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Growing plants in a raised garden bed are not completely new to us. People have been using raised garden beds for growing their plants for quite a while now. They make it easier for you to manage your garden area. You will also grow more plants in a less available space. So, here we have come up with some of the major benefits of growing your plants in a raised garden bed. Also, for cheap raised garden beds for sale, you can connect with us.
Improved soil:
A raised garden bed will allow you to add organic matter and compost to the soil to improve its quality. Soil amendments can be done quite easily in a raised garden bed. You can also add a layer of compost to the existing layer of soil. This can improve the soil quality and allow you to grow your plants quickly and easily.
Better Weed Management:
If you are dealing with weed problems in your traditional garden bed, then a raised garden bed can be an appropriate option for you. The soil present in the raised garden bed is extremely loose. This makes it more difficult for weeds to grow through the layer of soil. Even if weeds do grow, you can easily pull them off without a lot of trouble.
You can also prevent the weed from growing by sheet mulching. You can use a layer of cardboard at the bottom of your raised garden space to prevent weeds from growing. It can also treat your soil accordingly and prevent weeds and pests from attacking the plants.
Good Drainage Option:
One of the best things about having a garden bed is that it provides excellent drainage options even during the monsoon seasons. This is one of the reasons why people prefer growing plants in raised garden beds in areas that experience heavy rainfall from time to time. The soil present in the garden bed is loose. This will allow the water to seep through the soil instead of clogging at the roots. This also prevents quick runoffs. You can also try tilling the soil regularly to ensure that it isn’t very compact.
Extend The Growing Season:
The soil can warm up quickly during the cold seasons because of better drainage options. The faster warming up of the earth allows you to start growing your plants early. Many gardeners have also observed that you can grow warm crops in your garden bed during winter. The soil in the raised garden bed warms up quickly, providing optimum conditions for the plants to grow.
And these are some of the reasons why you should be growing your plants in a raised garden bed. You can also create galvanized metal raised garden beds to increase their longevity.
What to Plant
Gardening in a raised bed is all about maximizing productivity. The challenge is to grow as much food as possible while resisting the temptation to squeeze in too many plants. Overcrowded plants never reach their full potential because they’re stressed by poor air circulation and competition for water, nutrients and root space.
Our Kitchen Garden Planner provides planting guidelines to help space your plants correctly. Optimum spacing will vary somewhat, depending on specific plant varieties as well as on your growing conditions. A bush watermelon, such as Sugar Baby, has 3 ft. to 4 ft. vines, while the vines of a full-size watermelon, such as Ruby, can be 15 feet long. Likewise, in Texas, tomato plants often get to be over 7 feet tall, yet in Vermont they usually top out at 4 feet. With experience, you’ll gradually get a sense for just how much space each type of plant requires.
When to Plant
There are several factors to consider when deciding when to plant your garden. First is the type of plant you’re putting in. Some plants, including lettuce and broccoli, can tolerate cool weather. Others, such as basil and tomatoes, are likely to be damaged or killed by temperatures lower than 40 degrees. Refer to our Vegetable Encyclopedia to determine the best time to plant each crop.
Other important considerations are frost dates and soil temperature. In planting zones 3 to 6, the primary gardening season falls between the first and last frost dates. Cold-sensitive plants must not go into the garden until all danger of frost has passed. This typically falls somewhere between March and May, depending on your growing zone. If you don’t know your growing zone, check the USDA zone map.
If you garden in zones 8-10, it may be heat — not frost — that determines your planting dates. Warm-climate gardeners often plant in the fall rather than the spring, to avoid midsummer heat. Others gear up for two planting periods each year: early fall and late winter.
Once the seeds have been planted, the area should be watered thoroughly, to a depth of several inches. The soil should be kept consistently moist until the seeds germinate and the young plants have established their first sets of true leaves.