Raised Bed Gardens for Easy Backyard Gardening

Raised beds are a great way to grow plants and veggies, even if you don't have green space around your home.

Raised beds make your garden look pretty and well organized, and they can even increase your yield.
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What Are Raised Bed Gardens?

Raised beds are a gardening area you create above ground level, also known as grow boxes. Raised beds can be any size or depth so they can accommodate any growing area, and you can make them with a range of different materials, including metal, plastic and wood. Some people like to make their own raised beds from scratch, while others prefer to buy pre-made beds or kits.

What Are The Benefits of Raised Beds?

• Raised beds are fantastic for beginner gardeners or if you have mobility problems and you can't bend down.

• They’re also a good option if you live in an urban area where green space is scarce or if your garden soil is contaminated. You don't need a lawn or a garden to make a raised bed, you can put one in over paved areas. You can also use them to cover land which is too rocky, full of roots or generally too poor to grow things in.

• Many gardeners choose raised beds because they look neat in the garden and because the soil won't get trampled and compressed and will stay nice and loose. It’s also much easier to control the quality and pH of the earth in a grow box.

• Overall, you find fewer weeds in raised beds, and they also deter lots of common pests. In a raised bed, you can produce more vegetables in a smaller space, and because you have so much environmental control over your plants, potentially your crops will have a higher yield. 

• Raised beds sit on top of the earth, which means they stay warmer for longer. As a result, you can lengthen your growing season. It's also easier to practice no-till gardening and mulching in a raised bed because there's less soil erosion and better drainage.

How Do You Make Raised Beds for Easy Backyard Gardening?

 With a bit of creativity and imagination, you can make your own raised beds at home. You can create grow boxes with a whole range of materials, even recycled or reclaimed ones. The benefit of making your own beds is that you can make them as deep or big as you like. Just make sure you can still access the middle of the bed from the sides.

If construction isn’t your thing, you can also buy ready-made raised beds to suit your needs, such as mobile ones made from light material or build your own kits.

Things You Shouldn’t Use For Raised Beds

It’s good to make your own raised beds from recycled or reclaimed materials. However, there are some things you shouldn't use to grow edible plants in, such as tires, old railroad ties or chemically treated lumber. The toxic chemicals from these will seep into the soil over time and contaminate it, making your veggies unsafe to eat.

Getting Started with Raised Beds

If you would prefer to purchase raised beds to get started quickly, we highly recommend Vego (it’s what we use!). They have a tons of different styles to get you started on growing food in your own yard!
Click here to check out their site.
Also check out our article on No Till Systems to see how to fill the beds affordably.

Conclusion

Raised beds look pretty, and you can put them anywhere around your home and garden, even if you don't have green space. Raised bed gardening is much easier because you have a lot more control over the soil, and they are a fantastic option for people who have mobility issues who find it hard to bend down. Overall, raised beds are an easy way to increase your yield if you grow veggies in a small space.