Raised garden beds are a popular and effective solution for those with limited space, poor soil quality, or mobility issues. They are designed to be open on the bottom, allowing plant roots to access soil nutrients below ground level. When building raised beds over the ground, it is essential to take certain additional steps to ensure proper preparation of the ground.
Raised beds can be built over various surfaces, including concrete and tabletops, but they should be at least 12 to 18 inches deep. A depth of 6 to 12 inches is sufficient when situated over grass. Raised beds are quick to build, look smart, and are ideal for those who have trouble bending. They are also great for keeping weeds and pests at bay.
The bottom of a raised bed should be nothing, as it is a bottomless frame that rests directly on the dirt, on top of which you pour your potting mix. On the ground, a depth of 12 inches is a safe bet, as roots will stay in the nutritious soil. As the soil underneath conditions, roots can extend further down. Raised beds stay warmer than the soil in the ground, allowing for extended growing time in the fall and spring.
Raised beds can be built with four walls to contain soil and plants, and some are enclosed for wheelchair access. Leveling each individual bed ensures even water distribution and prevents uneven elevation or exposure of sides. Overall, raised beds are a versatile and efficient gardening solution for those with limited space, poor soil quality, or mobility issues.
📹 How to FIX and STOP a Raised Garden Bed From Caving Inwards
In this video, I show you how to fix and stop the sides of a Birdies metal raised garden bed from caving inwards. Go here to get …
Can a raised garden bed have a bottom?
Raised beds typically have no bottom, except for those placed on surfaces like wooden patio decks, balconies, porches, or concrete walkways. Most online raised bed kits and instructions do not have bottoms. Four-sided beds, like those shown, are designed for optimal drainage and should be set on gravel, grass, or mulch, filled with good soil. This ensures that the bed does not turn into a bathtub, which is ideal for herbs and veggies that prefer a good soak but do not want their roots to sit in water too long. Most raised bed kits and instructions do not include bottoms.
Do raised beds need to be on level ground?
Raised garden beds don’t need to be perfectly level, but they should be sloped for optimal plant growth. A sloped bed can cause uneven moisture distribution, overwatering some plants and underwatering others, and attract insects and pollutants. Soil erosion from the higher end can also affect the stability of the bed and the health of plants. Higher plants may not receive enough nutrients, while lower plants may overdose on certain nutrients. Therefore, it’s essential to consider these factors when choosing a raised garden bed.
Should a raised garden bed have a base?
Raised garden beds should be lined with materials that create a barrier between the soil and the ground, preventing weeds from entering, toxins from being released, and pests from consuming the garden. Options include wide-mesh hardware cloth, stainless steel mesh, landscape fabric, burlap sack, or newspaper/cardboard. Wide-mesh hardware cloth is effective in keeping weeds and burrowing animals out, while burlap sack allows earthworms to pass through, aerating and enriching the soil for plants. Staple the cloth to the bed frame during construction and it should serve its purpose for years to come.
Why not to use raised beds?
Raised beds can be an economically viable option for horticulture, yet they necessitate more frequent irrigation due to their exposure to the atmosphere and the accelerated drying process, which can result in a more rapid loss of nutrients from the soil in comparison to in-ground gardens.
Why are beds raised above the ground?
Raising a bed off the floor improves air circulation around and underneath the mattress, preventing moisture build-up and promoting a healthier sleep environment. It also helps regulate temperature, as a mattress directly on the floor can absorb and retain ambient temperature, potentially causing discomfort during hot or cold seasons. Elevating the bed also makes cleaning easier, as the area under the mattress is easier to access and clean, reducing the chances of allergens and dust mites accumulating underneath. Overall, elevating a bed offers several benefits, including enhanced air circulation, temperature regulation, and easier cleaning.
How deep should a raised garden bed be?
Vegetable beds should be excavated to a depth of between 12 and 18 inches to accommodate the roots of the plants, particularly if the beds are placed on cement or a patio. This will prevent the roots from growing deeper into the ground.
Why put cardboard in the bottom of a raised bed?
Cardboard provides a damp environment that attracts earthworms and other beneficial soil microorganisms. It can be used in raised beds and vermicomposting bins, serving as bedding and food source. Vego Garden’s in-ground worm composter is a low-maintenance option for soil enrichment. Cardboard can also serve as pest protection against burrowing pests like gophers, voles, and moles. To prevent dirt and debris accumulation, add a gopher net. Landscape fabrics are permeable, but dirt and debris can accumulate over time, making them impermeable. To protect plants, add a layer of cardboard to garden beds and place netting above it.
Are beds lower to the ground better?
A low platform bed can help you sleep cooler and feel more connected to your space, as you are closer to the ground. Most mattresses, including latex, all-foam, and hybrid models, can work well with platform beds due to their support. Platform beds also help maintain good posture, especially with memory foam mattresses, by preventing sagging in certain areas. A headboard can provide extra support while relaxing, allowing you to sit comfortably without compromising your posture too much. Overall, a low platform bed can enhance your sleeping environment and improve your chances of a great night’s sleep.
Why are American beds so high?
High beds are designed to accommodate individuals of above-average height, offering enhanced storage capacity and a deterrent to pets and small children. However, beds of a lower elevation, which do not necessitate the use of a box spring, are frequently less costly than those of a higher elevation.
How deep does a raised bed need to be for tomatoes?
Tomatoes should be grown in a raised bed at least 15 to 18 inches deep. While some clients in Houston have successfully grown tomatoes in 12-inch deep raised garden beds, their plants tend to be stunted. The root structure needed for cucumbers, squash, and zucchini, like tomatoes, requires 15 to 18 inches of soil to push into. Cucumbers, like tomatoes, require a strong root structure to support their heavy fruit. In terms of cucumbers, the root structure needed for a plant to produce fruit is similar to the size of a large cucumber.
