Do you have bad soil, because if the answer is yes, you can do all sorts of things like fertilizing and feeding, but if the soil is terrible, you are going to keep on getting frustrated. Soil takes years to improve and this is why many people are turning to raised bed gardening.
It may sound like a mission at first, but the rewards are great, and it definitely means that you won’t have to spend money on products that will improve your soil. Start with the basics and move on from there.
Basically, the definition of this form of gardening is planning your garden above the soil. You are responsible for the soil, compost and anything else that you have mixed in.
It’s great, because you can decide what you want to plant, and then start with the soil. Often you buy a house and the soil has a ph balance which is either one way or the other, so your decision is limited and is, therefore based around what is best for the soil.
Apart from this, you will also start to find that the soil will start to drain better. There is less maintenance required once you have laid your plants out. Things start to warm up more quickly in spring. This is advantageous because it means that you can start planting earlier.
I thought I would touch on organics because it is what most people want to focus on these days, especially when it comes to fruits and veggies. Growing vegetables in raised beds is perfect because, here your raised bed soil type is crucial. You will also find that berries as well as grapes thrive in a bed like this.
Obviously you have to look at raised bed designs, first and foremost. The first step is to find an area that receives a good dose of sun, with the minimum being 6 hours. If you can’t find any sunny spots, then you will have to stick with shade loving plants. There are a couple of veggies like salad leaves that you can make do with. You also need a flat area so that the drainage works properly.
Make sure you have enough soil. You will need approximately 10 inches of soil. Some veggies don’t need quite so much, but it better to have more than less. Once you know the size of your bed, you can mark it out and make a frame with pieces of wood that fit together. These need to be screwed together. Make sure they are level – use a leveller for this. Use a strong hardware cloth at the bottom and staple or glue this down to the wood.
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Fill it up with good compost and the proper type of soil for raised beds. Now, make sure that you feed it with more compost once a year, round about spring time. You also need to give it plenty of moisture. When you put the compost in, make sure you dig it around with a pitch fork so it can really be fed into the whole bed.
Got that?!
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Some people think that this is impossible - in all honesty, I don't quite think these guys have given this method a bash. If you don't try, you won't know - right?!
Lots of gardeners around the world have been successful with this. Not everyone wants to dig till kingdom come. Besides that, you may not have the right soil type, or you may not have any soil at all.
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So how is this done?
The most important thing that you need is adequate drainage. This can be achieved by punching holes in the concrete. You should also build your walls up fairly high, and look for plants or vegetables with roots that are quite shallow. However, if your walls are deep, then you should be fine. Using concrete blocks on the side can be more economical because they don't rot like wood.
When is enough enough? Sometimes this is difficult to tell, but water is obviously essential with raised bed gardening. You can do this yourself, but many people are installing their own irrigation systems now. The soaker hose and the drip irrigation system are the most effective, and they will save you a lot of water, and money in the long run.
Your plants need to be watered slowly, and for long periods, especially in the beginning. You can do this yourself with the right kind of nozzle attached to the hose - but do you really want to stand there for hours on end?
It is definitely worth looking into some of these irrigation systems.
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