Archive for November, 2009
When you’re through with building a garden bed, be sure to congratulate yourself because now that your garden is set in place you can start raised bed gardening. It may be a bit empty now, but through this article you can begin the fun part.
By using proper soil, keeping disease and weeds down and watering properly, you can start a strong raised bed garden that will perform for years to come.
The pH Levels Of Your Soil
The first job you have to complete in raised bed gardening is laying down soil. Try mixing one quarter yard soil and three quarters of compost and sand. This combination will provide a nice base for you to build from. Don’t forget to test your soil’s pH levels — too high of an alkaline count and your garden is going nowhere.
Weeding Out The Weeds
The way your raised bed garden is setup should help prevent weeds, but since when have plans ever gone the way they were initially drawn? Put organic mulch over the top of your bed as an added protective measure.
If that doesn’t work, try products for weed guarding to make sure those pesky weeds stay away. If this still doesn’t stop them, don’t worry too much. They’re simple to get rid of, and remember gardening is ongoing work. There are going to be setbacks occasionally.
Water Appropriately
Overdoing the water is just as harmful as starving your plants, because long periods of wetness can help promote disease and general bad health in your garden. Do your watering by hand, keeping the water on the areas in which the plants are buried, but not straying to the surrounding areas.
Alternatively, you can pick up one of those irrigation systems. These handy contraptions use a dripping technology to water enough but not too much. Whatever you do, don’t just hose down your plants.
Minding Your Raised Bed
There’s actually little maintenance required to keep your garden beautiful through the seasons. The only activity you really need to do is water your plants as needed, and mix in more organic matter in your bed. Try turning the soil over periodically, too.
If your plants should come down with disease, empty the bed and change out the soil using that same soil/sand/compost mix I mentioned earlier. Also keep an eye on the physical makeup of your garden, just in case it has started coming apart.
Nature lovers and low maintenance gardeners will find a lot to like about raised bed gardening. You can easily liven up your yard and harvest some tasty vegetables along the way.
By following the tips above, you’ll keep your garden beautiful and secure — for the plants and you, as the owner.
Raised bed gardening is a very low maintenance task with high rewards. Why not learn more about raised garden beds and turn your backyard into a veggie wonderland? Buy accessories, tools, and raised bed gardening kits from trusted suppliers only for the best tools to maximize your gardening habits.