What are the disadvantages of raised beds?
Raised beds can be an economically viable option for horticulture, yet they necessitate more frequent irrigation due to their exposure to the atmosphere and the accelerated drying process, which can result in a more rapid loss of nutrients from the soil in comparison to in-ground gardens.
📹 Raised Beds Versus In Ground Gardening– Which is better?
It’s the great garden debate– raised beds versus in ground gardening! This video covers the pros & cons of each style of …
G’day Everyone, if you are suffering a bit of deja vu in this article, it is probably because you saw my previous upload, where I also covered the subject of raised beds caving in. In this article, I explain the caving-in issue better in more detail and explain why I’m covering this subject again in the article. Thankfully, the bed caving-in issue is more straightforward to explain than why I’m doing it again… Cheers 😄
I’m on a steep plot of land with 31m of difference (in altitude) between the bottom of the block and the back fence, in South Hobart, with 1381 sqm of area. We are on bare clay and have been spending more at Bunnings than we can fathom. I also produce 110 litres of compost per month with a few huge mounds of organic waste, two 80 litre hot compost bins, and mostly with help from your YT articles. I shred everything mildly organic (all cardboard, paper, veg waste, sticks, leaves, etc). We have some significant native trees growing (Huon pines, blackwood, myrtle, eucalyptus for land retention and stabilization). We’ve added around 20cm of top soil without spending for top soil using compost and shredded pizza boxes (my older lads love their fortnightly takeaway). We use your articles for instruction now that Peter Cundal is no longer advising us. Yep … Mark … you are next in line for the throne. ABC should head-hunt you for Gardening Australia. $0.02
Hi Mark I’ve been binge perusal your articles and one that hit home was this one “End of Self Sufficient Me?” Your at 1.88 million subscriber’s and this is not by accident. your personality, expertise, commitment are shining through. You have people world-wide perusal and following. We all are very lucky you kept it going and fighting through the hardship’s. We got about 3-4 feet of snow on our raised gardens in our yard and around mid May we can start growing our starters we are going to do come February. From Canada CHEERS
As an electrician in a past life, another solution I thought of when perusal is to get some 1/2″ (or maybe 3/4″) EMT thin wall conduit, cheaper than black iron pipe as Bob below suggests, cut them to match the bed width, and slide over each internal brace rod, (preferably when first installing the bed), to keep the walls from bowing inwards. Since EMT is also corrosion resistant, they should protect the braces for years more than directly exposed to the soil. Great articles. Cheers!
Dear Mark. Instead of using a 2 x 4 with holes drilled in it, try using a 2″ PVC pipe that sticks up above the bed by about 10″s or so, with holes drilled in it. Then if you want to erect a structor for the plants to grow up you have a section of pipe to insert a rod into to build it from. When you no longer need the structure you can remove it from the pipe, and you are left with a small pipe to reuse in the future.
I am new to raised bed gardening. I did not even know that was a possibility. I have 2’x6′ livestock water troughs and 5′ & 6′ rounds with a watering system in the base. I filled them with soil only and have had a 6″ drop in the soil level. Now I’m concerned but forewarned when the remaining less sturdy beds go in. Thank you so much for the information. Always a pleasure perusal you. A devotee from chilly SW Iowa.
When I built my timber raised beds I used M14 galvanised threaded bars and with a drill threaded them through 15mm pvc piping for more protection. 12 years later no problems and I removed one bar to examine and it’s suffered zero corrosion or bending. Reinstalled the bar for hopefully many more years to come . Love your website Mark, watched every episode ( some more than once ) 👍 🇦🇺🇬🇧
Thankyou for this. I’ve just bought three beds from Birdies and am yet to fill so perfect timing. I wonder if birdies will come up with something like an aluminium panel similar to the hardwood with holes you created, that comes with the larger beds upon purchase. If they did that these beds would be virtually flawless. Thanks again for all your work 👍
Oh wow one of my eight beds has done the same thing and I was not sure how to fix it! This has happened to my bed because the material has compressed and my soil level has dropped halfway down. Now it’s time a bulk compost haul. Gardening is expensive and rewarding at the same time. Thank you for sharing 😊
The idea of supporting the braces should be standard installation for any bed where this type of undersoil is being used. I’m looking at starting a garden and want to use raised beds with hugelkultur and will definitely be adding vertical supports to the braces. Given the price of lumber, do you think that a smaller piece of lumber (1×2 maybe) might work since it’s just there to keep the braces from bending downward? Maybe with a small wider support at the bottom to keep it from being pushed down into the soil? I’m thinking a small (6×6) square of plywood nailed to the bottom of the vertical 1×2. Maybe even make the vertical long enough to act as part of a trellis or support for hoop.
I solved this issue by building a galvanized unistrut frame and then bolting the panels onto the frame. Every bolt goes through a vertical piece of 12 gauge hot dipped unistrut with unistrut horizontal stabilizers instead of the weak flimsy provided aluminum ones. The box is now a tank. You can flip it on its side and sit on it. I used the provided bolts and nuts but bought larger washers. Cost wasn’t minimal but having filled it, emptied it a year later and filled it again, I don’t ever want to do it again so very worth the cost.
