Learn how to select an arch trellis to add to your raised bed kitchen garden by Nicole Burke of Gardenary and author of Kitchen Garden Revival.
Learn how to build super easy, fast, and attractive raised garden beds! This is a 30-minute DIY project & is perfect for growing your own vegetable garden!
You won't believe all of the unexpected and creative cinder block projects that you can make - from home decor to yard accessories.
Are you trying to redesign your outdoor space with limited fund? Check out our inexpensive raised garden bed ideas for new inspiration!
There are a variety of materials, styles, and designs to choose from when setting a raised garden bed in your yard. Check out these 12 raised garden bed ideas to get you started.
28 Best DIY raised bed garden ideas: easy tutorials & designs to build raised beds or vegetable & flower garden box planters with inexpensive materials!
After designing 100s of gardens, I've narrowed my favorite designs down to the top 5 most functional and beautiful layouts that work in all kinds of spaces
Get the inspiration & know-how to build your own raised garden bed with these six inexpensive raised garden bed ideas!
Learn the advantages of using cover crops in raised beds or any home garden. How to cover crops work and what are the best choices for your home garden. Improve crop yields tremendously.
28 Best DIY raised bed garden ideas: easy tutorials & designs to build raised beds or vegetable & flower garden box planters with inexpensive materials!
How much and how often should you fertilize vegetable plants in your garden? Find out all of those answers and more with today's garden article.
Click for an up close look at this potager design layout for a raised bed vegetable garden. The detailed diagrams have great examples of companion planting and intercropping.
FITS SEAMLESSLY INTO YOUR LIFE- This 4x2x1 ft open-base raised garden bed has all the space you need in order to grow your dream garden! Whether you're planting your own fruits, vegetables, or flowers, it provides a safe environment for your plants to thrive. With a wide range of sizes and styles to choose from, our garden beds can be customized to fit your space and style preferences. The Plant & Plot garden bed is the perfect addition to your outdoor space! EFFORTLESS ASSEMBLY, LIKE NO OTHER! Begin your planting journey by choosing our innovative patent-pending design, featuring the perfect combination of easy assembly and durability. Thanks to our unique tool-free design, assembly is a breeze and can be completed in just 20 minutes! Get started on your garden right away and enjoy fresh, healthy produce in no time. BUILT TO LAST- The Plant & Plot garden bed is treated to withstand everyday wear and tear due to its 0.6mm thick, galvanized metal sheets and a highly durable zinc coating. Our prime materials ensure the garden bed is sturdy and maintains its shape over time. From heavy rain to extreme heat, we made sure to protect your garden bed from rust and corrosion, so it's the perfect choice if you're looking for a long-lasting solution. SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY- As a small, family-owned business we focus on giving back to our community. A portion of every purchase goes to providing garden beds to schools and communities in need, in the hope of promoting healthy, lifelong eating habits. At Plant & Plot we believe that gardening is a great way to bring people together. By providing a shared gardening space, we strive to help foster a sense of community and collaboration. FREE 3-YEAR WARRANTY- We understand that investing in a garden bed is a long-term commitment, so there are many factors to consider. With our warranty you can feel confident in your purchase. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your garden bed is protected.
If you're planning a raised bed garden for the first time or adding to your existing beds, avoid these 7 mistakes common in raised bed gardening.
No matter how finished I think my garden is or how many years I've been doing it, I am always looking for inspiration to make it work better or look better. These are some of
Follow these step-by-step directions to build your own cold frame to fit over your raised garden bed and protect your plants from frost and snow in winter.
There's a learning curve to raising veggies successfully. This newbie's advice will help make yours less steep.
raised beds, raised beds on a slope, vegetable garden, building project, diyDesignFanatic.com
Grow a healthy vegetable garden when you learn how to prepare soil for planting!
25 best vegetable garden design ideas & easy layout plans for beginners & pros to grow your own food in a front or backyard edible landscape.
See how to rejuvenate and recharge your raised bed soil this fall and bring it back to life to grow better than ever next year!
If you are dreaming about, beautiful juicy fresh organic vegetables, eye-catching flowers and sweet sweet fruits, there is no better way to fulfil your dream…
Starting a vegetable garden such as a Victory Garden of the past will ensure you have fresh vegetables. We needed to get started right away, so we decided to build some raised garden beds with reclaimed wood from pallets. Growing your vegetables is both healthy and delicious, but what to grow? We started by planning
Wondering what to do with raised beds in the fall after your vegetables and flowers have faded? Here are my tips to prepare for next year!
Learn which flowers should be planted in your vegetable garden. Companion planting flowers and vegetables, yeilds better, healthier plants.
Want to learn how to build a raised bed in your garden? Here's a list of the best free DIY raised garden beds plans & ideas for inspirations.
