Raised Vegetable Garden Beds

Raised vegetable garden beds come in any design you want. The garden bed is the area where we will plant our seeds.

Soil, which is discussed under vegetable garden soil preparation is what we plant the seeds in. The soil has to have some sort of way of maintaining its posture as it grows the vegetables so that the soil does not wash away.

For instance, a heavy rain could wash out large chunks of your garden if there was no way to retain the soil. This happened to us several times in Leakey.

A heavy rain came and since our garden beds had no way to retain the soil, large amounts of the soil would wash away sometimes, wiping out many feet of a garden row. This garden was about 200 feet by 200 feet and many of our rows were 100 feet long.

Commercial growers use a variety of methods from flat ground beds, to raised beds and other commercialized techniques. However, we are talking about the backyard garden, so some of their methods will not work for us in the small vegetable garden.

When we talk about raised vegetable garden beds we are talking about some sort of retaining wall for the garden soil. There are many advantages in putting in some sort of retainer wall.

The wall allows for smaller spacing between the rows which will give you more planting space. The wall holds in all the soil, nutrients and moisture. The wall raises the vegetable garden bed off the ground thus putting less stress on our backs and knees.

But since I am not looking to win any beauty contests with my garden, these are just fine. However, I could and probably will paint them green in the near future.

There are also a variety of cement type bricks available to use for your garden, especially if you want to have a landscaped garden. If you were growing vegetables in the front yard, you might consider using some of these.

They are expensive. Usually one brick costs more than one landscape timber, but they last longer and add a decorative appeal to the garden. They are a little harder to set since they have to be perfectly level but I believe in the long run the extra “pain” is worth the gain. These bricks come in many sizes and shapes.

Most hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes have trucks you can rent to haul your materials home. Or for a fee they will deliver for you. And for a larger fee they will even take them to the exact spot you need them. However, if, like me, you need the exercise, then do the hauling to the exact spot yourself.

You want to make sure you are in good enough shape to build your raised vegetable garden beds without hurting yourself. You will want to do some stretching exercises before beginning, especially for the back and knees. You will also want to make sure you know the proper procedures for picking up and moving heavy objects.

Also, do not eat a large meal and then get to work. You may find that there is a tendency to vomit what you have just eaten as you bend over and move up and down.

The height of your raised bed for vegetable gardening is up to you and your budget. I would recommend at least ten to twelve inches at a minimum especially if you plan on planting any root crops.

I prefer mine to be at least twenty four inches high.

I would give it a minimum of eight inches for soil and two to four inches for mulch. More is better. I would not go any higher than two feet. This would make it hard for you to maintain the garden bed and pick the vegetables.

I would make it, where possible, at least four feet wide. In my case, mine are only two feet wide which is right for what I am doing and for reaching and caring for the garden. The width will also depend on what you are growing.

The other thing that I like about the raised beds with a retaining wall is I can grow grass between my rows eliminating weeds and mud. In the garden we had in Leakey, we did not grow anything between the rows so this allowed weeds to grow but mainly stickers.

I spent hours trying to control the weeds. It was a losing battle. And when it rained, it was a muddy nightmare and usually we could not get in to work the garden until it dried out some. In the meantime, the weeds grew even more.

Now I grow grass and the weeds are non-existent. And there is no mud. Plus, there is a soft cushion for my knees. All I have to do is run the lawnmower down the row once a week and I am finished. Not like the old days where I spent hours fighting a losing battle against weeds.

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