Yes, saw the first article just the other day and I loved it. This hasn’t happened with my Birdies but it is good to know there is a fix if it does. Lots of good information, however, I’m glad you did this one so it’ll be easier to find and straight to the point. Thank you for sharing from Northwest Florida😊
Also tamp the backfill — I have the shorter beds and not near as wide, and I used metal tape to prevent bow out. Knowing cave in could happen, I tamped soil 2 to 3 inches either side of my bracing to prevent/minimize settling. Pulled tape up, knowing it would settle as well. Hoping the plan works. 🙂
I have 100 acres . I have one of these big raised gardens . I’m in the rain forest st Marys tasmania . I filled mine with fallen leaves rotten wood and branches . And it just keeps sinking . I think I might have snakes in it as it has holes . I don’t have any braces what a great idea . I have yet to put diol in as it keeps sinking
These are great tips…thank you Mark!!! I’ve bought one Birdies Raised bed for when I move to a new property… I’m so keen to start my garden. In the meantime I’ve got pots and tubs and geofelt containers with vegies growing. Love your articles so much… they have brought me joy and peace! Cheers, Maria from Yeppoon Qld
Thanks for the heads up! Garden is not yet ready for raised beds, but I am already preparing myself as good as I can with your articles 🙂 I know someone with a welding machine, guess I will weld cross beams on both sides of the rods, that should be plenty of extra force to sustain the weight of the soil
I love the website Mark, and Birdees do make a good product. But those rods through the center are just way to small to be an effective support. The will definitely stop most of the bowing outward but as you have found they will bend way to easily when the soil is pushing down on them. I have made my own beds and used 14mm all thread galvanized rod with panel washers inside and outside of the outter skin. Essentially tying both sides together to prevent any in or out movement over time.
Great article. I’ve not used the braces in my birdie beds. I use flat sided star pickets knocked in on the inside of the bed to support the sides. First Birdie Bed I built I found the braces got in my way whenever I dug the bed over. I’ve also started putting my veggie beds in cages (Igloo Pet Runs) Brisbane has too many varmints to contend with so I’ve locked my veggies up now. So far so good although I saw a possum ahead of me in the queue at Bunnings the other day buying a pair of bolt cutters, so we’ll see I guess.
Morning, Mark! The round beds, I see they do not have braces. How are they working out? Any issues with bowing or caving with them? I’m GLAD you showed this. I have been on the financial fence, of whether to take the dive and get these beds. I really want the height, BUT, even with these simple looking fixes, I’m realizing that I probably won’t be able to dig down and actually reach those bars, to straighten them back out. I am really glad we are getting to see a longer term use of these beds. THANKS!
Great article as always Mark. I was having similar issues with bowing and I am attempting to just add more rods, which can be purchased separately. This issue does seem like a design thing, the wood bracing if it helps seems to be a design flaw. Beds should offer more support to help the pressure issues.
Mark, how would it work on the initial installation, to add some 3/4 black iron pipe cut to length as spreaders? Of course actual size would be determined by the size of the coupling used with each threaded rod. As the outer nuts on the rods are tightened to lessen outward spreading of the side walls, a pipe spreader with its additional thickness could act to lessen the inward collapse of the outer wall? Just trying to think of a solution that wouldnt require an annual or semi-annual redo of each container. -Bob…
While it is too late to put those rusted/soiled guide rods through a plank with holes in, what you could do, is notch a hardwood plank instead, slot those guide-rods into the notches and then wedge underneath the plank to lift the guide-rods up. Seems better than digging everything out every 6/12 months.
I think if the manufacturer wanted to address the issue they would replace that threaded rod with a vertically oriented piece of flat bar. It has a lot of strength in the dimension you need but not a lot of surface area for the soil to pull down on. Threaded rod is very easy to bend in comparison in this application.
You can use 1 inch food grade PVC pipe to retrofit the one’s with dirt already in them. You will need a 1″ pipe long enough to hold all three cables. 2 Union sleeves per support pipe 1 or 2 Caps per support pipe. 1) Take a board and drill the holes in them at the appropriate place. 2) Take 1″ pipe and cut in into 3 sections. Each section should be cut at such a place where the union sleeve, will support the cable above it. 3) Drill an elongated hole in the pipe that goes into the union sleeve so that when the pipe is placed in the union sleeve, it seat all the way down. An elongated hole will be drilled in only 2 of the pipes. The middle pipe and the top pipe. 4) It would be a good idea to put a cap on the bottom pipe so that it cannot begin to drill into the ground it is resting on.
Would a solid 4×4 on each side where the rods are work better than the rods themselves? I see you demonstrated a 2×4 where the rods go through in the center but seems for more rigid support for the exterior you’d want the bed attached to something stronger like a thick 4×4 post. Love the website🤘🏻 wish I could find a piece of land like you’ve got here in TX.
Hi mark. I hope u find this comment,I’m currently looking at building a 1m wide 1m high and 7.5m long garden bed out of brick my question is 2 you would it still be fine as it’s going to be in direct sunlight,with plants and fill going to be constant moving In and out of it, or would it crack and fall apart?
Hi Mark. Johann here from South Africa. Question..would you say rust is a problem at the bottom of the corrugated plate on the ground? I plan to use what they call here ‘chromadek’ (IBR) that has a protective coloured layer inside and outside. Or perhaps rather gavanised sheeting? Your expertise and experience will help a lot. Thanks for sharing all the in depth knowledge🙏🏻 Regards
Comments Add a comment… Kenneth Swann 1 second ago Hope u see this u should put all ur articles on dvd wait nevermnd my age is showing. What i mean is make ur articles availble for sale off youtube so ur viewers have access to ur info without the internet. Im learning alot thanks for putting ur stuff out
I just bought 6 (4’X8′) beds, and planned on using a potting mix in the base of the beds as I can get it for $10 a yard. Would this material in the bottom of the beds cause the caving in effect? I don’t have the log, or wood material to use for the base you are using. Hopefully I can plan to fill them in the beginning BEFORE this happens. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. I live in SW Florida zone 10a.
