By
zarticles on Friday, May 18th, 2012 |
No Comments
So you want to build a raised garden bed? I always think in wonder about the pleasure of seeing a young plant grow from a seed and then develop into a mature plant creating seeds of it’s own.
All worthwhile projects however need to start with a good plan of what it is going to be like when completed. Failing to plan is planning to fail
How to get started on building a raised garden bed.
Raised garden beds are done by planting flowers, vegetables or herbs in a raised bed structure. Either you’ll be using a framed structure or pots to plant in. Some knowledge of construction is good to have however you can often buy a kit with all the parts and a good instruction manual included.
Designing a Raised Garden Bed
Determine where you want the raised beds to go, if you want to incorporate the raised garden bed into the landscape or have it as a stand alone garden.
Constructing your Raised Garden Bed.
You should know where the raised bed garden is going to go so mark it off with string pegs to make sure you have it straight and accurate. You should also consider whether you are using a plastic sheet to stop contact with the existing earth soil or not.
Make sure all the joints are well done with correct supports to take teh weight of the soil and ensure all wood etc has been treated correctly. This last point is important you don’t want to harm your plants by using a wood treatment that is unsafe and could kill them.
Using the Right Soil for a Raised Bed Garden
Normally in a established garden the soil can be drained of some of the appropriate nutrients your plants will need to be healthy and strong. A new raised garden bed means you can start afresh with the correct conditions for your plants (both vegetables and flowers). Start by talking to your local nursery experts about what you are going to need to use. I would also consider buying in bulk depening on size of your container in order to get the best price. The small bags of composting materials will work out very expensive. Whatever you choose make sure rainwater is going to drain well to avoid flooding your plants so it should be a light-weighht soil and fairly loose to fall through your fingers when you lift in your hands.
Raised Garden Bed Plants
Only plant flowers and vegetables your family will love and that you will use up so as to not waste the produce grown. There are so many choices of vegetables and flowers that the skies the limit.
Remember what we said at the begining about needing to plan! Think it through carefully. Building a new raised garden bed is not difficult at all if you work it all out in advance. Take a weekend off and spend some time working out waht you want to do, where the bed is going to be located and what plants you can put in it. Then sit back and enjoy the new additon to your garden landscape and congratulate yourself on your new green thumbs.