The tradition of raised bed or square foot gardening is a fast-growing hobby, sparking interest among suburban homeowners seeking ways to enjoy organic foods while cutting costs. While gardening traditionally involves a ploughed piece of ground and rotated acreage for crops, raised beds employ those techniques on a small scale.
Tips and techniques for making a backyard into a beautiful garden involve common sense and a little patience, resulting in a series of beds ready for spring planting.
Garden Beds
Raised from the ground (as indicated by their title) using a series of stacked timbers or platforms, these beds have the benefit of non-local soil, meaning no worries about local pH values, clay levels, or other problems. The inconvenience, however, is the necessity of importing and spread a special soil mix in place of traditionally breaking ground.
Square foot gardeners, whose positive reputation in the raised bed community is partly founded in their soil choice, mix nutrients with traditional potting or garden soil to enrich the quality. They choose elements based on the planting environment and desired plants, but omit fertilizer from the process.
The layers of fresh soil are primarily weed-free; at the end of a season, the beds are thoroughly cleaned, the soil sifted and covered with heavy layers of mulch. The beds are covered in black tarp heated by sunlight in the weeks before spring, in order to kill any stray weed seeds before planting. The content of each bed is rotated between seasons, with some beds alternately "resting" during planting seasons.
Constructing the Beds
Cement blocks are the sturdiest choice for framing raised beds; but landscaping timbers are a popular choice for most gardeners. The chemicals used to preserve landscape timbers may be a problem for organic gardeners, who should seek out untreated lumber for framing their beds.
Beds typically range from one foot deep to three feet tall for more convenient height. Taller beds are raised on platforms or filled with a layer of rocks or mulch at the base to conserve soil and save money. They range from one foot wide to "square foot" varieties that match width and length perfectly in large square units divided into sections.
A few nails assemble the timbers or lumber into sturdy frames. Once the frames are positioned and the bottom layer of mulch, rocks, or "filler" added as necessary, the beds are ready for the soil. Bags of garden soil and any additional nutrients are mixed in a wheelbarrow and shoveled into the beds.
Additional Garden Needs
Trellises are installed for climbing plants by burying regular porch lattice at the back of a raised bed; arbor lines are installed with two sturdy stakes driven from end to end with a line threaded in between to support heavier vines.
In open suburban areas, protect produce from deer and rabbits with "cages" constructed from welded wire fencing cut and shaped with wire cutters and pliers. The cages can be lowered over individual plants or whole beds for a few weeks or even a whole season.
A series of attractive, well-built raised beds will create a beautiful green landscaping atmosphere with charms beyond the usual manicured lawn. Spend time in the garden, both labor and leisure, in order to best enjoy the beauty of a small-space garden and its organic produce.
Sarah Briggs - For the last two years, I have designed primitive dolls and folk art sculptures (such as Edwin Drood and the Ghost of Marley) for Cordwood ...
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