Watch the previous or next video in our series of tips for your yard.Building a raised planting bed is a great way to grow vegetables or flowers. Advantages include:
- Control over soil quality.
- Better soil drainage.
- Easier to work in the garden.
Raised planting beds can be constructed using wood, block, or brick; with heights ranging from a few inches off the ground to several feet.
Here’s how Allen constructed the raised planting bed for his yard:
- Wood Frame: Built 5’x10’ frame from 2”x6” treated pine lumber.
- Line Frame: Covered inner sides of the wood frame with black plastic sheeting to prevent preservative from leaching into the soil.
- Weed Barrier: Covered the ground with cardboard boxes to prevent weeds and grass from coming up through the soil.
- Soil Layer: Added bottom layer of soil to raised planting bed.
- Irrigation: Ran soaker hose through a hole drilled in the frame, then back and forth in the planting bed to provide easy irrigation.
- Add Soil: Added another layer of soil on top of the soaker hose.
- Weed Cloth: Covered raised bed with weed cloth stapled to the top of the raised bed frame.
- Planting: Cut a hole in the weed cloth for each plant, and planted vegetables or flowers.
Watch this video to find out more.
Further Information
- Raised Vegetable Bed (video)
- Raised Bed Gardening (video)
- Raised Bed Gardening FAQ (article)
- Advantages of Raised Planting Beds for Your Garden (article)
- Vegetable Garden: Planning and Layout (article)
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Danny Lipford: Another topic that draws lots of questions is raised vegetable gardens.
Julie Day: Hey, Allen.
Allen Lyle: Hey, Julie! I heard you were in town.
Julie: I heard you had quite an experiment going on here.
Allen: Yeah it’s a test, I don’t know if it’s going to work or not. I wanted a raised bed.
Julie: OK.
Allen: I got some fruits some vegetables. Here’s the experiment: a little layer of dirt and then I weaved in a soaker hose.
Julie: OK.
Allen: And then covered more dirt. So now I’ve got instant water under there.
Julie: Right to the root.
Allen: Right. And then covered this with a weed cloth. And I’m thinking this is going to work, but I was hoping you might give me an honest opinion.
Julie: I think this sounds very well thought out. You’re a man who was pulled many of weeds in his life.
Allen: Yes.
Julie: And you want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. And this weed blocker fabric should help keep anything that might want to sprout in here from having a chance.
Allen: Now I know the big issue of course after this is going to be trying to keep the birds and the critters away.
Julie: Sure, but with the raised bed you have something right here you can attach a frame if you need to.
Allen: Oh, yeah.
Julie: You can do trellis, you can do bird netting, anything you want. Just attach it right to the frame.
Allen: So you going to help me plant these?
Julie: Looks like I’m going to need my gloves.
Allen: Then at the end of the harvest season I’m thinking fish frying, fresh vegetables.
Julie: I’ll wait for my invitation.
