Preparing Garden Beds For Spring Planting

Jesse Frost takes you through the steps of preparing beds to plant in spring. Bed length, soil thickness and the width of the path are all important factors to take into account.

Line your garden with a layer of organic mulch like grass clippings, straw, or hay. This helps to smother weeds and keep moisture in the garden.

Easy to Assemble

Garden beds enable those with poor soil to effectively grow flowers and vegetables. They can be constructed of different materials, like natural rot-resistant wood stone, woven spruce composite plastic lumber and concrete. Some are even fashioned into furniture, providing an attractive and practical touch to the landscape of your home. Most kits come with everything you need to build the beds including pre-cut pieces to form edges bottoms, sides, and stands. The assembly process is simple and requires only the most basic tools.

It is best to start the project by sketching out your space and figuring out how many beds you need to grow all the veggies and flowers you'd like to plant and how wide to make the paths between them. Then, plan the layout and shape of the beds, taking into account the sun's angle. If you are able, take a Google Earth overhead snapshot to determine the sun's direction and intensity in your garden.

Before assembling the beds, clear out the area and level the ground in which the beds will be set. It is a great idea to lay down a layer or compost such as grass clippings, leaves and wood chips that will later become rich compost. This will help in reducing weeds, keep the soil hydrated and increase the amount of nutrients it has.

When building the beds, be sure to avoid using pressure-treated wood such as creosote or pentachlorophenol-treated lumber, as these chemicals may leach into and injure plant roots. If you are using treated wood, place a thick layer of plastic between the lumber and the soil where plants are planted to avoid direct contact.

Before you add soil, cover the area with a thick layer of multiple layers of newspaper or metal hardware cloth if you have many weeds and tall grass. This will also discourage the burrowing of pests such as moles and voles. Once the weeds have been eliminated and disposed of, it will be simple to take them out.

Durable

Raised beds are a great way to grow vegetables and flowers in your garden. They are easy to build and long-lasting, which means you can use them for a number of years to come. There are many garden beds available however wood is the most well-known. Galvanized metals are becoming more popular. Which one is right for you?

Certain materials are better for building a raised bed than other materials. Beds constructed from recycled materials like old railroad fence posts or ties may be a good choice, but they aren't as sturdy as beds made of wood or galvanized steel. They will also degrade more quickly in wet climates.

Recycled materials could contain harmful chemicals like chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) which can leach out into the soil and your food crops. Repurposed stock tanks can also be a problem because they rust.

Galvanized steel, on other hand, is much more durable than wood. It is also lighter than other materials making it more convenient to move around the yard or allotment. It's also a good option for those planning to move into a new home, since galvanized raised beds can be disassembled and transported with them.

There are other choices of durability for garden beds, including concrete, brick and stone. They are relatively inexpensive and can add a nice accent to your landscaping. Use non-porous landscaping materials to prevent rot.

Plastic and resin are two other highly durable materials for raised garden beds. They are not as expensive as wooden garden beds and won't warp or rot in extreme temperatures. Some are available in a range of colors to match your landscape, and some are naturally colored. Some brands claim that they will not require any maintenance for up to fifteen years.

If you want to give your garden a more round look you can use circular or curved flower beds. These designs are particularly appealing in a garden that has a slope.

Easy to maintain

Raised beds are frequently used by gardeners to help make gardening easier. This can include reducing the need to kneel for long periods of time and preventing soil from becoming muddy following heavy rain or winds. It is crucial to plan your bed correctly in order to accomplish the goal you want. The bed's height and the plants you choose will determine how much maintenance it will require to stay looking good.

A low-maintenance bed of flowers should be filled with hardy plants which will return every year. It's also a good idea to layer the plantings. The taller plants should be positioned in the back, with the smaller and ground cover plants lining the middle. This makes the bed appear full and lush. By adding some evergreen plants, you can add color during winter.

If you intend to use your raised garden to grow vegetables, it is important to raise it to meet the various requirements for the root depth of the vegetables. Raised beds should be at a minimum of 4 feet wide. Anything wider can be difficult to reach without stepping on the soil. You'll also have to think about the distance you can stand from the edge of the bed when you're getting ready to harvest your vegetables.

Raised beds for vegetable gardening should be surrounded by a weed barrier. This will prevent the soil from spilling out after rainy days and aid in keeping weeds out. A plastic liner helps protect the beds from animal waste and other debris. If you're worried about the liner becoming too hot, consider using a breathable, biodegradable fabric like netting or jute instead of plastic.

Mulch is a different method to reduce the work required to maintain the raised bed. A layer of organic material, like compost, shredded leaves or commercially bagged mulch, will aid in keeping the soil cool and help reduce loss of water. Mulching can also help keep the weeds away.

Low-maintenance raised flower beds should include shrubs that require little maintenance once they've established. You can choose from hollyhocks, honeysuckle "White Delight" and sage. Choose shrubs that suit the light conditions in your garden. For a border that is sunny, choose flowering shrubs such as Philadelphus "Belle Etoile" and hydrangeas such as "Annabelle." For shady areas, you can try heuchera, Sarcococca hookeriana or mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Soft Caress'.

Great for Kids

Garden beds are perfect for kids because they give them their own personal garden of vegetables and plants that they can tend to easily. Additionally, gardening ideas vegetables encourages physical activity in the sunshine and fresh air, which aids to improve overall health and cognitive performance. gardening beginner tips provides many opportunities for learning.

Growing vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes and green beans can be an excellent way to educate children about nutrition. Then, children can take pleasure in the fruits of their labor by eating the vegetables they grew and cared for.

A themed herb or vegetable gardens garden is a different way to get kids involved. For example pizza gardens could include all of the ingredients needed to make delicious pizza. This could help children learn to cook using ingredients they grow themselves. It's also an excellent opportunity to talk about the importance of eating food that are rich in brain-building vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

A garden is an excellent method of teaching children about the cycles of nature's world and the roles played by sunlight, water and soil in the development of plants. It's also a great way to learn about other food sources and learn why it's important not to waste any of the earth's resources.

In addition, kids will be thrilled to observe their own plant develop from tiny seeds to a fruiting plant. It's a great way to encourage social interaction, as they will be working together in the garden. They'll also be able to share the excitement of awaiting to see which plant will grow first.

Choose a raised bed garden that will meet your child's unique needs to encourage learning. For example, a raised garden bed that's 2 or 3 feet wide can provide plenty of room for kids to easily reach into and tend to their own garden of flowers and vegetables. This size is ideal for gardens where a lot of physical labor is required, for gardens example, driving wheelbarrows or moving heavy soil.