Raised beds are a brilliant way to save yourself some money, time, and elbow grease when starting a new garden. Here are a few of the reasons why raised beds are such a smart idea and why you should give them a try.
Walls Keep Out Pests
If you put a barrier between your plants and creepy crawlies, you will have fewer pests on your plants. Raised beds make it more difficult for ground traveling pests like slugs and snails to gain access to your vegetables.
Less Back Strain
Gardening puts quite a strain on your body, but raised beds are a good solution. Because they bring your garden up a few feet, you won’t have to do as much bending or leaning, making it much easier on your knees and back.
Good For Weed Control
When you build a raised bed, you are essentially building on top of existing ground, filling your area with soil, and planting. All you have to do to keep weeds out of your bed is line the bottom with newspaper or another weed preventing layer before you add the soil. This keeps weeds under control better than any chemical weed killer.
Better Soil, More Veggies
Since a raised bed is filled with soil of your choice, you will have bigger and better produce yield. When you plant in the ground, you are forced to work with the soil you have, but a raised bed can be customized with the soil mixture you want to use.
Saves You Money
Because your beds are surrounded by walls, you have no chance of wasting soil due to soil erosion. It’s also beneficial for those who plan their gardens well because fewer seeds will be needed to produce more crop yield.
Warms Your Soil
Raised beds keep the soil surrounding your plants’ roots warmer, which in turn gives your plants a longer growing season. This results in more vegetables or more blooms for a longer period.
Less Work Is Involved
Yes, you will have to invest in the materials for your raised beds, but once they’re installed, the workload is greatly diminished. It’s hard to trowel and till a garden in the earth, but it’s easy to fill a raised bed with soil, and once you get it done, your beds should last around 10 years.
