5 Reasons You Should Be Using Raised Beds in Your Kitchen Garden
What’s the deal with raised beds?
If you have looked at raised bed plans on pinterest, you may have seen all of the different “hacks” to make raised beds cheaply, or my personal favorite involves using filler in the bottom to avoid having the fill it entirely with soil. This blog will focus on the science of raised beds, and why I love them so dearly. To utilize them to their full potential, don’t cut corners.
Ive heard all of the myths that raised beds are just for show, for quickly starting a garden, or even that they are too hard to use. None of these are true…
Truth: Let’s break this one down!
Roots can grow vertically instead of horizontal like ground gardens. This allows you to pack alot of plants into the small space. In order to do this properly, you first need to make sure that you are filling your raised beds all the way with good soil, but also that your raised beds are a minimum of 1 ft deep, 2 ft is recommended.
Your soil will heat up quicker in the spring, extending your growing season far beyond what your in-ground garden colleagues are doing. Here in Michigan, that means my soil is workable in March and I can start cool season 1. If you’re also in Michigan, don’t forget to grab a downloadable planting calendar here.
No weeding! Okay, i don’t want to say absolutely no weeding because sometimes weeds can pop up from city compost if you are putting it on your beds, but overall, this is a perk to add to the list.
Trellis safely. A great kitchen garden design will include a trellis, bot for beauty but also proper plant support. Trellis’ are much safer when anchored within the raised beds.
They look great and are accessible! Beautiful kitchen gardens that you actually want to spend time in are our goal - and that includes accessibility at any age or ability level.
If you don’t have a garden yet and are exploring the idea, take my word for it and get a raised bed! It makes gardening a breeze. It is also the PERFECT solution for small spaces. Next to a garage, on a driveway, against a fenceline, etc. These are all places I’ve seen kitchen gardens successfully go. Need help with a garden design and figuring out the stresses of garden planning? Contact me here.
If you already have a raised bed there are always ways to improve it - can you add another layer to it to make it deeper? Is your soil filling it all of the way? To truly pack your beds with plants to create an overflowing, and abundant garden, you need to consider how much vertical space you are giving your garden.
