Gardening Information and Resources

Soil for Raised Gardens and Other Things You Will Need

August 3rd, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Gardens don’t have to be at ground level anymore. Raised gardens are easier to work with and also provide a visually appealing look to a traditional garden. Raised gardens are also a great way to grow vegetables. Because the soil for raised gardens is elevated, it gets warm quicker and it is deep enough to allow room for root crops to grow.

Soil. The soil for raised gardens should be high quality soil. Traditional garden soil enriched with compost, manure, or peat moss is perfect for growing vegetables. A wooden frame is the easiest way to hold the soil. They are very easy to construct with 2 X 4s and you can tailor the size of the box to your needs. You can also consider decorative blocks and stones to construct a barrier for your soil. If you don’t feel like building your own container, there are plenty of ready-made raised garden beds. Prepare to spend about $249 - $400 if you go this route. Yardiac.com has a good selection of cedar and rock ready-made garden beds.

Benefits. One of the greatest benefits is the barrier to pests and weeds in your garden. It is also more convenient and easy to work on because it is elevated off of the ground. This is a benefit that many people with back problems will love. Also, with a raised garden you will most likely get a higher yield because of the soil quality. The soil warms up sooner in the early season and stays warmer into the cold season.

Raised gardens provide a unique look as compared to a conventional garden, and they can definitely make gardening easier. Remember: if you can’t or don’t want to build a garden bed, you can buy a ready-made bed. You won’t get complete freedom in the way your garden bed looks, but there is enough variety out there that you can easily find a bed you like.