How to build a raised garden bed, according to master gardeners

[littlemissmartypants]

By Leah Kirts, CNN Underscored
Updated 5:10 PM EST, Mon November 20, 2023

There has never been a better time to start growing your own food. Whether you start small with a few seedlings or transform every square foot of outdoor space into edible foliage, planting your own edible garden can help offset rising food costs, benefit the environment and improve mental health. Since the pandemic, more than 18 million new households started gardening and the average vegetable garden produces over $600 worth of produce each year according to the National Gardening Association. The best part is you don’t need a lot of outdoor space to get started.

One of the most popular ways to garden is by using a raised bed. They’re easy to maintain, versatile for different budgets and ideal if you have little greenspace to work with or if the soil in the ground is too rocky or contaminated to grow in. And that’s just the beginning of its perks. We turned to expert gardeners who plant raised bed gardens season after season thanks to their time-tested results, with practical tips for building your own.

Raised beds are a classic growing method with endless benefits, says Sonya Harris, master gardener and founder of the Bullock Garden Project. “Raised beds filled with organic soil and compost can provide wonderfully healthy, fresh produce grown for pennies on the dollar,” she explains. Raised beds make gardening more accessible for all ages, she continues, because they “can be built to accommodate mobility needs, and can easily be modified to ensure all people, regardless of ability, can be included in the wonderful world of gardening.”

Growing in a raised bed is a tried-and-true method that Kevin Espiritu, founder of Epic Gardening and author of “Field Guide to Urban Gardening: How to Grow Plants, No Matter Where You Live,” recommends for new gardeners, especially those with limited outdoor space. “Raised beds are suitable for most urban environments, as you can make wonderful use of tight spaces to create gardens that are aesthetically pleasing, yet incredibly productive,” he observes.

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❤️pants

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Once you invest in tools, wood, fence, stakes, fertilizer, seed stock

I don't see you you ever break even. I grew string beans and tomatoes in 1 gallon tubs this year. I got about 8 tomatoes and several handfuls of beans. Watered them every day in the heat. It wasn't even worth the time and water. Years ago I had big gardens. Same.

[spooky3]

3. and you may need protection from critters who want to steal produce.

The hobby value has to be high to make it worthwhile.

I wish I had more sunlight in my back yard but the neighbor's hollies block the light.

[bhikkhu]

4. Of course you need to figure the climate you're in

and where I live we get snow, and the growing season is short. But still it's so worth it to raise a garden. it gives you roots, it wakes you up to the environment you live in, one way or another. "Breaking even" is banker talk, that shouldn't even be in any sentence about having a garden.

[codfisherman]

7. Well said.

Two things money can't buy are true love and home grown tomatoes. Plant, grow, and learn. Save your seeds and hope for next year. I plowed most of my back yard years ago. A mix of early indoor starts, hugelkultur, raised beds, crop rotation, container planting, serious composting, and intensive companion planting brings me an abundance of food. It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Slowly and with many failures I am learning what will grow in what light and what soil.

[Warpy]

5. I thought small

and dug out a 10'x10' plot in soil that was equal parts sand and rocks. Dug in 2 bales of peat moss. Gardened that plot intensively, stayed flush with veg all summer and had enough to can. The canned stuff didn't last the whole winter, but winter there lasted until mid May. That garden fork, roll of hardware cloth buried a foot deep and stapled to stakes cut from back yard wood, bales of peat moss, and yearly seed order all paid for itself several times over. Composted leaves and kitchen waste with horse poop from a neighbor did it for fertilizer every year, and every year the plot produced more.

It was also entertainment value every late summer when I put a side dressing of fish emulsion on stuff that needed a nitrogen boost, the cats were hilarious!

I wasn't interested in being a reality TV star, I just wanted to grow food. I knew I could handle a small plot and do it well. That's what I did.

And no, it didn't involve any raised beds.

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. I have (4) 4' x 16' raised beds. 18 inches high.

I end up growing tomatoes and green beans,

[MiHale]

6. Easiest raised beds to build...

Straw Bales. You must use straw, no hay, only straw. Bales are usually approximately 2x3x2. You must condition them before planting, it takes a while but it’s worth it.

I’m sure bale cost are different across the country but usually run anywhere from 5 to 8 dollars each. They are tied (baled) but some people wrap around a couple more times with a good nylon string. Bales when dry are not heavy at all so if using more than one you can let your design creativity loose. You could keep them together or place singles in appropriate places on your property to get maximum growing conditions for each crop you like to grow.

YouTube is filled with videos on how to condition and start growing in Straw Bales.

Last season was my first experiment growing in bales, it was fun and quite enlightening. We have other raised beds that we built using the ‘hugelkultur’ method. They’re 3x4x2 and have been producing well for years but we wanted to expand the gardens. Bales presented a good way to expand inexpensively.
I tried butternut squash, zucchini, lettuce all gave yields that beat out the ‘in ground’ plants of the same variety.
Lettuce was exceptionally good…easy to get to, being 2 feet off the ground, and clean less dirt than from the in ground stuff.
The squash’s in bales beat out the ground mounds by 3 to 1 and the fear of squash bugs went out the window because you’re off the ground.
Treated carefully the bales should last for a couple seasons after that it’s great mulch or use for composting.

YouTube videos on Straw Bales:

?si=Z6xAvWz3gtNqZvnh

?si=2BfjF2NVk5cFKJTa


For info on hugelkultur:
https://zerowastechef.com/2021/11/29/build-hugelkultur-raised-garden-beds/