Raised Bed Gardening

By: Jack Stone

bed - A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground.

If you’re a gardening buff, then you might have heard of the term, ‘raised bed gardening’. I have to confess to being quite ignorant on the subject, but upon overhearing, quite by accident I assure you, an argument by a young couple over whether they should go for the more conventional garden, or whether they should try their hand at raised bed gardening, my interest was peaked. After all what on earth was a ‘raised bed garden’?

Being the curious minded soul that I am, I was sorely tempted to push my way through a trolley of plants and enquire in all politeness what a raised bed garden really was. Fortunately for all involved, sanity prevailed at the last minute and I found myself reluctant to push my way through.

I did the next best thing and gathering my purchases hot-footed it back home where I could turn to my computer for instant gardening help. Calling upon the services of my favorite search engine, I typed in the words ‘raised bed gardening’ and stumbled upon a veritable plethora of information. Information which I shall now try my best to impart to you in manner that is understandable.

raised - Lifted up; showing above the surroundings; as, raised or embossed metal work.

So, to begin with, a raised bed garden is exactly what is sounds like. A garden upon a ‘raised bed’. Mostly though you’re not raising the height of your entire garden so much as you’re raising it in little bits and pieces. To do this people tend to utilise things like large containers, or pots. Troughs are also a favorite, as they provide a longer length for the gardener to work with.

There are generally two reasons why you would go in for raised bed gardening, with the first reason being purely to do with aesthetics. Having said that, if you find it difficult to bend down continuously when gardening, then the raised bed gardening is also ideal for you. But the second and main reason you would even consider a raised bed garden has to do with soil and drainage problems that you just can’t overcome easily, in your normal, ground level garden.

Garden net - a net for covering fruits trees, vines, etc., to protect them from birds.

Raised bed gardens are attractive, and easy to maintain, with the added benefit of being able control exactly what goes into your soil mixture, and how much water you use when watering your plants.

You also have the ability to protect your plants more easily from burrowing rodents, weeds, and unwanted feet trekking through your beds.

A more sensible method of gardening I have yet to hear of, and that wasn’t the end to the long list of benefits to be found in raised bed gardening. But the one I liked the most had to do with being able to grub around in my garden in any weather, without the actual ‘grubbing’ part. No mud, see? Since the plants are in raised containers, you don’t actually have to get down on your hands and knees in the mud to do your gardening!

There are 30 articles available in this category.

Bonsai Tree
Cultivating bonsai trees has been a Japanese tradition for hundreds and hundreds of years. Literally translating to “tray planting,” cultivating a bonsai tree involves actively working to shape a tree into a dwarfed, artistic version of itself. Bonsai
Fine Gardening
Gardening in and of itself is an art form. And the art of fine gardening is just that, an art. Fine gardening may mean various things to sundry people, but to me fine gardening means more than just a garden. It encompasses everything that’s artistic
Flower Gardening
When you think of any kind of gardening, the first thing that pops into your mind is flower gardening. Flowers and gardens being naturally synonymous with each other. And dedicated gardener that you are, you’ll naturally be doing your own flower gardening
Gardening Book
Are you a gardening enthusiast? Have you ever gone to a book store to find a particular gardening book only to be bombarded by shelf upon shelf of books on every type of gardening imaginable except the one that you really want? How about the internet?
Gardening Club
Gardening can bring endless hours of enjoyment to your life. Talking to other gardeners is one way to spread your joy of gardening. For those of us with the gardening bug, unless there is a friend or family member who is into gardening, there just does
Gardening Equipment
Gardening equipment per se, is what every gardener needs. At least that's what we all say when we rush off to buy that handy new extra-light shovel that just went on sale! However, not every gardener has all the tools, or even the right ones necessary,
Gardening Forum
If you’re a certified gardening aficionado then a gardening forum is just the thing for you. Your family’s already probably tired of hearing minute details of the earth worm and its resourcefulness, not to mention hearing about the detailed structure
Gardening Gift
You have just completed designing your garden and now you’re looking for that perfect finishing touch. What sort of gardening gift could you give yourself or someone you know who loves gardening. The range of gardening gifts span from the whimsical like
Gardening Gloves
Gardens are beautiful places to relax in. They can also provide endless enjoyment if you are a gardener. The idea of having flowers that give off pleasant smells as you pick your garden fresh vegetables and herbs is a pleasing one. The amount of pain
Gardening Magazine
You go to the supermarket and various bookshops and you will see many different magazines on every subject. For gardeners the magazines to browse through are the gardening ones. How can you tell from the glossy cover, if the gardening magazine in your
Gardening Services
With our busy lives it is sometimes difficult to find the time to enjoy simple pleasures of life. Gardening is a very restful and pleasurable hobby to take up. However many of us just can’t take the time to maintain a well kept garden let alone plant
Gardening Shoes
Many of us have a garden in our homes. Your garden maybe just a tiny little patch, but it is still a garden. With a garden there is a price to pay, and that is keeping it looking great. So you head outside armed with all of your gardening tools and suddenly
Gardening Supply
Every one who is at heart a gardener loves to potter about the garden with at least one of their gardening supplies in hand. For every gardener the list of gardening supplies varies. There are however a few gardening supplies that are staples for every
Gardening Tool
As a child you have probably seen your mother or father pottering about in the garden. They seemed to be working with lots of tools. You might have played with a gardening tool as well. Now that you are grown-up and have your own garden you too will
Green House Gardening
There are three different ways of gardening. One is to have your garden inside your house. The other is to use whatever space your garden has and plant your crop outside. The third way is to do your gardening under glass. This is called greenhouse gardening.
Herb Gardening
When you go to the supermarket you can see fresh herbs for sale. These same herbs can be grown in your garden with a minimal amount of trouble. You can grow them from cuttings or seeds. You can divide the heavy growing herbs and plant new herb plants.
Home Gardening
Horticulture
Hydroponics Gardening
Indoor Gardening
Landscape Gardening
Mulching
Organic Gardening Supply
Perennials
Rock Gardening
Rose Gardening
Shade Gardening
Tomato Gardening
Vegetable Gardening Tip
Water Gardening

[ Search Articles | Home | More raised bed gardening articles ]