Have you ever thought about investing in raised bed gardening? If not, you should do it NOW!
Raised bed gardening is one of the easiest and most pleasant approaches and is perfect for everyone, from newbies to seasoned gardeners. If you can make things more practical, why wouldn’t you?
About nine years ago I moved into a new house, and the best part about it was the huge yard. Once I saw it, I decided that that would be my garden. And here we are now! I have a magnificent garden, and one of my favorite hobbies is raised bed gardening.
This is what saved my garden when I didn’t have the time to properly take care of the soil and make it usable. I started with wood beds, but when they got old, I decided to switch to metal garden beds. They are more resistant, and I am extremely happy with this choice.
So, if you are like me and sometimes you feel like you don’t have enough time but still want to have a garden, then raised bed gardening might be the perfect choice. Read on and discover the best reason to choose it.
1. A well-deserved break for your body
After a certain age, a day of in-ground gardening will end in a long recovery nap. Sometimes I feel like my body is no longer able to deal with all the stress and pressure, and my back hurts from constant bending. What was my salvation? You guessed it. raised bed gardening!
I am talking about those raised beds that you don’t have to kneel in order to reach. They are amazing and can totally change your gardening routine. Believe me, but your knees and also your back will be thankful.
These raised beds have loose and friable soil, and planting something new is no longer a daunting job. It’s all easier and also more accessible. For example, when harvesting, I can simply do it standing on a chair because the beds are tall, and this offers me this possibility.
2. Create that neat appearance we all want
If there is something that defines me, it is for sure my desire to have everything in order. Maybe some people consider me a freak for this, but this is just who I am, and believe it or not, raised bed gardening helped me bring this order into my garden too.
I know for sure that there are many folks who want a neat garden. Besides the nice appearance, having a more organized garden makes everything easier. From planting to harvesting, this will facilitate all processes.
Clean lines and organized spaces, raised bed gardening can offer you both of them, and this makes me incredibly happy. All of the pathways that are created make your garden more accessible, and if you think about it, this is a huge advantage.
If you also want an aesthetically pleasing and practical garden, you can play around and try out a more raised bed configuration because you have a lot to choose from. L-shaped, round beds, or anything else, the sky is the limit when you want to create the garden of your dreams. Give it a try!
3. Crop rotation is easier than ever
Growing the same plants in the same place for years and years is not recommended, and the solution for this is crop rotation. When you grow the same plants in the same spot, diseases and pests are more likely to destroy your plants.
When you rotate the crops, pests, and diseases will not get comfortable in that cozy place, and this can protect your plants. For example, if you love tomatoes, next year try to plant them in another place. A fresh start is always better.
Since I started to rely on raised bed gardening, crop rotation became easier. Tracking and rotating crops feels like a breeze, and as I said, everything is more organized. For example, if I used a certain bed to plant squash this year, I would switch it and plant tomatoes instead the next year. You should do this with all of your plants, and raised beds will help you keep track of this rotation without being complicated at all.
4. Increase drainage
In the area where I live, there is a huge problem with heavy clay soil. This is not the best for gardening, and the main problem is that it gets waterlogged. Most plants can’t grow in soggy soil because their roots can easily rot. What can you do if you have to struggle with such a soil? Easy, try raised bed gardening!
These are actually the people I learned about raised beds. The clay soil problem is widespread in the northern area of my town, and since I knew some people who live there, I heard that they still have thriving gardens despite this soil problem.
I asked them how this was possible, and they answered me, “Raised bed gardening! You should try it someday.” And I did. Now most of my garden is made of raised beds, and I find it incredibly efficient, as I already said.
But people tend to overwater plants even without having to deal with a difficult type of soil. Hopefully raised beds offer exceptional drainage, and because of this, overwatering is almost impossible. The higher the bed, the better the drainage.
Also, this is a good solution for the dry soil. The solid in raised beds can be enriched with compost and mulch, and this can help retain moisture.
5. Increased production
One of the main advantages of raised bed gardening is that it allows you to plant more per square foot, and this means increased production. If you are like me and you want to fully take advantage of your garden and have a generous harvest, then raised garden beds might be perfect for you.
This method of planting is so efficient because it eliminates many of the usual gardening risks, such as pests, compacted soil, or drainage problems. Healthier plants, more fruits, more vegetables—what more can you want?
And studies say that yield is increased by 30 to 50%, which is a considerable percentage! Maybe at the industrial level, this is not much, but in a small home garden, this really makes a difference.
6. You’ll save water
You can’t have a beautiful and productive garden if you don’t water your plants properly, and many times this means more water than you ever expected. This is good advice, especially for beginner gardeners, but you should know that raised bed gardening is a terrific way to save water and also have healthy plants.
Raised beds are amazing at conserving water, while the regular sprinklers you have in your garden are not that resourceful and also indiscriminately water everything that is in the garden, including weeds.
Experts consider that drip irrigation is more efficient than sprinklers, and this is easier to set up in a raised garden bed. Even if they get dry more often, the water is effectively controlled by the organic matter and mulch, and it also drains well.
If you want to start your raised bed gardening journey, this is a good one for beginners: Metal Raised Garden Bed for Gardening, Outdoor Planter Raised Beds 8x2x1ft
You should also read: 10 Weird Gardening Hacks That Genuinely Work
