How do I Build a Raised Garden Bed?

Raised garden beds last for years, and they can be built out of almost anything. Plus, you can grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers in them. Watch and learn as lawn and garden expert, Amy Grisak shares her step by step tips for building a raised garden bed.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4-5dZDSiQ8

Video Transcription

What Can I Use for a Raised Garden Bed?

I'm Amy Grisak with North 40 Outfitters. And today, we're
going to talk about building a raised bed. No matter what kind of soil you
have, raised beds are the answer. And the beauty about raised beds is once you
have them in, they are good for years and years and years. Now, a raised bed
can be something as simple as a wooden box, or stones, or something as lovely
and permanent as this Tarter Raised Bed Planter. Now, when you're creating a
raised bed, you want to have a minimum of six inches, and then the maximum
really can be anything you want. This size, which is approximately 12 inches of
planning depth, is absolutely perfect for truly any vegetable that you want to
grow. But some people even can elevate them, put them on stilts or on legs, so
they don't even ever have to bend over. So like I said, raised beds are the
absolute way to go. So when you go to set up your raised bed, you want to be
able to level the area first.

How do I Prepare my Raised Garden Bed for Planting?

So it's nice and even, wherever you're going to put it. And then you're going to want to put something underneath it, to keep the grass and any weeds that are growing from coming up through. Now, most of the time, you don't even have to remove the side because that is not a very pleasant job. You can use cardboard underneath, six, eight, ten layers, actually better, of newspaper, the nice plain newspaper underneath, or use a landscape fabric. That'll help keep any of the weeds and the grass down, but allow plenty of moisture to go through. When you are filling your raised bed, you don't want to use just some random soil. You definitely want to think ahead because one of the beauties of having a raised bed are no weeds, virtually no weeds. So you want to be sure that you're adding pristine soil with no weed seeds in it.Best way to go is to use a raised bed planting mix, such as by Miracle-Gro. They have a great soil that is all ready to go. Or you can create your own mix with compost, peat moss, or coconut core, and some potting soil, and make a really nice mix. But the bottom line is there's no weeds to start. So you're golden from the beginning.

Can I use an Irrigation System for my Raised Bed?

The other really nice thing about raised beds is you can put in an irrigation system, such as this Orbit system, that can drip, that can water everything. You can put it on a timer. It is just absolutely the low maintenance way to have a garden. The next thing you want to do once you get it planted, get your irrigation set, Easy To Feed. This is a really nice granular feed, and you don't have to worry about burning plants and it gives everything it needs.

Which Color of Mulch Should I be Using in my Garden?

Then to top it off, if you want that nice look, there's also really nice mulches available. Some have a red tint, which the red, when it's used with tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, bounces that red light wave and the plants use that, and it increases production, besides looking lovely. So no matter what gardening soil you might have, and as frustrated as you might've been over the years, if you go with a raised bed, you'll never be disappointed. If you have any more questions about gardening, be sure to stop by any of the North 40 Outfitters locations or visit north40.com.

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