Raised bed gardens have exploded in popularity for the many benefits they can offer. Whether it’s flexibility on garden size, ergonomic growing space, or easier plant management, raised beds and planters are making gardening accessible to anyone! Apartment and condo dwellers with limited growing space have many options available to them and can cultivate beautiful gardens just like homeowners and community gardeners!
It’s important to create an environment where your plants can thrive, especially in a raised garden bed where your plants may be separated from existing soil. We’re here to give you some tips on creating a better raised garden bed for a healthier season!
It Starts with the Right Soil
The soil you use to fill your raised bed will determine a lot about the success of your garden. Raised garden beds are unique growing environments that require a specific type of soil for healthy and balanced plant development. Raised garden beds need a soil blend that can balance moisture retention and drainage. You don’t want excessive water buildup in your growing space, but you also don’t want a blend that’s too high-draining and limits plant access to water. A compost-based blend, like our Raised Bed Mix, is designed for raised garden beds, because it carefully balances moisture retention and drainage to build the ideal blend.
Many gardeners will fill raised gardens with topsoil. While this isn’t a bad choice for a raised garden bed, topsoil will often carry the characteristics from the land where it was taken from. It is common for topsoil to contain weed seeds, which may mean that your garden requires additional weeding throughout the season. Topsoil can also be heavy, and if it gets too dry, it can start to repel water. When using topsoil in a raised bed, we recommend combining it with Activated Compost. Activated Compost is rich in organic matter and microbes, which will improve overall soil structure and texture, making it easier to work with and care for. Activated Compost also contains a complex of nutrients that can feed your crops throughout the growing season.
It Isn’t That Deep… or is it?
There are many debates on the ideal raised garden bed depth, and what it means for your garden’s growing capacity. Six inches is considered a minimum depth for a raised garden bed and can be a perfect choice if growing on top of good-quality soil that your plant’s roots can extend into. Gardeners in metropolitan areas may be avoiding compacted topsoil that can contain heavy metals. If you are laying down a root barrier between your plants and the soil, 6-inch garden beds may struggle to support larger plants, but it is a perfect depth for lettuce, spinach, radishes, and annual herbs. If you are trying to grow outside of your existing soil, a minimum depth of 12-18 inches is better for promoting healthy root development, especially for prolific garden produce like tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini.
Can raised garden beds be ‘too deep’? Technically, no. Plants need healthy soil available to them at the depth that their roots are growing, no matter what that depth is. Many perennial varieties establish deeper root systems to survive the harsh winters. Depending on the size of your garden beds and what you’re growing, you might not make as much use out of the bottom layer of soil in your first few years. In the fall or spring, you can turn over your garden beds to give the top layer of your soil a break and freshen up your growing zone. Top garden beds off with compost, and you’re ready to grow!
Growing for the Future
The best way to ensure that your soil is sustainable, and can go further than your first season, is to grow with your next season in mind. Conventional gardening practices often involve planting the same thing, in the same soil, season after season. Over time, this strips the soil of essential nutrients your plants rely on, and can leave your gardens struggling.
Applying compost at the end of the season (as we mentioned before) is an excellent way to prepare soil for the next growing season. Adding organic matter and microbes can protect raised garden beds from the harsh winter cold, and can help break down old roots and stems. You can also feed your soil in the beginning of the new season with an organic slow-release fertilizer, like our All-Purpose Fertilizer. Adding nutrients at the beginning of the season gives the microbes in your soil time to break them down and make them readily available as your garden needs them.
Farmers follow a practice called crop rotation, where they rotate which crops are being grown in which soil. Cultivating heavy feeding crops like corn one season, and then nitrogen fixers like soybeans in the next. You can do this on a smaller scale in your own garden, and see amazing results! Where you planted heavy feeders like tomatoes, peppers, or zucchini last season: plant lighter feeders like lettuce, radishes, or spinach. You can also plant peas, beans, lentils, or peanuts, which are nitrogen fixers that will directly add nutrients to the soil.
Raised garden beds can make gardening easier for everyone from apartment dwellers to master gardeners. Help these gardens last for years by supporting soil that thrives. Contact our garden experts for more tips on building the right raised bed for you!