Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [raised-beds]

Gardening based around plant beds which are raised above the surrounding soil.

Raised beds are a popular forming of gardening - especially for vegetables and other food annuals. A raised bed is a raised area typically between 6in and waist height above the surrounding soil. Various materials are used to keep the bed in place, although timber is probably the most popular. The soil usually contains a large proportion of compost - especially as a bed has to be filled with external material (this makes it easy to mix large amounts of compost in with little additional effort).

Raised beds are an excellent solution to poor top soil, they also avoid compaction due to walking on the soil. If planted correctly, they can also reduce weeds and help control moisture loss (although excessive drainage may require more watering) if designed properly. The raised nature of the beds can also make them ideal if bending over is a problem: Waist-high beds are particularly popular with the elderly.

Raised bed gardening is often combined with the square foot gardening and companion planting concepts.

Use this tag for all questions specific to raised bedding: Eg. how to build a raised bed, how to water, etc.

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Are blackberries hard to control?

I just planted two unnamed blackberry cultivars in a raised bed with rhubarb surrounded by flagstone. It seemed like a good idea at the time but now based on a remark about how they are a "nightmare to control" I'm having second thoughts. Do they…
kevinskio
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Soil-less raised garden bed with straw

I used a new soil-less method for my recent raised vegetable bed. This is the method I used: Softened the soil by loosening with a fork. Laid soaked cardboard in the diameter of the bed, overlapping each piece. Then covered with a bed of straw,…
Audrey
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What type of plastic is safe for lining vegetable garden beds?

You know those roles of black plastic you can get at Home Depot? What does the plastic have to be made of to be safe for lining a garden bed? What if the plastic is exposed to sunlight - what plastic is still safe to grow edible vegetables from?
MathCrackExchange
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Can I trim my potato plants?

I have three rows of potato plants that are growing really well. I have another row of carrots in the same bed. The carrots have sprouted, but they are still small. The leaves of the potatoes in the nearby row are just starting to get next to the…
Justin Helgerson
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What should go under a raised bed that is on top of tilled dirt?

I am making some raised beds for my garden. What would be best to lay at the bottom? Would newspaper, rocks, stuff of that sort work the best? This will be put directly onto tilled dirt.
Ljk2000
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Ground cover - maximizing value

I planted some fava beans a few months back as cover crop in my vegetable raised bed. They grew very well and as suggested my members of this group, I cut the top part and left the roots inside to provide nitrogen. I am wondering what to do with the…
JStorage
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What is "parts" in this potting soil recipe?

I have this recipe that I found from my Granddad's place for making potting soil, for which I need 120 gallons (or for a 16 cubic foot raised box). The recipe calls for the following ingredients: 5 parts compost 4 parts lava sand 3 parts peat…
user
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Where'd the worms go?

To prepare for a tear-down rebuild, I had to remove our raised garden beds. Given the effort that went into building them, there was no way I was going to lose those beds to the gears of progress--though I was much more concerned about the soil than…
Jeromy French
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Can blueberries be grown in a raised garden bed?

I am thinking of putting in a raised garden bed in our back yard here in south-west Florida. The soil here is rocky and sandy, and I've been told by more than one person that some things don't grow so well in this kind of soil. We love fresh…
unkfrank
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What should I consider when putting raised garden beds on concrete?

I have a bunch of raised garden bed frames, and I'm considering putting them on a slab of concrete that I have in my back yard. I wanted to avoid putting them on the grass, as when I've done this previously the grass has grown up through the soil in…
bradley.ayers
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How to flatten chicken wire?

We're trying to flatten chicken wire (for our raised bed fence) that came in a roll originally. Any tips?
GavinR
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Can I turn an existing asparagus bed into raised bed?

My wife and I planted some asparagus last spring in a regular bed next to an outbuilding. We are looking to add another plant right next to the asparagus, which I would like to put into a simple raised bed. I'll probably just use some treated…
Airn5475
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of raised vegetable beds?

I'm asking this mainly to learn before I spend money and effort. This year our produce hasn't been good and mainly because of critters. So I was wondering if raised beds will help to keep the critters from digging from underground esp the tubers. We…
yasouser
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How long does galvanised steel last, directly against soil, in a raised garden bed?

I'm intending to build 4 raised vege garden beds, and want them to last as long as possible. Galvanised steel (locally it's commonly called corrugated iron) is likely to be a reasonably economic option. I'd rather not line them with plastic, so I'm…
Highly Irregular
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How to level up low flower beds?

I am a beginner at gardening. My flower beds are lower than the lawn; I want to build beds to the level of the lawn. My late husband did all gardening, so I am at a loss of what to do. Do I use compost or soil or both?
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