Initially, if you fill your bins over a short amount of time, (1 week) you shouldn’t need the cross bars to hold the sides from spreading. But since you already have them but now are experiencing the opposite effect because of like you say, the material is sinking, and taking the center of the bar with it. At this time, you should be able to simply remove the bars & let gravity do its thing. “Vertical force”.
I’m wondering… if you place 2 plywood sheets, on each side of the braces, and fill the braces with concrete then the braces can keeps the sides in tension and the concrete helps with compression. This way, you will never have to fix them in the future. Side note, I still think concrete and blocks is best
Solution 1: Dig the rods out and bend back to normal. Solution 2: Put a slow decomposing 2×4 wood brace in the middle of the rods, with holes, for the rods to go through. Possible solution 3 (what are your thoughts on this solution/possible problem?) : If you are filling it with trunks, branches, woodchips, etc; leave space around the rods and fill that portion (the rod area) with actual dirt, layer by layer, and maybe wet down each layer? (The rest of the bed using fillings like trunks and stuff.) In addition to the wood brace, maybe? I do not have one of these beds, but I am thinking about getting one this year and trying to figure out preventative measures. It would be hard for me to dig back down once it’s filled up. Any input or insite on #3 would be appreciated.
I suppose you could use additional wood prunings of about 4″ diameter as your cross-wire stabilizers. Or couldn’t you also cut a piece of smallish log to wedge between the sides of the bed where it wants to kink. True, those would eventually rot, but . . . oh well; after all, that is the real objective, isn’t it.
The wood will rot, a permanent fix would be to tac-weld a post with a devils fork at the end in the middle so it could never happen again. another would be in addition to the first part add locking nuts in the inside so it cant more, but before you do, cut a 5-6 inch additional piece of the corrugated stuff to put on the inside so it cant push or rip a hole through the area where the bar went through to double wall the area. I think all that together would equal a 100% fix.
Raised beds, especially when hugelkultur is used, can sink in over time. Thankfully Mark has a article on how to fix (and even prevent) that from bowing your beds inwards! But better yet! Mark has a forum called Self Sufficient Culture (found in the article’s description box) full of likeminded people who would love to help you out, and to learn and grow together! selfsufficientculture.com/threads/what-happens-when-you-bury-logs-bug-shells-in-a-raised-garden-bed.3960/
seems to me that a different system may be a better option. how about timber structure rather than metal. in nz we have a great eucalyptus tree (lol) called stringy bark. its ground durable for up to 20 plus years without treatment. macrocarpa is another welcome import with similar characteristics. or brick/river stone. given the rewards from a raised bed, a bit of time constructing it from local materials doesnt to me look like a bad spend of effort.
I’m confused. I’ve bought 7 of the Birdies tall raised beds for our paddock and there was only ever two braces suppied with each of them. And the instructions with the bed say you should only fix the braces three bolt holes from the bottom. Why do you even need the top braces? I don’t think you need them at all.
You say it isn’t a manufacturer fault. I disagree. The size of the rods is obviously a built to a price solution. The rods also look like they corrode pretty quickly too. Which when rusted out must mean the raised bed loses structural integrity. As a belt and braces man if I was putting them together I would sleeve the rods upon install. Thick wall plastic pressure pipe would add immense strength to the structure and also protect the rods from corrosion. You could use normal conduit but that has thinner walls. Less strength but cheaper. Just an idea.
Why don’t you just make one out of stone or brick. At this point it seems like maintaining it and pulling it apart is alot of work. After like 5-7 years you’ll just have to dig it out. But you can then use tools or light machinery because it will be sturdy enough. Plus you won’t need to maintain it like you do now.
We went from a 2500 square ft in ground garden to a 576 square ft garden with 21 inch high raised beds and proper paved paths, and will never look back. Clay, boulders, weeds, bugs, sweat, tears, sore backs, bites, annual sapling digging, with little to show for it at the end of the year due to pest pressure became too much. I LOVE my tiny walled garden with less than 1/2 the work and lots of produce to show for it! With intensive planting we get enough of the things we eat for the year and even have soft fruit and dwarf orchard with 5 fruit trees. My peaches are peaching on year 2! Very excited about the ease and pure joy of raised bed gardening. Do what works for you.
Zone 4 – Raised beds are a must. They give me 6-8 weeks of additional growing season. I utilized free pallet untreated wood + linseed oil + 6mm poly sheet liner stapled and tuck taped in combination with free city compost + manure + Hügelkultur and natural clay soil . Topped with local straw and leaf mulch = amazing results!
We’ve tried all the methods – in ground, till, no-till, strawbale, raised beds, Ruth Stout, Mittlieder, Back to Eden, Hugelkulture, etc. Zone 5, heavy clay, or sand. And watering is also my least favorite gardening task. Extreme deer, rabbit and small rodent pressure plus other pests and invaders. My husband and I are getting older and our children are grown so we are starting to add some more raised beds to the garden. We’ve been trying to convert a large lawn to a permaculture homestead for over 10 years with not nearly the results we should be having. We are adding high raised beds in one part of the garden for early season starting, plants that struggle in our heavy clay (I have never successfully grown carrots 🙁 ) and to help with pest pressure. We are using hugelkulture for filling, topping with leaf mold, poultry litter and good growing mediums. Most of our farm is in ground – very hilly clay. Adding some raised beds will allow us to get high production for annual and some perennial crops while we continue to work on amending the remaining acreage.
