How To Grow A Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Plants in raised beds may be spaced a little closer together because fertilizer and manure can be concentrated in the small gardening area.

How to grow a raised bed vegetable garden.

Fill the bed with good quality potting soil or compost and rake the surface smooth and level. The goal is to plant your heirloom seeds close together so that when the vegetables are fully grown the leaves barely touch which creates a microclimate that suppresses weeds and conserves moisture. Raised beds can be used for any size garden from a small 4 x 8 feet to a large backyard garden. Raised bed gardening is wonderful for growing vegetables and fruits.

The aim is to produce an intensively planted vegetable garden or a highly productive kitchen garden. How to plant a raised bed garden. Planning your raised bed garden. Swiss chard and kale both of them are very strong and both can grow as companion plants in your raised bed.

Start your vegetables ahead of time in the greenhouse or on a windowsill. Read more about building raised beds. Raised beds are also useful for gardeners with limited mobility as they reduce the need to bend and can even be built on raised platforms for wheelchair access. Before placing your raised beds in their permanent location be sure to remove grass or perennial weeds from the area.

You can then transplant the hardened off seedlings into your raised beds after other crops have been harvested. To extend the gardening season for your raised vegetable garden beds fashion hoops like these then drape plastic over them. Use a garden fork or shovel to loosen the native soil to a depth of 6 10. Pick cold tolerant vegetables in early spring or late fall for successful vegetable garden beds.

Kale is a very strong vegetable to grow you can grow it in autumn and in mild winter too. This will improve drainage and moisture retention in the raised beds. Square foot gardening involves dividing the growing area into small square sections typically 1 foot per square. Remove any rocks or debris.

It has advantages for your soil your plants drainage and pest control as well as several other benefits. Depending on the time of the year and vegetable this can save you 4 5 weeks. The makeshift cold frame will help you gain a few extra growing weeks in spring and autumn. Raised bed gardening is an old gardening practice but it is currently growing in popularity because it offers several advantages to simply growing your plants in level ground.

Using a raised bed for growing vegetables allows you to control the soil quality and prevent it from becoming compacted. Kale is one of the easiest and healthy vegetables you can grow in a raised bed.