Before discussing the methods used for gardening in raised beds, it is best that we tell you about the reason or purpose of doing so. Basically, it’s done by gardeners who are cursed with poor garden soil that yields less production and demands more hard work to be done. And having that said, you must be thinking about what a raised bed is and what are its advantages.
To conclude in some words, we can say that it is a form of gardening in which the soil is raised above the ground level and enclosed in some way with the help of wooden, rock, or concrete structures. Raised garden beds prove to be more productive because the soil is less compacted, has better drainage, and warms earlier in the spring.
When To Garden In Raised Beds?
It depends on the temperature and climate of your zone, however, the preliminary work starts in the winter months including planning, ordering seeds and plants, cutting lumber for the construction of your raised Custom beds, etc. If you’re lucky enough to be living in just the right temperature zones, you can garden in raised beds year-round.
Before Getting Started
It is best to get information about all the essentials of this procedure before actually starting it in your garden. You need to have a basic understanding of potting mixture, the behavior of plants you want to grow, what things you require to begin and sustain this garden setting, etc. Some other important aspects are briefly discussed below.
1. Choosing The Right Garden Site
No matter what plants you’re going to grow in your raised beds, try choosing a site in your garden that gets at least eight hours of sunlight during the day. This is particularly important for sun-loving plants. Also, your chosen garden site must have easy access to water sources, as well as it must give you an adequate room to take care of the entire setting.
2. Planning The Raised Bed Structure
The size, structure, shape, and overall appearance are some important factors that you need to have a clear-cut understanding about. Plus, it should be designed keeping in view that the soil doesn’t get compacted meaning there shouldn’t be any walking spaces left in your raised beds.
3. Choosing Build Materials
Wood, concrete, and rocks are some of the different build materials that can be used for your raised beds. You can use any of these materials by upholstery Dubai but always make sure the frame walls are rigid and can stand the test of time.
Tools/Equipment Needed
Some important tools or equipment needed to make a raised bed in your garden includes:
- Garden Fork Or Tiller
- Jigsaw Or Circular Saw
- Shovel
- Buckets
- Leveler
- Screw Gun
Procedure Summary
You’ll be good to go gardening in raised beds, just after following these simple yet effective guidelines/instructions for completing the procedure.
First
The first thing after all the essential element selection in this procedure is to prepare your site in your garden. The two most important aspects of this preparation are the depth of your raised beds and the type of plants you want to grow in your raised beds. Always make sure that the plant’s roots have plenty of room to grow. And, for this purpose dig out almost 10 to 12 inches of the existing soil to loosen it with a shovel or garden fork. If you’re planning to grow shrubs or herbs in your raised beds, you’ll require little to almost no site preparation at all because these shallow-rooted plants don’t require deep soil to grow.
Second
Secondly, construct the frame for your raised beds. For wooden frames, you’ll need to cut lumber into specific pieces and place them in their places. Now, you’ve to design your raised bed frame and require some 8-foot cedar boards, plus a few 18-inch-long 4 x 4 posts that will be used to anchor the corners of the frame. To render your frame some extra strength, you can reinforce the corner joints with L-shaped metal brackets.
Third
Now comes the most important task in this process and that is to accurately position your self-constructed frame in the gardening site. You have to be extremely careful while performing this task and may need to dig some extra soil for the right positioning. Also, you’ll have to use a carpenter’s leveler, so your raised bed is in a leveled position from side to side and back to front.
Fourth
After all this hard work, you’ll have to create the soil mix or potting mix to give your plants the opportunity to grow in the perfect soil by maximizing their growth. For this purpose, you can either get an ordinary commercial potting mixture or go with a DIY recipe at home. If you choose the latter, you’ll need to mix equal parts of quality topsoil, compost, and well-decomposed manure. Another recipe that you can create is equal parts of peat moss, compost, and vermiculite.
Fifth
Finally, you just need to plant the garden and care for the plants. It is essential because all the sides of your raised bed will be exposed and the soil warms up and cools off faster in such conditions. As you know, a raised bed tends to drain faster than a conventional bed so you’ll need to water the plants more often because moisture retention is necessary for plant growth.
Conclusion!
We hope that with this information you’ll succeed in creating a raised bed for gardening on your lawn. We’ve simply and efficiently described to you all the basic equipment and materials that you’ll require for the completion of this task. Now, you can enjoy gardening in a raised bed, that too, without hiring any professional services and spending too much money.
