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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What are some vegetable plants to start from seed in July?

I have some space in my raised bed that I can use to plant some vegetables for the rest of the season. Is it too late to start vegetables from seeds now? If not, what are vegetables that would be appropriate to start from seed perhaps with the…
JStorage
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First time gardener using a small raised planter - how to plant seeds?

I'm brand new to gardening and just got one of these to put on my deck and try to grow some vegetables for the spring and summer. The bed is roughly 30 inches x 20 inches, so it is pretty small. Also, to give you an idea of climate, I live in…
Nick Tiberi
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starting first-time garden in yard with a lot of english ivy - raised bed vs. double-digging

I've never gardened before and would like to start a small (4' x 8') vegetable garden this year in our yard. I'm hoping to plant sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, and possibly watermelon. We're renting our house, and the yard has…
user2908231
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Do we need to replace mulch with soil?

I am planning on planting vegetables and the old bed has decayed mulch which looks reddish and grounded. Do I need to dig out a few inches of this and replace it with soil? Is there a way to find out if this was organic or one of the treated…
Abhishek Misra
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What is the useful life of a kale plant?

I have a few kales growing in my raised bed and it keeps producing leaves and I keep consuming them. Do I keep doing this or is there a point where you would remove the plant and put a new seedling? Does kale lose nutrition value of the leaves…
JStorage
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How can I grow ginger in my backyard?

I have never grown ginger and want to try to in my raised beds in my backyard. I don't have ginger seeds to grow from but can I cut sections of ginger I buy from the store and grow it? Any other guidelines to how to start growing ginger would be…
JStorage
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Carrots grown in my backyard look different

I just removed a carrot that I grew in my backyard. It is very different from the carrot you get in the supermarket. Wondering why the core is yellow instead of orange. The taste is not great either. See pictures below.
JStorage
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What guidelines should I follow when planning out my garden?

I am planning out a vegetable garden that will have 3 large raised boxes. I have made a list of what I want to grow. How do I figure out a good location for each type of vegetable? My list…
blueskysd
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Something is eating my vegetables - what is it?

I have a raised bed where I grow vegetables (Kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, carrots, melons, etc.). Something comes by at nights and eats some of the fruits and vegetables, in particular the melons. How do I figure out what is sharing my food? …
JStorage
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Growing seeds outdoors

I live in the San Francisco / Bay Area and have a few raised vegetable beds. I have tried growing seeds outdoors (recently I sowed carrot, beet and cilantro) but have not had any luck with germination. I have done this indoors in a heating mat…
JStorage
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Blueberry spacing in a raised bed - how dense can I go?

I'm about to construct a 4ft wide x 16ft long raised bed, 6" height, for planting blueberries. The space where this bed is going has a chain link fence on the back and one end, although I can walk around to the other side to pick fruits. How close…
William S.
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What "gotchas" should I avoid when building a raised garden?

I am planning on constructing a 2-tier outdoor raised vegetable garden. I'd like to avoid any "gotchas". I live in the US Pacific Northwest, so three non-summer seasons a year are moist. My plan is: Utilize/extend existing plans, i.e. leverage…
JJ Zabkar
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Should I rotate border vegetables, or plant a perimeter of onions/scallions each year?

Last year my wife and I planted our first ever organic vegetable garden (raised bed made of cedar) and pretty much just "winged it"; and surprisingly had very good yields. By "winged it" I mean, we didn't really do any homework on gardening, just…
Zac
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How does one harvest aloe vera leaves?

I grow a few large Aloe vera plants which I'm interested in harvesting regularly during the summer months. What percentage of the foliage should be removed at each harvest for highest production? How much regrowth should I wait for between…
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Does it make sense to plant a cover crop in raised beds?

I'm wondering if it makes sense to plant a cover crop in my raised beds over winter. If so, what plant would you recommend for south-central Ohio. I have three 4'x8' double dug beds.
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