The Best Ways to Utilize Modular Garden Beds

 

 

While a traditional garden space allows ample space to grow organic food, this option is not feasible for everyone due to limited land space. With modular garden beds, people with apartments or limited yard space can easily grow veggies, fruits, and flowers at home. Modular garden beds, which are raised garden beds made of metal or other materials, have become increasingly popular among gardeners due to their capacity to grow more food while utilizing less space. 

Modular garden beds are more advanced than typical raised garden beds because they allow for easy expansion and modification using garden bed kits. You can customize modular beds based on your available space and gardening preferences. People who have trouble bending down or have back problems prefer this option for easy gardening. 

Modular raised garden beds are great for beginners, eliminating many barriers associated with building a garden bed from scratch. Unlike with traditional garden beds, you do not need to till your garden bed or undertake the intensive process of preparing the ground for planting. Below are several tips that help you maximize the benefits of modular garden beds and ensure a successful harvest.

Modify The Shape Of Your Raised Bed

If your space is limited, you can easily extend your garden beds into longer rectangular shapes or break up a bed into smaller pairs. This allows you to easily reach plants without needing to leave large walkways for walking. Vego Garden offers DIY garden design panels (which come with hardware and edging) to help you construct your modular garden bed in your customized shape and size. You can easily fit multiple garden beds onto a small plot of land, including your patio or sidewalk.

Improve The Aesthetics Of Your Garden

Modular garden beds provide a clean, modern aesthetic in your garden. You can use modular garden beds to improve the attractiveness of your garden space by placing them in areas that are deemed an eyesore. They can also brighten up dull places, such as the entryway or patio. Many gardeners choose to place their raised garden beds next to an outdoor dining area to add a refreshing, eco-friendly component to the landscape. The beautiful fruits, vegetables, and flowers of your modular garden bed will help enhance the natural beauty of your space. Make sure to situate your garden bed in a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight and is close to a water source.

Grow More Food In Less Space

If utilized well, modular garden beds can provide you with more food in a given space. Oftentimes, they help foster a flourishing harvest that greatly exceeds that of traditional planting methods. Due to the height of the garden beds, you can plant veggies or fruits closer together and ensure that every inch of the raised beds is productive. Our beds, which are offered in 17 and 32 inch depths, allow for almost any crop to be grown, even those with deep root systems. By employing effective small-space techniques for gardening such as vertical supports and succession planting, you can maximize your available space and ensure better productivity.

To improve the quality of your produce, use soil that increases the nutrient density of your garden. Soil composition is very important, as it determines the success and health of a garden. The ideal soil type is sandy loam, which is essentially soil that is loose, well-draining, and rich in organic matter. In many instances, the native soil in your yard is not suitable for growing plants. For optimal results, choose good quality topsoil that contains critical micronutrients.

SQUARE FEET GARDENING

One common technique you can use in your raised garden bed is square feet gardening, often referred to as SFG. SFG is an easy method of gardening that involves minimal maintenance. The premise of SFG is that certain vegetables are planted in select quantities within each square, helping you maximize available space and nutrient absorption. The basic setup requires you to overlay a square feet grid atop your modular garden bed, which is used to space apart your plants. You can make the strips from wood and pin them to the sides of your bed. 

Different plants have different requirements based on the quantity of each you can plant in one square. Some plants are 1-per-square plantings, while others can accommodate up to 8 – 9 plants. 1-per-square plantings include celery, corn, parsley, potatoes, and tomatoes. Up to 4-per-square plantings include basil, garlic, leeks, onions, and tomatoes (with a cage). Up to 8 – 9 include green beans, beets, garlic (smaller bulbs), peas, tomatoes, and onions. You can also use companion planting by planting mutually beneficial plants together in the same square. With this technique, it is important to carefully select the plants overall as well as delineate the specifics of each variety that goes into each grid.

ADD VERTICAL ELEMENTS

 

 

Another technique is trellis gardening, which consists of installing a framework of light wooden or metal bars mainly used as support for fruit trees or climbing plants. There are many benefits to installing a trellis to your raised modular garden beds, including increasing air flow, saving space, creating a graceful look, and allowing you to detect pests earlier. Your plants are no longer limited to a horizontal space and can climb upwards, allowing you to grow more plants. Ideally, you should set up the trellis before the start of the growing season. Most plants with vines can be trellised, including tomatoes, peas and beans, grapes, and even pumpkins. 

EXTEND THE PLANTING SEASON

Unlike above-ground beds, the raised garden bed soil in modular raised garden beds tends to drain better and warm up faster. You can take advantage of this feature to generate a better yield by planting earlier in the season. In addition, you can install a cold frame or low tunnel to help you grow earlier. You can also use garden fabric or a specialized cover to protect your plants from periods of cold frost.

CHOOSE PLANTS CAREFULLY

When you have a limited space, it is advisable to choose plants that produce high yields, including radishes, tomatoes, greens, and potatoes. You can use dwarf varieties of plants if you only need a limited amount of each plant. You can create a small orchard using only dwarf varieties of fruit trees, which take up less space than normally sized fruit trees. Keep in mind that many varieties need to cross pollinate, so you may need to buy two of each type.  

Often overlooked, flowers make a useful addition to your garden due to their ability to deter pests and attract pollinators. Herbs including basil, rosemary, and yarrow can also attract pollinators.

 

CHOOSE THE BEST MATERIALS FOR RAISED GARDEN BEDS

Raised garden beds can be constructed from a wide array of materials, including wood, bricks, metal, and even straw. Factors to take into account include cost, durability, and safety. You should select durable, high-quality materials if you want a long-lasting garden that is capable of withstanding severe and fluctuating weather conditions. 

At Vego Garden, we recommend our metal beds, which are made with rust-free, high-quality materials with a longevity of up to 20 years. They are safe to use, containing rounded edges instead of the sharp serrated metal typically found in metal garden bed designs. While they may be more costly upfront, the benefits greatly outweigh the costs, and their durability pays for itself over time. 

In addition, our metal raised beds are all modularly designed, providing you with plenty of customizable options. We offer versatile, high quality raised garden beds that can be installed anywhere, from the backyard to the patio. Whether you have a small balcony or a large patio, our garden planters make gardening more convenient for everyone.