This staple crop has far more to offer than plain old grocery store spuds. You can grow a tremendous diversity and massive quantity of potatoes in your raised beds as long as you remember these nine tips from garden expert and former organic farmer Logan Hailey.
There are benefits of using raised garden beds but with time and experience the negative aspects started to outweigh the positives.
Create an amazing garden without tilling - see how to create the perfect, weed free no till garden this year with ease!
So many times I wait to share a project around the house because it's not quite yet finished. But there is often an exciting moment to be shared at each project milestone. We recently finished building the foundation for our edibles garden and even in its half-done state, it gives me a little thrill each evening when I round the corner to see what we've accomplished. We have our share of nightly crawlers - raccoons, possums and skunks among them. To keep our future bounty from being picked over each night, we built a screening system for the redwood raised beds we built last year, that would allow us to batten down the hatches so to speak at the end of the day and preserve the day's growth. Each side screen can be lifted and propped up with a 2x4 during the day by the pretty brass handles my husband installed. An eye hook secures them to the bed once reclined again each night. The beds themselves also got a bit of a reboot. I sanded and then weatherproofed them with a soy-based sealer to help keep the wood from drying out under the hot California sun this summer. Our herb table serves as a backdrop to the rest of the garden. Before planting, I painted various pots - some new and some old - black for a uniform palette. I love how the deep hue of the pots brings out the colors in the foliage. A wall fountain once handed down to us many years ago got a fresh coat of paint and new motor and now presides happily over our flock of herbs and cacti sitting on the table below. I'll be sure to get a few more shots of the table itself at some point, built from a pile of old cinderblock and spare lumber we had stacked up out back. The cinderblocks were painted black as well and blend discreetly into the adjacent fence line. The view of the garden on approach gets me every time. You can glimpse a peek through the lemon tree from our pool. We had that in mind when we hung the string lighting along the fence. The Mister wanted a bocce court. I wanted vegetables. In the end, we came together and made this little piece of heaven for ourselves. Even though the beds still lay bare, it's become one of our favorite little corners in our yard. ***Here's where we started and finished back in 2012 photos by holtwood hipster
Learn exactly how to build a DIY self watering planter box. This sub-irrigation modern raised planter is perfect for any backyard.
If you're thinking about putting in raised beds this year, save yourself some major headaches and read this article first.
A wicking bed is a self-watering raised garden bed for a drought-prone climate. Learn how to build one with these step-by-step instructions.
Once you have assembled your Vego organic gardening raised beds, the next task is filling the raised garden beds before planting. One of the most common questions we get from new gardeners is how to fill a new raised bed and still save money. There are many different methods out there that work well! From our experience, the Hugelkultur method is the easiest and most cost-efficient method to use. Summary Hugelkultur is the process of layering organic garden waste inside the raised garden bed, before adding soil to save on costs, in addition to attracting and preserving moisture. Of German origin, hugelkultur translates to “mound or hill culture.” It is especially applicable in areas where soil retention and drainage are poor, which is typical of soils found in urban areas. The materials used include large rotting logs, sticks and other debris that are layered with grass clippings, coffee grounds, compost, and other organic matter. As the material breaks down, it creates a flourishing environment for beneficial fungi and microbes that mimics the natural landscape of a forest. There are many advantages to the Hugelkultur method, including soil quality improvement, minimal maintenance, and water retention. The Hugelkultur Method to Fill Raised Garden Beds To create a bountiful garden bed, organic matter such as rotted hay, plant waste, and compost is added to the soil. Wood debris decomposes slowly, making it a stable source of organic matter. The optimal kind of wood used is one that is starting to rot, which can be obtained from branches cut from a dead tree or logs from an abandoned wood pile. This organic matter will decompose over time, and plant roots will travel deeper into the raised garden bed soil to obtain the nutrition. It will also work as a big sponge, retaining water to maintain an ideal moisture level. In the Hugelkultur method, for filling a raised garden bed, the large pieces are laid at the bottom as they will take the longest time to decompose. In the picture above, the piling logs may take up to 5 years before the base sponge breaks down into rich, wonderful raised garden bed soil. The smaller pieces are placed on top of the larger pieces to fill space, such as branches and sticks, and then grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps. Compost and topsoil are on the top two layers for your raised garden bed so you can start planting as the organic matter beneath decomposes. Some Considerations While Filling a Raised Garden Bed Using Hugelkultur Method Pests: Something to be aware of are termites, especially if you live in a wooded area with a high termite distribution, which can be attracted to the large amount of buried wood. However, most termites tend to live in dead trees that are still standing, rather than buried logs found in hugel beds. Garlic can be grown for pest control. Make sure to be vigilant against pests such as slugs, snails, and pill bugs. You can use organic pest control such as beer traps if slugs become a problem. Various