How to Build a Raised Garden Bed

Room
Construct your beds somewhere that gets at the very least 5 to 6 hrs of everyday sunlight — the much more, the greater! Orient them north to south to prevent plants from shading each other out. Beds really should be at the very least a foot wide, even though no additional than 4 feet throughout to make weeding and harvesting workable. Six to 8 toes lengthy is normal and price-helpful. 10 to 14 inches is an excellent peak to accommodate solid roots. Go away at least 2 or 3 ft concerning beds for going for walks and wheelbarrow accessibility.

Wood
The brilliance of a plank-and-rebar style (see higher than) is that each and every specific wall is effortlessly replaced. Try by natural means rot-resistant types of wooden, this sort of as oak, cedar, and redwood.

Soil
You want the form that is darkish, prosperous, and loaded with microorganisms. Fill your beds with a blend of 50 to 60% superior-quality topsoil and 40 to 50% properly-aged compost. In advance of just about every new expanding year, examination your soil for pH and nutrient content material. You can acquire a kit at most house-improvement outlets. If your examination displays a need to have for more vitamins like nitrogen and potassium, elevate ranges by operating in amendments this sort of as bone food and kelp. Dress beds with an further ½ inch of compost later on in the rising season to enhance natural matter and strengthen soil wellbeing.

Crops
If you’re making your beds in significant summer time, it is not way too late to plant fall crops. Sow seeds like carrots and lettuce immediately into the soil, or purchase midseason transplants for crops like kale and broccoli. If you’d somewhat wait right up until following yr to plant, deal with the soil in your new lifted beds with a combination of grass clippings and shredded leaves in autumn — the product will compost prior to you are prepared to start in spring.

Water
Lifted beds have superb drainage, which is wonderful for plant wellness, but they dry out immediately. Give your plants a long drink in the early evening, but check out them once more on warm summertime afternoons. If the soil is dry, it’s a serious scorcher outdoors, or you are living in a incredibly hot and arid local weather, water yet again. A programmable drip-irrigation program (try out a starter kit from dripworks.com) is low-cost and convenient, delivering constant dampness straight to plant roots. Commit in a timer element to save revenue and water.