Home Topics ...Garden TypesRaised Garden

Raised Gardens: Growing Flowers In Comfort

Raised gardens are a real winner for many gardeners. In particular, growing vegetables and flowers in a raised garden can be a way for the less mobile to enjoy gardening. Garden beds at waist height allow you to pursue your hobby from a comfortable seated position and do the regular maintenance without putting yourself in physical pain.

Benefits of a Raised Garden

Besides the benefit of easy access to plants, raised gardens allow for particularly effective drainage.

If you live in a cooler part of the world, raised gardens are perfect for you! Higher soil is generally warmer and allows you to get a head start with planting in spring.

Another benefit is your ability to showcase parts of your garden even with space limitations. As flowers are at a higher level than any grassed area, you can create an impressive look and draw attention to your well-pruned garden beds.

Raised Gardens: The Art of Design

With limited space, the design of a raised garden is very important. Experts believe that growing vegetables is at least four times more successful in raised gardens than it is in standard gardens.

Raised gardens should be designed in such a way that they are not broader than you can actually reach across. Plan enough space for a path between each of the garden beds to allow access from both sides of each bed.

Although raised gardens many practical applications they're often used for purely decorative purposes. Garden bed surrounded by brick or stone walls are both attractive and serve to shield plants from scurrying pets and children.

Step by Step Guide to Creating Raised Gardens

First, decide what design your raised garden is going to follow. Do you intend to have several smaller garden beds or one large bed? What about growing vegetables in one bed and growing flowers in another bed?

Once you've decided on the basic design, use corner posts to mark out the four corners of each garden bed.
Next, remove all of the plants or vegetation that are within your garden beds and add a three inches layer of compost to the cleaned area.

At one end of the garden bed, dig a trench and store the earth to use later in the raised garden. Within this trench, loosen the soil to a depth of about a foot without mixing the lower soil with the topsoil.

Dig a second trench at an end of the garden bed and put the soil from the first trench into the second trench. Continue this process until you have prepared every side of the garden bed.

Depending on how raised you want your garden beds to be, you can use stones or timber to build the bed to the desired height. If you're using stones that don't fit together fully, then add a layer of plastic sheeting so that the soil and its moisture will be retained.

Ideal Accessories for Raised Gardens

Not all raised gardens are built with vegetables and flowers in mind. Some great accessories for a raised garden include decking or a pergola so that you can enjoy a raised platform from which to survey your garden!

For a particularly low maintenance option, you could even create a small water feature or a stone display.

Growing Vegetables and Fruit in Your Raised Garden

Growing vegetables in a raised garden is easy. By using a raised garden design, you'll be able to plant and harvest a wide range of tasty edibles including the following:

Beans flourish well in black raised containers, as the soil is kept quite warm even in cooler climates.
Strawberries really flourish as part of a raised garden. Why not incorporate a tiered design so that the surrounding shrubbery can flow naturally from tier to tier?
Eggplants can be difficult to grow, as they require warm soil, so make the most of your raised garden with an early crop of your favorites.

Growing Flowers in Your Raised Garden

When it comes to growing flowers in your raised garden, the world truly is your oyster. For ease of maintenance, use trumpet shaped flowers such as African Lily or Morning Glory. Flowers such as these are particularly suited to raised gardens as it is easier to maintain moist, good quality soil.

For a more dramatic look, consider a plant such as ivy that will make the raised area more of a feature.

Raised gardens offer a wealth of opportunity for those who struggle, for whatever reason, to design and maintain a traditional garden. Start small, think big and don't forget to make time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Other Topics in this Section

Add a Comment

Print this Article

Email to a Friend