Raised Vegetable Garden Pros and Cons

A raised vegetable garden tends to become more and more appealing to gardeners. I personally know a lot of people who are very interested in making a raised veggie garden but are not quite sure of where to start.

Providing info about creating a raised vegetable garden is something that I enjoy because I think it’s one of the easiest ways to garden and it also excites me. The first question I get asked a lot is what’s a raised bed garden and that brings me to my first point…

What’s a Raised Bed

A raised bed garden is where the soil is enclosed in wooden frames and stones. The beds contain some native soil, compost and imported soil. The vegetables are usually planted closer than in a traditional row vegetable garden. This type of planting promotes a superior harvest derived from a small area and that’s why I appreciate this type of gardening.

Having raised beds means that you don’t have to dig often and the process involves placing organic matter on top of the soil to get some superb quality veggies. You can also have as many layers as you want. Take a look at these easy instructions for building raised beds.

The Benefits of Raised Beds

Why Raised Beds for Gardening

• A raised garden allows you to grow your veggie plants closer while decreasing any wasted space. This promotes a sweet, juicy harvest. So if you’re looking to grow a small veggie garden, a raised garden may be the ideal choice for you.
• What I like about having a raised bed garden is that there’s less weeding involved. You see the idea of growing the plants closer together allows less room for weeds to grow so you therefore don’t have to weed often.
• Your vegetable seedlings have an excellent head start because the bed warms up earlier during Spring.
• Moisture loss is minimized due to the close planting of the plants.
• You have a lot of control over the soil in that you don’t have to fight poor soil conditions. Having raised beds involves building above ground where you have complete control over the soil texture and ingredients.
• Maintenance wouldn’t take up a lot of your time after you’ve established them.
• Soil compaction is brought to a minimum. The beds will be able to produce substantially without the need for you to partake in constant planting, watering, weeding and harvesting.
• A raised vegetable garden is the right choice for elderly gardeners or persons who suffer with arthritis. It can be easily accessible especially if it’s at a high level. The higher the bed the better as you don’t have to stoop and bend your back so much when doing your garden routines.
• You can easily add some netting to your garden to keep pests away from your vegetables. Keep your vegetables covered with netting for the first 4-6 weeks after planting not only will this help keep pests away but also birds and it gives your crops a chance to develop properly.

  I had problems with birds picking on my shallots so that’s why I tried the netting method and it worked out quite well.

• Watering your garden is more effective especially with a drip irrigation system in place. Take a look at these easy instructions for setting up a drip irrigation system in your garden.

Disadvantages of Raised Beds

Raised Vegetable Garden Cons

Yes as much as I love having a raised vegetable garden, these are the cons that I’ve come across.

• If there’s any weeding to be done, it may have to be done by hand. However it’s not that bad because you wouldn’t have to do a lot of it.
• It’s very important to have proper planning in terms of your choice of vegetables. You don’t want to have the taller plants shading the shorter ones. Try to keep in mind the different features of the vegetable plants you choose to grow.
• Not all vegetables may be suitable for raised beds as you may have to choose the best varieties that are excellent for close spacing.
• Constructing the beds will require some work and the materials may be a little costly. However, once they are constructed properly they are very easy to maintain and can last for several years.

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There you have it. These are some of the pros and cons of having a raised vegetable garden. Your choice to grow will depend on your site, budget and how interested you are.

Why not give it a try if you really want to and if you can easily cover the cost for setting it up.

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