8 Excellent Reasons To Use Raised Beds In Your Garden

Raised beds are considered a great option for people in any gardening situation, particularly if they have limited space. Raised beds are more productive than beds on the ground because the soil is less compacted, has better drainage, and warms earlier in the spring, which means that plants will start to grow earlier in the season. Raised beds are easier to maintain, especially for people with limited mobility, and generally have fewer perennial weeds. Below are several reasons why you should use raised garden beds in your garden.

Easier to Install

Building a garden bed doesn’t have to be backbreaking work. Raised beds are easier to install than gardens at ground level, and are an especially great choice if you do not own a tiller. If you do not feel like constructing a DIY garden bed from raw materials, you can purchase raised garden bed kits at Vego Garden. No construction knowledge is required with our easy-to-use kits, which only require you to assemble the materials and tighten the screws. After purchasing a raised garden bed kit, you can leave the earth intact and build the raised bed on top of the existing sod. 

Better Soil

Due to subpar composition, the native soil in your yard is often not conducive to growing plants. During the process of constructing a house, the soil surrounding the house becomes severely compacted. It has most likely only been used to grow grass, which doesn’t grow deeply enough to break up the compacted soil. By installing raised beds, you can utilize better quality soil that is suited for your plants. 

Organically rich, well-draining soil allows your plants to develop extensive root systems, which contribute to a flourishing garden. By contrast, those on the ground usually have a shallow root system unless the ground has been tilled extensively before planting. Since you do not need to till a raised garden bed, this leads to better quality soil, as tiling tends to deplete the organic structure of the soil and promote the spread of weeds. Instead of tilling, you can add several inches of compost and mulch on top of the soil, which helps retain moisture and add nutrients into the soil. 

Custom Soil for Plants

Raised garden beds allow you to control the texture, composition and quality of your soil. When selecting soil for the raised beds, you can create a custom soil mix for each of the planters after you have separated your plants by their soil preference. Most plants prefer a neutral to slightly acidic pH of between 5.5 – 7.5. If some of your plants prefer acidic soil, you can make a different blend for them without harming those that favor a more alkaline environment.  

The ideal soil type is sandy loam, which is soil that is fluffy, well-draining, and rich in organic matter. You should refrain from using cheap bags of soil, which lack nutrients and are likely to contain weeds, debris, and other contaminants. You can purchase specialty bagged raised garden bed soil to fill your raised bed or you can experiment with various soil mixtures by combining garden soil with potting soil. Make sure to use more garden soil than potting mix, usually at a 5:1 ratio. You should periodically apply organic compost or mulch to your garden bed to improve the soil quality.

Easier Access

One primary benefit of gardening in raised beds is that you don’t have to bend down quite as far when tending, weeding, or harvesting your plants. Raised beds are a great choice for those experiencing mobility issues or who dislike bending down. You can create raised beds at your desired height and width to improve accessibility for those that have difficulty bending or stretching. Vego Garden sells 32″ tall garden beds, which help significantly reduce back strain. Even if you do not have back problems, raised garden beds are a great investment, as constant straining can be detrimental to your health over time. They are ideal for herbs and vegetables that require constant harvesting. If you are primarily interested in growing herbs, check out Vego Garden Herb Kits for more details. 

Attractive

Raised beds are an eye-catching addition to your front yard or backyard, especially if you live in an urban environment where there is a lack of greenery. Available in a wide range of materials, they can be constructed out of beautiful cedar wood, metal, or other upcycled materials. They also come in different shapes, from the popular traditional rectangular shape to an artistic mandala design. Vego Garden metal beds, which are coated with a layer of special paint, have rounded corners that provide an attractive, calming aesthetic to your garden. Raised garden beds are often used to brighten up the patio or transform a stagnant plot of land into a productive garden by providing a graceful format to display your vegetables or flowers, which can be used to attract butterflies. 

Our dear customer Bonnie M made a "Butterfly Haven" Vego Garden metal raised garden bed. Checkout the review of our 10-in-1 garden bed kit.

I made this garden specifically to draw butterfies!! And it is a success, besides dressing up the boring front of my house! Thanks love it!!!

 

Fresh Produce

With raised garden beds, you have regular access to your favorite fruits and vegetables in your own backyard. Benefits of growing your vegetables and fruits in raised garden beds include improved fruit blush color, more even fruit maturity, and an increased total yield. 

Raised garden beds result in significantly higher yields because plants are planted at higher densities than those that are on the ground. You can plant more plants closer together or employ effective small-space techniques such as succession planting to maximize your available space and ensure better productivity. Raised beds can yield up to four times more produce than the same amount of space planted in rows.

Reduction of Harmful Contaminants

Many gardeners are concerned about chemicals that can leach into their plants. Raised garden beds reduce the potential for plants to absorb harmful substances from contaminated soils. This is especially important to consider in urban areas, which contain a higher concentration of heavy metals, including lead. You should refrain from filling your raised bed with native soil if you live in an urban environment. Made from 100% recyclable materials, including Aluzinc steel, Vego Garden beds are completely safe to grow food in. It requires very high acidity to break down the Aluzinc coating, and most garden soils are neutral, so there is little to no impact.

Weed Reduction

Many gardeners find the process of weeding a garden burdensome. By elevating your garden above the ground, you reduce the ability of weeds and grass to creep into your raised beds. While it’s normal for a few weeds to blow into the bed, raised garden beds are far less susceptible to weeds than a garden that is situated directly in the ground when filled with weed-free soil and compost. Also, if you place your plants close to each other, this shields out weeds and suppresses their growth.