Rohinton Gatta
|There are many advantages to a raised garden bed. They can extend the growing season because they can easily be covered and the soil will warm sooner in the spring. There’s less weeds and there’s no foot traffic on them to deal with in your garden.
They also create beautiful natural, barriers in your yard.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your raised garden bed:
Use a barrier to prevent other plants and roots from making their way into them. You could use a commercial weed barrier, a piece of old carpet, or a thick piece of corrugated cardboard. Essentially you want you prevent your clean soil from getting filled with weeds.
Mulch the top layer. This will prevent weeds and help keep the soil from drying out. Raised beds will dry out quicker than regular garden beds
Add compost/ manure annually to add nutrients back into the soil. Soil soil will settle and get depleted as time goes on. Adding a bit of compost yearly will help mitigate the breakdown.
Plan an irrigation system. Installing a system before you plant can save you a lot of time standing around with a hose.
Cover up in winter. Soil exposed to harsh winters will break down quicker. Add a layer of mulch or cover crops (ryegrass or crimson clover) once the growing season is done. Even covering your raised garden bed with a specific type of poly film, that you can find at places similar to Pro-Tect Plastics, is an option worth considering, especially if you want to protect your plants and crops from the harshest weather conditions.
One of the trickiest things about raised beds is knowing how much soil and mulch you need to get to fill the bed. Avoid an extra trip to your garden store and use this handy calculator to figure out how much you need. https://www.gardenlifepro.com/soil-calculator/
With a bit of planning you can build the perfect raised garden beds that will compliment your beautiful backyard oasis and will have you wanting to turn your 8×10 shed into a viewing gallery all year round.
Also if you want to enjoy looking at all your new plants in your backyard, then you can rent a shed with porch for the summer months and perhaps buy one in the future, so that you can enjoy the benefits of all your hard work spent building up your garden.