We live on top of a ridge line with heavy clay soil. 20 years in and we can dig down well over a foot before hitting the clay line. Over the years we have tilled, added in shredded leaves, grass clippings, decomposing wood chips, homemade compost rich with chicken, duck, quail manure and pine bedding. Rabbit poo goes directly on the soil surface in the garden beds. Heavily mulch all veggie beds with shredded leaves and grass clippings as well as shredded paper/cardboard. Thick layers of cardboard and wood chips in all the pathways. Red Wigglers galore throughout our backyard. We have shallow raised beds just for containing the soil. We also companion plant and plant intensively for little to no weeds. The chickens and ducks have full access to all the garden beds in the late fall and winter when we dump lots of kitchen scraps and shredded leaves on all the veggie beds. They do the work of turning it in for us.
One of the things I hear most raised bed enthusiasts repeat endlessly is how the beds warm quicker in spring which extends their growing season. That’s only half true. Granted, they DO warm quicker. However, the variables which allow them to warm quicker in the spring also allow them to cool quicker in the fall. In reality, the net gain in growing season is zero. So, what they’ve actually done is move their growing season a few weeks earlier, rather than actually making it longer. Plus, that ability to warm quicker also allows the beds to overheat very quickly in midsummer, which can be deadly for roots. I’ve listened to a lot of people on both sides of the issue, and truthfully, enthusiasts from each side tend to exaggerate benefits and downplay cons. My ultimate conclusion is that the only real benefit to me personally for raised beds is one of accessibility. I’m in my late 60’s and getting up and down is much more of a chore than it once was. But that benefit requires more watering. I don’t mind watering so much, so I’m willing to pay that price.
fellow Ohioan here. I used a mix of raised bed, hugelkultur, and in ground with mounded rows. Over the past few years I have figured out what grows best for me with the 3 different methods and I see a benefit to all of them. Yes there are cons to each, but I have found that once you learn what grows best with each method in your area the cons are very minimal. I love that I get different results for each type, and it allows me to grow more with less work and less intrusion on nature itself.
Dear Jenna. Thank you for all the time and effort you (put into your articles. Like you I have both raised beds and open ground. I also had the same experience with weed fabric. What a mess. One thought about oak for raised beds. White oak is very rot resistant and has been used for centuries for the keels and planking of ships and boats. However, red oak is just the opposite, even though its more readily available. Even red oak that is coated (varnish/wood preservative) won’t last more than 3-4 years. As always, Kind Regards. Craig
I was very fortunate with my raised bed soil. It was from a guy who was clearing a section of his large, wooded property and the soil was rich in clean, organic matter. He had horses and chickens and brought some composted manure and dumped that in, along with the soil. In the years after, I have supplemented with worm castings, compost, and OMRI cert, supplements. I love my raised beds! I’m in Zone 5 and have nearly inch tall (cold tolerant) lettuce that I direct seeded the last day of March, then we got a foot of early spring snow that was of no consequence. It will be ready late May. I have your YouTube website to thank for many of my successes!
My raised beds started with native clay soil that I added organic matter to every year. The first year I added top soil, peat, and bagged manure, then turned with a shovel. The 3rd year I added gypsum along with other organic amendments. The gypsum made a huge difference in that it finally broke down the clumps of clay. I’ve been gardening in the same beds for 25 years. Each year I add compost. This year, a friend had a large quantity of aged cow manure that I added, I can’t wait to see what that does to my harvest.
I have a ph of only 5 in my back yard. Ended up building a couple raised beds for strawberries. I used 2×4’s for a frame and got some used metal roofing panels for the sides. Working out great. They’re 4 feet tall so no critters are getting in except the birds. Easy on the back too. Thanks for the good advice
I love my raised beds. I am in Ohio too and my soil is pure clay. I have tried to amend it in my flower beds and have not had much success so when I decided to start gardening I just wasn’t going to waste my time or energy on it. The raised beds are nice now that I am older too. They save my back and knees. Thanks for another great article.
Hi Jenna, I am in Ohio also a few miles from Lake Erie I am in a condo but its unique its a cape cod styls two units per building, Have a flower bed that about 100 feet that goes around the building. OMG the clay is horrible. I use an auger and make many holes and put old potting mix and buy a couple of bags of garden soil after 3 years its much better. Backyard have a garden that goes around the patio. Tomato plans and flowers
When wood prices skyrocketed, I added “beds” in kiddie pools. Worked amazingly well! Tomatoes, peppers, kale, squashes, etc., all did fantastic. Four years later, and the pools are still intact (aside from the side drainage holes I drilled) despite the baking NC sun. Raised beds don’t have to be expensive, and the bonus with kiddie pools is that I can move them around whenever I want.
Zone 4b/new 5a in Minnesota. I have two raised beds that are 4w x 8L x 3d. The bottom is first lined with hardware cloth, then cardboard sheets, then small logs followed by branches, sticks, leaves, grass clippings, soil & amendments. I have had 2 back surgeries so not having to bend so low is a bonus for me. My other beds are in ground but I also have a whole lot of grow bags that I use.
That was a good breakdown of pros and cons. I have access to a lot of medium size logs from trees that have come down in my yard over the years so I’ve been using them more lately to frame out a spot and top it off with compost which I guess can be considered a hybrid approach. It’s cheap and easy and seems to be working for me.
Every time I listen to you on one of your articles I find myself smiling and thinking what a great job you always do. SOmewhere around 16 minutes in you hit on my favorite way to make beds, along with the same reasons. (no surprise) AND that is, mounding up my soil into beds and paths It gives most of the benefits of a constructed raised bed without the cost. PLUS I can plant on the slope where the bed goes down to the path.
My main growing area is technically a raised bed… it’s a corner of the property that a previous owner made a concrete square (divided into two rectangles) but I don’t think of it as a raised bed because I step up onto it and then treat it as planting in the ground… but I had never really thought before about the fact that it is indeed a raised bed. Great information as always!
