A raised garden is a large planter that is placed above the ground. Its walls range from 6 to 24 inches in height. The beds are wrapped in frames made of wood, stone or concrete. It is ideal for people who have less gardening space or poor garden soil.
Raised gardens have become quite popular in the recent past. The popularity can be attributed to numerous factors such as; they are pretty to look and require less attention as compared to conventional gardens. Here are some of the benefits of raised gardens that have led to their increased popularity.
Benefits of raised gardens
· Unlike conventional gardens, raised beds offer earlier crops especially in spring and later crops during fall. Moreover, they require little to no fertilizer during the growth phase. The use of less fertilizer can be attributed to lack of soil problems, few weeds, and better water drainage. Thus, they yield quality yet more produce in a smaller space.
· When making raised beds, you choose the type of soil you want, or that is ideal for growing a specific type of crop. Therefore, the soil is rich in nutrients, loose because you use just what is enough for your bed size, have spaces that allow air, moisture and warmth to get through. This also means that they get adequate sunlight from the top and the sides. The crops warm up faster during spring.
· Raised beds that are dedicated to kitchen gardening needs, allow you to plant and practice crop rotation. Crop rotation helps in maintaining soil health and puts off pests that hide in soils especially during winter. As the pests emerge during your next plantation, they find that their source of food has relocated to another bed. The pests attempt to relocate to their food source and die along the way. Thus, you ward off pests and get healthier harvests.
· Raised gardens offer an aesthetic and pleasing landscape structure. Artificially designed raised beds to contain crops, pollinator plants, and edible flowers to make a beautiful focal point in your landscape garden. They add visual interest to your garden.
· During spring, soils in raised beds warm faster than ground soils, offering you an opportunity to plant spring crops earlier. Moreover, if you create low tunnels over the raised garden beds, you get to extend your spring season plantations to late fall or winter depending on the climatic condition in your area. You could also make them ideal for winter growth through adding a cold frame using the bed as the base.
· Another great benefit that has led to the increased popularity of raised beds is their ease of access. You just need to plan the width of your beds carefully to ensure that the planting area can be accessed from all sides. This makes gardening easy for people who hate kneeling or bending to weed and plant their gardens. If designed correctly, it can be worked on by people in wheelchairs.
Raised beds are the new trend in gardening. They allow gardening even on steep slopes where soil erosion would destroy soil quality. To maintain soil health, ensure that you place your beds strategically to ensure that earthworms can get into the beds.
