Gardener: Tips on using raised beds for gardens

Gardening in raised beds offer a simple and effective way to create a healthy and productive garden by manipulating the growing environment. There are several advantages, including the ability to create ideal conditions for soil structure and drainage, two essential keys to success.

Fine-tuning soil for structure and drainage:

Working with soil that is initially either too sandy or compacted does not hinder the raised bed gardener. With raised beds, soil can be brought into the garden and mounded up in wide rows or added to a framed structure no matter what the condition of the existing soil.

Ideally, it is best to incorporate native soil along with plenty of organic material such as well-aged manure and compost, and even store bought soil amendments. Finely ground bark, mushroom compost and mulch make wonderful additions. They are readily available and will improve any garden bed.

No matter what your conditions are to begin with, the goal is to create a deep, wide growing area that encourages roots to grow down and out. Soil that is just right is said to be loamy and have good structure or tilth. An easy test for knowing when you've achieved the perfect mix is when you squeeze the soil in your hand; it binds together, yet crumbles apart easily when disturbed.

An equally important benefit to just-right soil in raised garden beds is superb drainage. Thanks to gravity, water always attempts to seek the lowest point. Saturated soil and rotted roots are rarely a problem in beds that are properly amended because excess water is moving through and out of the bed. Fortunately, by adding lots of organic matter, raised beds allow you to simultaneously create the optimal combination of drainage and moisture retention.

Options to Contain the Soil:

There are many choices when it comes to deciding how and with what to construct raised beds. Three of the most popular options for physical containment include pressure treated lumber, non-chemically treated wood such as cedar, and recycled composite material consisting of plastic and wood fibers.

Pressure treated lumber is a popular choice because of its resistance to rot (due to an injection of chemicals into the wood), availability, choice of sizes and low cost. However, due to health and environmental related concerns by some, there are growing efforts to reduce the use of treated wood and seek alternative options.