When I first started my vegetable garden I used in ground beds. We have a lot of rocks in the soil here and weed pressure is high, so three years ago I installed 4′ x 10′ x 8″ high raised beds. I put down cardboard then filled with top soil and compost from a local garden center. I do wish I had installed hardware cloth since we have gophers. I like the neat appearance of the raised beds and the soil warms up faster and I find weeds easier to manage. I add compost every spring and last fall I planted cover crops in some of the beds. I plan to keep using the raised beds.
I do mostly in ground gardening although I actually raised the surface of the soil quite a few inches with a blend of compost and native soil. In my enclosed keyhole bed, I employed Hügelkultur and I rarely have to water it. I do have a couple of smaller raised beds and do some significant containers scattered around the place! I do use drip irrigation but I don’t supply it with the town water, but pumped water from a retention pond I built as a feature.
Thanks for a another great article. I just built a raised garden bed today. I did build it 12 foot x 24 inches deep and just the wood and screws came up to $280 for one bed. You mentioned contaminates and I found out that most of yard has old asphalt buried about 6 – 8 inches under the top soil. Years ago, an asphalt contactor owned this place and it looks like discarded asphalt was used to level the yard. I will add the hardware cloth per your suggestion before I fill.
I’m in East Tennessee and I’d say the same about watering in ground beds. I water my raised beds all the time in the heat of summer because they dry out faster, but my in ground portion of the garden only needs water a few times. I mulch a lot and we have summer storms. And yes, the wet spring can make it a bit swampy and hard to get garden chores done during the right time frame.
I have switched to mostly raised beds, and mulch alot to help with keeping the moisture in during the summer. I also placed plastic on the inside walls where some of the metal and wood was touching the dirt, to keep any leaching of chemicals into my soil. It’s worked great for me! I have about a dozen separate raised beds so far
For red clay native soil: In-ground. Big and deep, bathtub effect. Sloped bottom (or V bottom), with a french drain on the lowest side (or in the center with a V bottom). Filled with rich free county compost, and a bit of the red clay from the surface, tilled heavy. Rowed mounds. A couple pounds of white rice scattered about. Covered with 2″ of 100% compost. Than pelletized gypsum scattered about. And initially watered down with some molasses water. Install drip irrigation (drip tips not really needed as long as its got a timer). And a thick 8″+ matt of mulch piled on the top.
Been row cropping for 30+ years. Trying two 4′ x 8′ x 11″ raised beds this year. First experience is trying to fill them. A wheel barrow load of dirt looks like a teaspoon full. Going to take a lot to get these filled. I will use drip irrigation in these beds. My well water in Michigan also has minerals. I have a canister filter in the water line so hoping for the best there. I am 77 yo and the raised beds are my adjustment to helping my back from weeding. I am also adding weed barrier for my row crops in one of my 3 gardens. One garden is a non-fenced, non-watered 75′ x 50′ to raise food mostly for the chickens. A deer trail runs thru that garden, so my production there is more ‘shared’ than I like. But some field corn, field beans, and Hubbard squash get to my chickens. Your information in this article is excellent; thank you and best wishes, Doug.
Zone 8b Texas Container and raised beds are currently my favorite method of vegetable gardening. I have several in ground gardens, as well. The soil is naturally sandy and slightly acidic. We add lots of compost made from grass clippings, leaves, pine straw and rabbit manure. Mulching with leaves and pine straw. The biggest con in all our gardens is mole/gopher damage!!!! We also have very hot, humid summers and use shade cloth to reduce UV by 40%. Love your articles ❤
Easy tomato method place five tomato cages into a circle measure 3 feet center to center in a location you want to raise 5 tomato plants the following season. Place a couple giant sunflowers and allow one to grow in the center of the cages had been when setting the area up. Them giant sunflowers are going to have a beneficial root ball that is the cover crop that is where the tomato seedlings will thrive the second season I’ve done this and last year in our Columbus spring drought these out produce several other methods in growing tomato with 1/3 my work effort. I’m 72 trying to find the easiest way that works great I seen your huge sunflowers try placing in a few tomato seedlings into last year’s sunflowers root ball without disturbing the root balls Thanks 👍 Jenna this is a way any one that can get into the garden can have great tomato plants. I’m raising five in a circle in the taller tomato cages then tie cages so to prevent wind damage have stakes in 3 to help hold and working great
I’m in the mountains of Arizona, Zone 7b. I don’t suffer the scorching heat of Phoenix, but we only get 16″ of rain per year, ALL of it in August. I use Australian wicking beds. Make the bottom foot or so of the bed water proof, fill with coarse rock and gravel, cover the rock with weed cloth (or, in my case, old, thin used carpet rescued out of a dumpster), and put 16″ – 18″ of soil on top. Fill the reservoir with water. You have to top water when planting, and especially when planting seeds, but once the plants are established, their roots wick up enough water through the soil. It’s a self-regulating system: never too much and never too little water. I go out and fill the reservoirs about every ten days. Virtually no weeds, absolutely no burrowing animals, easy table-top working height for me (I’m retired, now). It’s worked out well for me.
The community garden we’re creating is currently an amalgamation of 17″ deep (white) metal raised beds, 25″ deep (gray/black) Rubbermaid stock tanks, an old dryer drum, 10″ deep (black) fabric grow bags, straw bales and in ground beds. All the raised beds and grow bags are filled with purchased “garden mix”- supposedly top soil mixed with mushroom soil. Each has it’s advantages and drawbacks. At age 70 I’m pleased with the raised beds and straw bales. The younger gardeners (ages 2 to 5) also find the raised beds and bales easier to “play” in. The metal beds are the most expensive, the stock tanks and grow bags are the easiest for one person to set in place, fill and tend- the biggest advantage of the grow bags is their movabilty. The in ground beds are the most difficult to work with. Lots of red shale, an occasional golf ball, scissors, shoe heels, clay sewer pipe, broken concrete sidewalk. (sigh) We began working semi-rotted leaves and straw into the in ground beds this Spring with excellent results. We’re also experimenting with simply piling straw on tightly mown, undisturbed lawn. This year’s trial seems to have worked well at keeping the soil moist during the worst of our drought without watering!
