Raised beds are small gardens built up off the ground usually contained by a barrier like stone or wood.
These beds are often recommended if you have rocky soil. If you start digging down and hit a solid layer of rock this is the bed for you.
Raised beds while still being laborious are less work in some instances than double digging.
Here’s an easy how to guide:
- Remove all grass or weeds in your selected area.
- Get your garden fork and loosen the soil where your bed will be.
- Choose your barrier material. I recommend stone if you plan to keep the bed for awhile. Wood will rot over time. Or get creative. I once constructed a bed out of Mexican Coke bottles…
- Construct your bed to be 12 to 18 inches deep. The deeper your beds the more room your plants will have to grow their roots.
- Buy your soil. My favorite place to buy soil is the NaturalGardener. For raised beds I buy the Hill Country blend. You can even bag your own and make multiple trips with your car if you need to. Reuse your bags. For an 8’ x 4’ bed 12” deep you’ll need 24 bags.
- Fill your newly constructed bed with the soil and smooth out. If it’s all the way to the top don’t fret. It will settle a few inches over time. Eventually you want your barrier to be a few inches taller than the soil to allow for added compost and keep in the mulch.
- Rake out the soil evenly with your steel rake and let rest for a week or two if you have time.
Need an expert to help? Seedlings Gardening is available for consultation or physical install.
Austin, Texas
Phone: 512.981.6524
Email: SeedlingsGardening@gmail.com
What type of wood do you use for a raised bed? Is it treated?