Hugelkultur Methods: The classic method requires you to dig a deep trench around 2 meters and fill it with large logs, adding progressively more logs until it becomes mound-shaped. Most gardeners dig a shallower trench that is about 1 meter. Vego raised garden beds provide a convenient alternative that only requires you to fill the container on the ground with the appropriate contents. They provide structural integrity through an enclosed terrain that is easy to manage and will last for many years, making it the perfect framework. That way, you don’t have to spend time digging a trench or placing a fence around it, which can be burdensome and labor intensive. Additionally, it is more aesthetically pleasing than just a mound on the ground, which is unsightly to some. Wood Type: The right type of wood is important to consider. Hardwoods are recommended as they break down more slowly and hold water longer. However, softwoods are also acceptable. The woods that work best include birch, alder, maple, cottonwood, willow and oak. Avoid allelopathic trees like black walnut, red oak, and sycamore, as they contain chemicals that inhibit plant growth, as well as rot resistant trees like black cherry and black locust. Preparation: Be sure to add a fresh layer of compost on top prior to planting. The combined layers of organic material above the wood should be as deep as the wood base. This means a 30" bed can have up to 15" wood in it, while a 15" bed will have 6" wood to allow enough space for the growing medium. Moisture Levels: Maintaining moisture is an important aspect of hugel garden beds, as dryness is a commonly reported issue. Therefore, it is important to shift the soil into crevices to eliminate any dry pockets. One way to accomplish this is to continuously water the bed during construction to make sure there are no gaps. You should also use a good quality organic mix soil, which improves water retention. productarticletag_emailll[email]emailll_productarticletag Hulgelkultur Method Advantages Using the Hugelkultur method for filling raised garden beds has many advantages and has been proven to work. If you are seeking to cut down on costs, or looking for a sustainable gardening technique, then this method is for you. The vertical nature of the mound helps maximize surface area, which is useful in compacted, urban areas. Therefore, it is a method that is suitable for farmers, gardeners, and homeowners. Cost Efficient: Buying bags of soil from a store is quite costly, which can amount to over a hundred dollars for large garden beds. The Hugelkultur method turns garden and kitchen waste into useful material for filling raised garden beds, allowing you to save a substantial amount of money. You can also repurpose fallen tree branches or dead branches cut from trees instead of carting them away or burning them. The organic waste will decompose over the years, enriching the soil and providing steady nutrition for plants to use. Environmentally Friendly: When branches are burned, gasses and nutrients are released into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. By retaining them in the ground, they undergo carbon sequestration, a process that reverses CO2 pollution and mitigates climate change. Water Retention: Hugelkultur tends to hold water very well since the garden waste works as a sponge to hold moisture, releasing rainwater into the soil during dry seasons. This allows gardeners to save on water costs by reducing the frequency of watering. In addition, you don’t have to worry about overwatering your plants to the point they become waterlogged, which is detrimental to root growth and can choke out oxygen. Soil Temperature: While compost is decomposed by bacteria, hugel beds are primarily decomposed by fungi. As the organic matters decompose, they will heat up and create a microclimate under the plants, and warm the raised garden bed soil, which can be very helpful in colder climates. Soil Improvement: Hugelkultur also creates a mini biosphere consisting of microorganisms, fungi, and insects, emulating the natural landscape of a forest, with its spongy, nutrient rich soil teeming with microorganisms. Because the soil is naturally aerated, it employs a gardening technique known as no-till gardening. Plants grown in this manner are more resilient to disease, pests, and environmental stressors. They are also more flavorful due to the abundant nutrients. Minimal Maintenance: Although the initial setup takes some effort and preparation, there is not a lot of maintenance involved in these garden beds once they have been constructed. You only need to minimally maintain the garden bed by occasionally adding a couple inches of compost and fertilizers to the top to replenish it. They also require minimal weeding compared to conventional beds. Below is diagram for Hugelkultur in our Extra Tall 32" Raised Garden beds. You can use the same concept to fill your 17" tall garden beds or any other beds. You can build the garden in a sunny or shady location. Hugel beds are very versatile and can support many types of plants, including vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Make sure to match the plant to the appropriate growing conditions. Vegetables grow best when exposed to full sun. Greens like lettuce and spinach and root crops like carrots and beets will tolerate partial shade. You should try to plant a wide variety of crops, including both perennial and annual plants, as diversity offers more opportunities to harvest and results in a more plentiful yield. It is important to note that root vegetables such as carrots may have difficulty growing in Hugelkultur beds due to the depth requirement of at least a foot of soil. Tubers like potatoes can also disrupt the structure. For more detailed information, consult plant tags and garden catalogues for the climate requirements of other plants you plan to grow in your Hugelkultur garden. productarticletag_article[academy/difference-between-garden-soil-and-raised-bed-soil,academy/how-much-soil-do-i-need-for-a-raised-garden-bed,articles/how-deep-should-raised-garden-beds-be]article_productarticletag