Hello, Jenna. Love this article. I pretty much follow your method of a hybrid garden. My new space doesn’t have hugelkulture yet, but maybe in the future. I have found that some things do much better in certain beds than others. My beets always do best with a mounded in-ground style, and tomatoes do best in ground. My peppers tend to love containers. As for compost, I swipe my neighbors’ leaves and garden scraps every fall to build a monster pile. Talk about some happy worms.
Today I am going out and picking up a couple yards of pulverized topsoil, to amend a couple beds I put in 4 years ago. My mistake was in the raised bed mix I purchased, had zero dirt, all forest products and compost. I did build the beds over a hügelkultur pit, expected settling, but with no soil in the top foot of garden, my tomatoes and peppers would not take off until the roots reached the dirt down below. If I had it to do over again, would skip the raised beds except for one like you have for carrots, perhaps for sweet potatoes too. Good article topic, where was this 5 years ago, lol. Stay Well!!!!
I’m glad you put this article out here. For a beginner gardener is to grow what you love. Since I’ve started perusal your website, you only had a couple thousand subs. I’m proud and happy for you. Representing Zone 6a phenomenally. My garden is a hot mess yet it does produce. I tend to grow in containers and with cinder blocks. Thank you for being passionate about your gift 💝 👩🌾. Keep up the great work. I’ve been experimenting with self wicking and it seems to be working for me. 😊
Hi Jenna, getting free manure from local farmer can be dicey! If the livestock were fed feed treated with Graze On (pyralid based herbicide) The manure even if composted will destroy your peas, tomatoes etc. So be very careful if you want free manure or compost. Best wood for framing a raised bed is black locust (if you can get it). Old saying about black locust “It will last longer than your soil” Black locust is also very hard on cutting blades on your power tool. It will eat your chainsaw blade. Black locust fence post will last over 50 years in many environment whereas, cedar, red wood, cypress may only last 15-20 years. Great info very entertaining for me.
Thanks for the information. I don’t know what’s in my soil. I started a flower garden this spring. I amended my soil and threw my rose bushes in there. Practicing how my direct sow flowers will come out. I don’t have any blooms but I love the greenery. I enjoy planting. I don’t have any raised beds but thinking about get one or two with legs for vegetables and herbs soon. I have potted plants as well. I do believe and thanks for the tip of compost and other soils to amend the natural soil around my house. Blessings… tfs
I also have a combo of inground and raised beds. I’ve been slowly adding more metal raised beds as I can afford them. For me I like the tidiness of them and I feel like I can get more in a raised bed verses in ground. I still have a long way to go before I am 100% raised bed and I may not ever get there. Gardening for me is like one big science experiment and things are always changing.
Great article, and so timely, I’m sharing this with my daughter as we’ve had a back and forth on this very subject for about a week now because she just purchased a couple of those galvanized raised beds off Amazon to get started gardening. But she’s in San Jose California and has a great big sunny yard filled with clay/loam soil to work with so I am really pushing for her to do in ground beds, and simply get a load of good compost, drip irrigation, a wheelbarrow, hay bales for mulch, and some fish hydrosolate powder to get the party started. And that’s it! My 3 year old grandson is very ambitious about gardening and I want to teach him about KNF as he grows with his garden but I’m afraid he’ll get discouraged if he goes out there and burns his hands on those hot metal raised beds.
Great information!!! All new garden for me this year. So, I’m going with 6 raised beds and everything else in ground. My husband just used his tractor to till up a 50 x 50 plot for me. I was totally surprised at the rich soil. WE just built a house and have no lawn, WE plan to rake and sew seed soon, but the lawn area, so awful, rocky hard dirt.. 🙁 So we thought our 10 areas would be like that. Very pleased with what I am seeing in my garden area. Bonus, after perusal you winter sew in milk jugs, I did that, So FUN! everything germinated and is growing, I just opened them today, fed and watered them. You are a great source for gardening tips. Thank You.
Having gardened in Illinois and Arkansas, I have had a chance to try both in ground and raised beds. I love that this year in Illinois I’m able to grow in ground and in a 1,200 square foot garden. But I wouldn’t have been able to harvest what I did in Arkansas (aka Rockansas) had it not been for raised beds.
I do a hybrid as well, with some built raised beds and some raised in-ground beds. It’s necessary for me, as i live in a flood zone, and the water table in my yard is high. Over the years, i’ve improved my clay soil, using free wood chips, grass clippings, homemade and bought compost, chicken bedding. We just tore out our rotting beds, built new, and redesigned the garden. So looking forward to getting plants in now!!
Lol, I think remembering when to say in ground and when to say raised bed was a tongue twister that day! I grow in ground (or on ground since they are well mounded) I have sandy clay soil that I have been adding lots of organic material to. I am just in my 3rd year at this location but have changed the bed arrangement each year as I try to figure out what works best for me and the location.
NE Ohio here. We have raised beds for edibles and in ground inside our fenced in property for perennial flowers. Portions of our back yard were a swamp until mid-June due to neighbors broken guttering and being somewhat downhill of the houses on our street. My husband installed French drains attached to a sump pump which has been a game changer. Still squishy but not ankle deep in the “way back” as we like to call that area. I don’t mind the watering as my husband also installed a rain barrel. I’ve only drained it a few times in the hot high Summer months. I do plant winter rye in my raised beds in the fall and this fall will add other cover crops which I will cut and drop in early May.
