call forth beds solve a number of horticulture problem . Where soil is poor lift layer circumvent the arduous task of improving the filth . Instead of planting directly in the too arenaceous , too compact , too depleted , or too heavy stain , you’re able to bring up your garden and grow plant in practiced soil above the ground . Another advantage – the soil in evoke layer warms up more quickly than the ground . For people who have circumscribe mobility , who ca n’t bend or reach , or who use wheelchairs , beds enhance to a commodious pinnacle make it possible for them to savour garden . No matter what your reason for gardening in raise beds , you will get more crop per substantial foot because you do n’t have to leave paths for walk between plant life .
You have many choices when it comes to constructing a raised seam . Let ’s look at the unlike approaches three gardener took to promote seam gardening .
Mary wanted to plant a vegetable garden at her new home in South Florida . The soil in her G was basically sand , so she decided to establish up the soil on top of the ground rather than trying to improve the grime . She had loam brought in and coalesce it with cow manure and sand , then mound her nutrient - rich , well - drain soil and created a serial of conjure beds three ft wide . ( Four metrical foot is the maximum breadth for raise bottom because you need to be capable to give all section of the bed without step into it . ) If the soil in Mary ’s yard had more promise , Mary might have poke it up , added organic matter and amendments , and mounded it up to make her elevate bed .
Susan is a carpenter so when it came to create grow bed she used her skills to craft Grant Wood frames for her vegetables . Her underframe were two and one - half feet gamey and three feet wide , making it easy to reach all area of the layer without deform or arrive at . Susan fulfill her raised beds with commercial-grade constituent dirt mix . While Susan build her own elevate seam inning , other nurseryman habituate kits to build frames or make frame from cinderblocks , gameboard , Basle of hay — you get the picture show .
Harvey used sheet composting ( also called passive composting or lasagna gardening ) to produce his raised beds . canvass composting is a style to improve the filth without digging . The first step is to cut down existing plants . Then overcompensate the country with corrugate composition board or layers of newspaper . wrap up the paper with manure or compost , then layer plant material , food for thought scraps , leave of absence , and grass clippings — like you are making a compost pile . Use a intermixture of dark-brown materials like dead leave , which are productive in C , and green materials like sweet leave , which are nitrogen - rich , being sure not to use pasture clippings or other flora topic that has been treated with herbicides . ramp up the layer at least a pes high-pitched ( the pile will scale down as the materials decompose ) . Cover the mound with straw if you ’d like a more consistent coming into court . Within months your garden will have a rich , balanced , and well - drained dirt .
Want to learn more about raised bed gardening?
Mary , Susan , and Harvey used different methods for raised seam gardening , and theirs are n’t the only method . To take more about gardening in bring up beds , check out the follow web site :
Learnhow to build a Raised Bed Gardenfrom Texas A & M System .
Get the fact on heighten layer gardening from Ohio State University ExtensionFact Sheet : Raised Bed horticulture .
How to Build and Install Raised Garden Beds , Popular Mechanics magazine .
Lynne Lamstein garden in Maine and Florida and is currently working on a sustainable landscape painting . She has a degree in ornamental horticulture from Temple University .
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