your beds are built and filled with soil!
So set yourself up for success and position your raised bed with the sun in mind. Vegetables require six hours or more of sunlight each day and positioning your raised beds so that the short ends are aligned south-north will maximize the amount of sunlight your vegetables will get.
Make sure you plant your vegetables in the right spot in your raised bed! Tomatoes, eggplants, chiles, and herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme will do well in the sunniest parts of your raised bed, while lettuce or cilantro do better in shady placements.
Plants on the south side will get the most sunlight, but they also need to be lower-growing so that they don’t block all the sun from other crops. Plant corn for example, at the northern end of the bed, so the shadows it casts as it grows don’t block the sun for the plants growing behind it.
For bonus points in setting yourself up for success, place your raised beds near a water source so you can easily provide your plants with water.
Water
Your irrigation system doesn’t need to be expensive or state of the art to work well and save you some time but, that being said, if an irrigation system is too expensive for you right now then pay close attention to the soil. When it looks hard or dry, push your finger into the soil, if it feels dry more than 2 inches into the soil then it’s time to water. You can also pick up a handful of soil and squeeze the soil into a loose ball. If it stays together, the soil is just right, if it falls apart or does not form a ball then it is too dry.
Plant and watch indicator plants like lettuce, which wilt quickly when dehydrated, which will also help you tell at a glance if your garden bed needs water.
If you don’t plan for irrigation when you build your raised bed, you’ll need to water by hand using an old-fashioned watering can or a long hose. I still use the watering can to feed the garden using natural liquid fertilizers and in early spring when the secondary water is not yet available.
If you can’t set up an irrigation system, then consider a rainwater barrel
You need to plan ahead of time how you will irrigate the beds to be successful. I like soaker hoses and drip lines more than overhead sprinklers. Overhead sprinklers not only waste water but they make fungal disease problems like powdery mildew and blight worse.
Size Matters
Don’t start out too big. You want your raised beds just the right size, making them easy to work in and around. Raised beds should never be more than 4 ft wide because you want to be able to reach the plants in the middle to harvest, prune and feed your garden!
If your raised bed is near a fence, you may want to make the width smaller so you can easily reach all the way to the back of the raised bed.
One of the big benefits of raised bed gardening is avoiding soil compaction. So, you need to be able to work in your garden beds without stepping on them. This promotes better soil structure, a diverse soil ecosystem with worms and beneficial microorganisms, and ultimately healthier plants for you to enjoy.
Remember that healthy soil is the key to a healthy garden!
Make sure you also leave enough space in between multiple raised beds. You must be able to work between the beds comfortably and walk through the pathways. If you use a stool or a wheelbarrow often when out in the garden, then be sure to leave enough space to maneuver these through the beds and allow space to comfortably turn a wheelbarrow around when it is full!
Materials Matter
Check what materials are safe to use near your plants. Safety standards and health regulations may vary based on the state or region. Most garden experts agree that you should not use pressure-treated wood manufactured prior to 2003. It contains heavy metals like chromated copper arsenate that shouldn’t be near your food garden. Modern methods of pressure-treated wood use safer practices, and whether you choose to use it is a personal decision.
Many people choose to use rot-resistant and chemical-free woods such as cedar or redwood but prepare to pay more if you go that route and know that they can deteriorate within 3 to 5 years. Black locust is more long-living as raised bed wood but is ridiculously expensive. Look for locally sourced and sustainable options that are untreated, FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council), long-lasting, and rot-resistant. This will help your raised bed perform and look nice for years to come.
If you’re looking for cheap raised garden beds, you might want to repurpose wood. To be safe, just make sure it wasn’t manufactured prior to 2003 or use other materials like bricks to edge your raised beds. Older materials like railroad ties can contain harmful creosote or chemicals harmful to your garden so don’t use them near your edible plants.
Soil
Many soil combinations will work well with raised beds, but some do not. Potting soil, for example, drains too quickly. Unless your raised bed sits on a concrete patio or gravel where it is more like a container, skip the potting soil. You need more substance than what potting soil can provide for a productive raised bed garden.
You need to mix in some raised bed soil and compost to provide organic matter that feeds the microorganisms which feed your plants. When placing raised beds I lift the ground soil with a garden fork to loosen it then layer cardboard over to help smother weeds then fill with garden topsoil, raised bed soil, and compost mixed together.
Learn more about raised bed soil here.
Path Maintenance
There are few things more frustrating than going out to my garden and discovering the grass has grown up beside them and even inside them. It looks terrible and unkempt.
If I lived more rurally, I would have to be alert to snakes, bugs, and other critters hanging out. Both weeds also harbor pests and diseases that can decimate your beloved vegetable garden so it’s a good idea to prioritize path maintenance.
If you don’t want to keep mowing or weed whacking the grass and weeds around your raised beds, place a barrier down before the weeds and grass emerge for the season. Broken down cardboard boxes with a light layer of mulch on top works well but you need to replace the mulch and watch out for things growing in the mulch as it breaks down over time. You can also use brown paper mulch
Mulch Raised Beds
Mulching your raised beds is not only to reduce the weeds but it also protects the soil from erosion from the wind and watering. Mulch also helps to retain moisture in the soil meaning you can water less and it helps to regulate temperatures which are very important in the middle of a dry summer.
What are your raised bed gardening tips?
If you liked this post please take a moment to share it using the share buttons below or pin the image below to Pinterest and save it for later and join us over on YouTube to get to know me and my homestead in the suburbs or join the Facebook group for live Q&A, advice, and support on homesteading or learn how you can get more tips and tricks by signing up for my newsletter and get free printables in the Homestead Resource Library.
Always ensure to operate safely. All projects are purely “at your own risk” and are for information purposes only. As with any project, unfamiliarity with the tools, animals, plants, and processes can be dangerous. Posts, podcasts, and videos should be read and interpreted as theoretical advice only and are not a substitute for advice from a fully licensed professional.
As remuneration for running this blog, this post contains affiliate links. Misfit Gardening is a participant in Affiliate or Associate’s programs. An affiliate advertising program is designed to provide a means for this website/blog to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to websites offering products described in the blog post. It does not cost you the Reader anything extra. See Disclosures, Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy for more information about use of this website.
Share this:
