Raised-Bed Gardening For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Raised beds make growing healthy, productive plants amazingly easy. That’s because you can fill a bed with an excellent soil mix to create an environment plants relish: warm, nourishing, and well-drained. Installing and using them isn’t difficult and the rewards are great. Here’s a handy reference to keep near as you embark on this exciting new gardening adventure.

How to decide on wood versus metal raised beds  

As you ponder your options, the main issues to weigh are as follows (note that other materials may also suit; wood and metal raised beds are the two most popular and widely used because they work so well):

• ‍Affordability: Wood tends to be cheaper, unless you invest in the nicest, most durable lumber such as cedar, juniper, and redwood. Metal beds, sold as easy-assembly kits, can be pricey but may be a worthwhile long-term investment.
• ‍Durability: Wood isn’t as durable over the long term. You can prolong the life of wood raised beds by investing in quality types of wood and also by maintaining the lumber annually with a food-safe wood preservative. Metal beds from a reputable manufacturer, made of galvanized steel, will last for decades. Their powder-coated paint color (if any) holds up well, too, fading only after many years of exposure.
• ‍Eventual disposal: Wood eventually breaks down and thus is considered biodegradable. When the day comes to replace a metal bed, repurpose it, say, as garden edging, or recycle the pieces at a scrap yard.

Good-site checklist for raised beds

Raised beds are problem-solvers — if you don’t want a big sprawling garden, prefer a tidy look, have limited space and time, and perhaps also have lousy or soggy soil in your yard, they’re the way to go. You just pick out a good spot, set up, and grow! Here’s how to determine a suitable location:

• Does the spot get 6 to 8 hours of daily sun during the growing season? Avoid areas where trees and buildings cast too much shade.
• Is a north-south orientation possible, for the long sides of the bed? This assures maximum sunlight reaches your plants.
• Is the site sheltered from prevailing winds? A raised bed in the path of constant wind dries out both the plants and the soil mix they’re trying to grow in. Some buffering from buildings, fencing, or trees will be helpful, weighted against sun needs of course.
• Is there a water source nearby? You don’t want the hose to be too distant! In any event, you may consider installing a drip irrigation system in your beds or at least snaking a leaky hose through. Consistent moisture is key for raised-bed plants of all kinds.
• Is the spot relatively level, or can it be made so? Slopes can be coped with, but a low area may be uneven and boggy, not good. Seek an open, flattish area for your raised-bed garden.
• Can you see the bed easily? Out of sight, out of mind, isn’t good for any garden, but especially so for raised beds, which appreciate your attention and care — not just watering and fertilizing, but also tidying up and harvesting because the plants tend to grow quickly and lushly.
• Are you willing and able to clear out the existing vegetation, whether weeds or lawn grass? Ideally the bed(s) will be set up upon bare ground (perhaps with a weed-blocking barrier or durable galvanized mesh in the bottom, to keep marauding pests and weeds out but allow water through), which is also easiest to rake level for stable placement.

Raised bed annual chores list, by season

A gardening year for a raised bed is nice and straightforward. Simple routines for planting and care yield excellent results. Clean-up isn’t a big deal. The whole project is gratifyingly manageable. Here’s a look at how it can go:

• Winter: Weather permitting, build new beds and fill with soil mix.
• Spring: Sow seeds, buy seedlings, plant after danger of frost is past (for many favorites). Set up supports such as stakes, tomato cages, and trellises — always easier while plants are still little.
• Summer: Water consistently, fertilize regularly. Maintain a mulch layer (1 to 2 inches thick is usually sufficient) to hold in soil moisture, thwart weeds, and moderate soil-temperature fluctuations.
• Fall: Harvest! Plant cool-season crops and keep harvesting. Finally, clean up, and put the bed to bed for the winter (lay down mulch several inches deep).

How to identify top plant choices in raised beds for easy success

You can easily start with plants proven to relish life in a raised bed. The following have a lot of fans. You can mix these plants with others or even devote an entire bed to just one plant — up to you. Count on them for bounty and beauty.

• Veggies: Arugula, mixed salad greens, lettuce, spring radishes, Swiss chard, and tomatoes! Cherry tomatoes are often more easy-going than big-fruited ones.
• Herbs: Basil, chives, and sage.
• Flowers: Marigolds, nasturtiums, and zinnias.
• Fruit: Strawberries.

What's bugging you? How to deal with raised-bed pesky pests

They can show up, but less often than in in-ground gardens. The good news is, raised beds afford a great line of defense against common garden pests. If an issue crops up, remember to always correctly identify the culprit before taking any action:

• Gophers, shrews, and other digging bandits: Line the bottom of the bed with screen, specifically with small-mesh galvanized hardware cloth, available at hardware stores. They shall not pass!
• Slugs and snails: Make your bed less appealing to them and work to block access. Reduce mulch, eliminate hiding places, sprinkle sharp-edged diatomaceous earth (an abrasive powder composed of the remains of tiny organisms), even wide adhesive-backed copper tape around the exterior top edge of your bed(s). These items are readily available where gardening supplies are sold.
• Rabbits and groundhogs: Taller/deeper beds seem harder for them to jump or climb into, but if they persist, wrap your bed in chicken wire. Even extend some additional wire outward from the bed on the ground to catch their little feet.
• Birds: Some birds are drawn to raised-bed gardens because there are insect pests and slugs they like to eat, so unless they’re doing damage, maybe leave them to it. Other times, the birds are raiding your harvest, sometimes making off with it altogether and other times just nibbling and pecking. Try covering the bed with a breathable polyester cover (Reemay) or netting, adding decoys, or deploying noisemakers.
• Nibbling insects: Correctly identifying them is the first order of business — photograph the pest if you can, or at least their damage. Then turn to the internet or another gardener. You may be able to tolerate some damage and loss; otherwise, take steps to make your garden less appealing and/or protect the affected plants.