How to Start a Raised Bed Garden

Convenience, style, and tidiness are all reasons to build a raised garden bed—not to mention the boost they requite to your veggies. Just if y'all've never held a saw or drill in your life, don't worry. Raised beds are an excellent project for whatever beginner garden or kickoff-time carpenter. Hither are the steps to kickoff from the basis upwards!

A raised garden bed will save y'all lots of weeding down the road, give you actress growing space with the all-time soil possible, and save your back—among other benefits.

Why Start a Raised Garden Bed

Raised bed gardening is a pop trend with many good reasons to back it upwards. Of chief importance is your back itself. An elevated bed means you lot don't accept to bend and so far. Just a bed also promotes better plant growth by giving your soil more than warmth from the dominicus. A raised bed as well has fewer weeds and an elegant, tidy expect. Plus, if your soil is super compact, you tin start a raised bed right on peak!

Where to Place a Raised Garden Bed

To start the building process, choose a spot that complements your existing garden blueprint. Ensure it gets lots of sunshine, easy access to a water source , and shelter from wind—all primal features for successful veggies. Flat ground is ideal, but you tin move effectually any world, as necessary, to go far level.

How to Choose Dimensions for a Raised Garden Bed

• Height: Yous want your raised bed to exist at least six inches tall to give the roots room to grow. 10-12 inches is necessary if you lot're edifice over physical or stone. Higher beds make it fifty-fifty easier to bend down and achieve the garden.
• Length and Width: The ideal length for your bed depends on your desired size and bachelor space. When deciding on your width, yous demand to exist able to attain the middle of the bed without stepping onto the soil. And then, keep it four feet wide as a maximum or slightly wider if yous take long accomplish.

How to Select Wood for a Raised Garden Bed

Some people build beds out of stone retaining walls, merely forest is the most mutual and cheapest fabric. To continue your veggies chemical-gratuitous, e'er utilise untreated wood. Cedar is the best pick, equally it'south naturally resistant to rotting. If you're not using a rot-resistant wood, await the boards to last 5 to 10 years.

Pro tip: To extend the life of your raised bed, staple a heavy plastic liner onto the inside of the boards. Some other fob is to build the box then that it's piece of cake to supervene upon unmarried boards when they rot.

How to Pattern a Raised Bed

• Let'due south start with board thickness: This is partly a option of aesthetics, the price of wood, and the forcefulness of the structure you want. Virtually people apply boards 1 or 2 inches thick. Posts in the corners or halfway between corners add extra forcefulness and keep the boards from warping over time.
• Should I stake it into the basis? Some people pound posts into the ground to concur the frame in identify. While it makes it extra stable, this pace is not necessary. The weight of the soil lone will keep the raised bed from moving.
• Comfort and Dazzler: An optional rim on summit (e.g., a 2×4 nailed flat on top of the bed walls) adds a touch on of style and a comfy ledge to sit on while gardening.

How to Build a Raised Garden Bed

Even if you accept no carpentry experience, the building process is easy. It's just a thing of sawing the boards to size and screwing them together. Here are four tips to get you off to a good showtime:

• Saw it into size: if you don't own a saw, you tin can rent one. Meliorate withal, bring your dimensions to the lumber store when you go to purchase the wood. They'll be able to cutting them for y'all.

• Screw the boards together: Before you start to screw, call up to drill pilot holes first to keep the wood from splitting.

• Square it: Once the box is together, measure the dimensions diagonally from corner to corner. Arrange the corners until both diagonals are the same length.

• Level it: Finally, ensure the boards are sitting level on the ground. If they are non, dig them downwardly into the grass or garden until they're level.

Filling the Raised Garden Bed With Soil

How to go rid of grass? If edifice over grass, it'southward not necessary to dig out the turf beforehand. The new soil alone will suffocate and eventually decompose the backyard underneath. Only just to make certain no grass reaches the light, lay down a layer of newspaper or cardboard and soak information technology with water before y'all install the soil.

What soil do I start with? 1 of the perks of building a raised bed is that you tin fill it with the optimum soil for your plants. A mixture of nutrient-rich soil and compost is what you demand to start your veggies off right.

How much soil exercise I demand? With your dimensions still fresh in your listen, it'south like shooting fish in a barrel to calculate the soil required. The formula "length 10 width ten depth" will give you the correct corporeality of soil in cubic feet.

How to Plant a Raised Garden Bed

One time you've filled the bed with soil, you're officially done with the building process. Sit downwardly for a moment to relish the fresh expect of your new bed. All that remains now is to establish it with your favorite vegetables and flowers.

To starting time a raised garden bed , all you lot need is woods, fresh soil, and a few hours of fourth dimension. Putting in the piece of work to build it will save you lots of weeding down the route, give y'all extra growing infinite with the best soil possible, and salvage your dorsum—amidst other benefits.

For any gardening materials you lot need, swing into our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!

Platt Loma Nursery is Chicago's premier garden heart and nursery.

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Source: https://platthillnursery.com/build-raised-garden-bed-step-by-step/

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