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.

241 questions
5
votes
1 answer

How to protect young plants against frost?

In a 6b zone I have to grow some annual and perennial flowers by the end of May, meaning that they must be flowering by then. I have tried to make a rehearsal of some sorts, but we had freezing temperatures until the first days of May 2016, so last…
Alina
  • 5,376
  • 2
  • 15
  • 47
5
votes
1 answer

Why shouldn't you use these woods when building a hugelkultur?

Someone asked a question on what woods not to use, so I'm wondering why you shouldn't use these wood types when building a hugelkultur (raised bed used to either conserve water, or increase surface area on top of rotting wood): cedar camphor…
black thumb
  • 8,786
  • 2
  • 30
  • 67
5
votes
1 answer

Why are my jalapeño peppers turning black?

I have a healthy jalapeño pepper plant but noticed that the peppers have a black patch on them. What could be the reason for that?
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
3 answers

Can compost be used as mulch?

I have vegetables growing in raised beds. In response to another question I posted, someone recommended adding mulch. Can I use home made compost as mulch or would I need something purchased from a store?
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
1 answer

Guiding zucchini growth off edge of raised bed

I have a 4' by 8' raised bed that I tend to overfill. :) I have two zucchini plants that are growing very nicely. To prevent them from covering other plants in the bed, I was thinking of guiding their growth off the edge of the bed so that they…
new name
  • 205
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
5
votes
2 answers

Does a cucumber plant only produce one cucumber at a time

I am growing a few cucumber plants in a raised bed. I find that each plant produces a number of flowers and only one of the flowers turns into a cucumber and the rest of them dry up/wither. After I pick the cucumber, the same thing happens and…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
3 answers

Why did my tomato plant stop growing after transplanting?

I started with a few tomato seeds indoors in 1"x1" pods. Once the seeds germinated and the seedling was a good 2" tall, I transplanted these to 4" pots. From there, after it was about 6" tall, I transplanted them to my raised vegetable bed. Some…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
1 answer

Best way to grow and tend to Cucumber plants

I have a few cucumber plants growing in my raised bed. Instead of training them and providing a vertical trellis, I am allowing the cucumber to grow horizontally in the soil. Is that a fine approach or not recommended? If that is a fine approach,…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
2 answers

At what point does kale stop producing?

I have some kale that I planted in a raised bed. It is growing well and I take out leaves as and when I need it. Of course, it keeps growing new leaves. My question is at what point will the kale stop producing (or die)? The motivation for my…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
3 answers

What's the best time to harvest Black Beauty zucchinis?

I am growing zucchinis in a raised bed and am wondering the timing for harvesting the zucchini. In prior years, I had zucchinis of many sizes and shapes (will try to dig up the photo and post). However, I am trying to determine this year the timing…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
1 answer

Growing in barrel planters

I need some help. I set up two half barrel planters this spring, filled with nice bagged soil from Lowe's, but have had no luck growing plants from seed after about two months. I think my issues are twofold - I have read that barrel planters dry…
Dan H.
  • 175
  • 1
  • 5
5
votes
2 answers

Life of steer manure

I bought some steer manure from Home Depot last year. It came in bags. I was not able to use it last year and the bags are unopened so am wondering if I can use it this year. I stored it outdoors and the bag rips very easily. Also the manure is…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
3 answers

Concerned about slow growth of my seedlings

I planted a number of vegetable seeds (zucchini, cucumber, peppers, kale, etc.) indoors in 1"x1" pods. They germinated quickly and well. Once the true leaves appeared, I moved them over to a 4"x4" container with potting mix. The plants look…
JStorage
  • 7,844
  • 6
  • 32
  • 72
5
votes
2 answers

Is 1' x 8' cedar thick enough for raised beds

I found some pretty reasonably priced 1x8 knotty cedar (.75" x 7.5" ), And I'm looking to make some raised beds using it and wondering If i brac it every 5 feet or so, if that will be think enough to hold back the soil.
user379468
  • 412
  • 5
  • 9
5
votes
3 answers

How to install irrigation for an unstructured garden

Last year my wife and I were veggie gardening rookies: I built a 4'x8' raised garden bed out of cedar, we planted, and actually didn't do half bad. At the end of the season we spoke with a "master gardener" at a county fair who told us why we lost…
smeeb
  • 205
  • 1
  • 3
1 2 3
…
16 17