Dos & Don'ts of Raised Bed Gardening

Question: Final year I tried a raised bed vegetable garden, but it didn't produce any vegetables. What am I doing incorrect?  Seedlings and plants grew very slowly, non much at all or died.

Congratulations on experimenting with raised bed gardening, even though the results were less than desirable. Nothing ventured, cypher gained! There's also nothing as tasty equally tomatoes, beans, and squash fresh from the garden. Allow's become over some basics that should help y'all accomplish successful yields in the futurity.

What are Raised Beds?
Raised beds are garden plots higher up ground level and tin be made either by mounding soil into a bed six to viii inches high without side supports or by buying or building a frame out of wood, plastic planks or other materials. These beds are typically small plenty that the gardener can walk around outside the bed and tend to all the plants without stepping into the garden bed.  An ideal size for a raised bed is 3 to 4 feet wide with the length to adjust the space bachelor. Information technology is well-nigh ofttimes rectangular in shape and more often than not 8 to 12 feet long.  The bed may be as much every bit a human foot deep, depending on the blazon of plants being grown.

The History of Raised Beds
The practice of using raised beds dates to medieval times when farmers used wattle fences (walls of woven limbs and branches) to contain their gardens. In the 18th century, the Parisian market gardeners grew vegetables in raised beds, using the plentiful horse manure of the time as fertilizer. The concept gained popularity again in the early on 1970's when gardeners built raised beds with freestanding frames to encourage higher crop yields on smaller house lots. With healthy soil and proper care, raised beds tin produce a large harvest in a small space.

The Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening

  1. More control of the soil quality and ameliorate soil drainage: you will need to add together garden soil or amend existing soil to better soil structure.
  2. No need for pathways betwixt rows: crops can exist planted more densely, resulting in higher yields.
  3. Less found damage and soil compaction from foot traffic: you tin work outside the perimeter of the raised bed instead of stepping into your garden.
  4. Convenient access to all areas of the raised bed: especially helpful for gardeners with limited mobility.
  5. Easy maintenance: the increased acme of the bed reduces the altitude to attain or curve and squat to establish, mulch, weed, and harvest.
  6. Longer growing season: raised beds warm upwardly quicker in the spring and cool downwards slower in the fall.
  7. Can be converted to a cold frame: by covering with hoops for frost protection, you can create a longer growing flavour.
  8. Works well in express space: you do not need a large plot of land to have a bountiful harvest!

Building A Raised Bed
Before you lot begin, consider the post-obit of import decisions: the location, dimensions, upwards-front time, work, and upkeep. Initial planning and preparation is the key to success and saves time in garden preparation in subsequent years. Be sure to consider all the following factors for your raised bed vegetable garden:

  • site requirements: should have at to the lowest degree 6 to eight hours of full sun per twenty-four hours, access to water, loose and well-drained soil, and be positioned some altitude from buildings, trees, and shrubs to avoid competition for water and nutrients.
  • dimensions of a raised bed: usually 3 – iv feet wide and in a higher place ground with a square or rectangular shape. The length depends on infinite available and the quantity and blazon of crops to be planted. Depth is typically 8 to 12 inches deep but can be greater.
  • raised bed frame: can be untreated or rot resistant wood (cedar or redwood), stone, brick, plastic, or other materials.
  • soil sources: thing, so if you lot accept soil from your yard to make full the raised bed, exist certain to go a soil test, and then you will know amendments needed. If purchasing garden soil, mix it with organic thing like compost or manure to ensure a salubrious soil and healthy plants.
  • Perimeter space: outside the raised bed should be reserved for pathways from which the gardener will work. Many of the references below cover detailed specifications, plans and helpful suggestions.

What Can Go Wrong?
To ensure a healthy crop of vegetables, you lot will desire to ensure that:

  1. The site is conducive to growing vegetables. If the site does non get enough sunday, for example, plants will not thrive.
  2. The soil is amended with organic thing and other nutrients and prepared properly, with weeds controlled. Poor soil hinders seed germination, root growth, nutrient supply, and results in poor plant wellness and reduced yield. Compacted soil can also inhibit plant growth.
  3. The right seeds and plants are selected for your found hardiness zone and planting guidelines are followed. Plant at the correct depth and spacing, post-obit plant and seed parcel directions. For Virginia, consult the home garden vegetable guide for detailed data. Some plants are not suitable for raised beds considering of their size or infinite requirements.
  4. Proper and timely watering is necessary, equally raised beds dry out faster than in ground gardens. Drip tubing or soaker hoses can be a good option. Always water at the base of plants helps prevent disease.
  5. Mulching around plants helps control weeds and conserves moisture.
  6. When starting from seeds, thin seedlings per the seed packet directions to keep plants from becoming leggy and weak.
  7. Leaves should touch at maturity, but not overlap or plants may be crowded out or not receive enough sun.

Hopefully, yous at present take a better understanding of how to accept a successful raised bed vegetable garden and to avoid a repeat of your failed vegetable garden of terminal yr.  Maintain a garden journal to track successes and failures throughout your gardening season. Side by side yr you volition need this handy reference to go on experimenting. Here'south to a successful harvest for years to come up!

References:

"Container and Raised-Bed Gardening," Alex Niemiera, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, Publication 426-020, 2018.

"Intensive Gardening Methods," Alex Niemiera, Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, Publication 426-335, 2018.

"Raised Beds for Vegetable Production," Dr. Ajay Nair, Banana Professor, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, Extension & Outreach, Small Farm Sustainability Newsletter, March 2016.

"Raised Beds vs. In-Basis Gardens," David Berle & Robert Westerfield, Academy of Georgia Horticulturists, College of Family unit & Consumer Sciences, Higher of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Customs & School Garden Series, Round 1027-3, Feb. 2013.

"Starting a Habitation Vegetable Garden," Ralph Morini, Piedmont Primary Gardener, The Garden Shed, Vol. seven No. 2, February. 2021.