Thanks for another great vid! Raised or ground? Yes please 😉 Trying to get away with natural “enclosures” on raised beds in zone 6a. Three 20ft beds and three 10ft beds all around 3ft tall and 4ft wide. Their perimeter is stacked slices of clay heavy top soil, a few inches thick and as tall and wide as a shovel head. Grass roots have pretty much held the beds together a few years now with a few minor repairs so far and around an hour of trimming the walls per season.
Thanks Jenna. Here in SoCal, 10a, your information was very useful. Raised bed just use too much water that is expensive! I’m have moved to an 1 1/2 acre lot that was once part of a citrus orchard. The soil is sandy and drains well. In ground is going to be best for me. I will however have a raised bed for carrots. Happy Gardening
I’m zone 6b, very dry climate with extreme summer heat, and I prefer in-ground beds with just a low frame made of salvaged and untreated 2x4s. My 4 x 8 foot beds look very tidy edged this way, and this allows me to use diy insect mesh caterpillar tunnels to get a snug wrap around the perimeter of each one as I deal with extreme pest pressure. Think Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom😅. Just that additional few inches of quality top soil and homemade compost over my native sandy soil makes a huge difference in my garden. We are always on water restrictions and like you I find I can water much less than when I tried raised beds in the past. Thank you for sharing your successes with both styles of gardening!
I use an in between style of in-ground and raised. We used reclaimed wood to outline long 3’ wide rows. First I dug down the rows and added everything—leaves, scraps and wood. I shoveled the soil back on top and then dug down my narrow paths about 12″ and threw that soil on top. The dug down paths got filled with arborist chips. Of course as I threw the soil on top of the rows there was layers of shredded leaves, ect. The chips help contain the moisture. The boards just help keep it all in place. We have sandy loam and since I put this work in the beginning it has paid off big time. We never had worms just grubs. I used Milky Spore to get rid of grubs. I haven’t seen wire worms, but I do find an occasional cut worm. We have been in severe drought and last year I just couldn’t water enough fast enough so we installed drip. That was the single best thing we could have done. It improved quality and quantity and saved valuable time and money. It also answered the issue I was having with carrots as we never could water deep enough. It was so dry here the soil even with gads of organic material still was hydrophobic. Since the irrigation we have plenty of deep moisture and the count of worms tells me I’m doing the right things. 🎉we are now getting rain fairly regularly and more than a drop at a time and this may be the sign of La Niña return—Hopefully!
Jenna: Thanks for this pros/cons article. I’m a newbie to gardening, and a practical kind of gal. Raised beds look nice, but no can do this year. Maybe a few in the future. I have access to small fallen trees. Going to sink them as a border and space beds about 32 inches apart. Have a 1986 Toro 32″ riding mower. Will use some of the clippings for compost, some for mulch. Going for the rustic look without the mud, or need for wood chips. Cordless weed whacker should keep all looking tidy. Tip: I attached a frog spear (Wal-Mart $4.99) to an old mop handle. Makes a super, no bending, onion ringer!
Hello there Jenna! Good to see you. I am about five minutes and wish to share something with you and anyone reading this. I completed an extension program last year and the instructor has raised beds that have no constructed materials on the boarder. They are about knee high and in 4×20 rows. The paths are 3 feet wide and covered in straw. So basically the beds are raised between paths. He uses constant composting to keep them healthy. Sort of like hugukulture, but not. I guess it is a best of row gardening with raised bed gardening….and path control. 🙂 Per the wood, same thing with “cinder” blocks. Those are no longer made to my knowledge. Jamie
Jenna! Thank you for this article. You are quickly becoming my fav gardening website. 🎉 I am a beginner gardener in cental Missouri zone 6, and I want to build a beautiful in-ground garden, that can adapt and change through the years. How much trouble am I in for? Lol. From an expert to a beginner, can you set me straight? 😅 it’ll take about 4 years right?
In our zone 6a garden in SE MI, we have to use raised beds because the native dark clay soil drains so poorly. I always recommend lining a new raised bed with two layers of overlapping cardboard to act as a weed barrier for the first growing season, and after planting mulch with partially rotted leaves or chopped straw. This will help keep the soil moist & cool, suppress weeds, and break down during the season to replenish nutrients in the soil. After cleaning beds out at end of season, add another layer of leaf mulch for the winter. We also make our own compost and use it liberally with all plantings.
When I began gardening in my sandy soil here in southern Maryland many years ago, I did try in ground with mounded beds but I had trouble weeding the sides of the beds without collapsing them. So I bought composite decking boards to frame my growing areas (4′ X 8′ beds about 8″ high). So not really raised beds but much easier to maintain. Expensive compared to wood but going on 20 years and they are still in decent shape. All the info I read is that they don’t leach bad stuff into the soil. So each year I scuffle my beds (no till) and add organic matter, cover with mulch and plant. Just my experience. In my younger years I had eighteen 4′ X 8″ beds. Now that I’m older I’ve reduced to 10 and do more veggies (peppers, early cucumbers, eggplant, early determinant tomatoes and herbs in Earthboxes on my patio and deck..
I have a combination. Three raised beds with three more in the works this year, and about 400 sq ft of in ground. Your vids actually inspired me to try mounding the in ground beds in rows like you do! Though I’ve also evolved my own style into kind of a hybrid and I use cut logs to line a lot of them: I find this keeps the soil mounded more, and I gain several inches of real estate this way. My big problem is finding enough soil from a reputable source as I have to import for both. I have used a lot of leaves and compost too. Here in central PA the landscaping companies strip topsoil from ag land when they develop it. And I get concerned about pests, weed seeds, and even heavy metals. Need to get a comprehensive metal test done!