Perfecting the Raised Garden Bed
While some plants do well in damp moist conditions, most plants require good drainage. Some plants can handle excess water that comes about from being in an area that doesn’t drain properly. Plants may well be thriving in areas like this. Unfortunately, many plants don’t cope as well. Damp conditions can kill plants if drainage is not corrected. Consider the situation your plant is going into before buying them. Also check that the plants won’t conflict with other plants in the area.
A raised garden bed can help with drainage for plants requiring less water.
There is a simple test to see how much water the soil in your garden will retain. Dig a hole about a foot deep. Fill it with water, and come back in approximately 8 hours and fill it back up. This second fill of water should also be gone after 8 hours. This test will show if, when water soaks into it, it will stick around for a long time before draining. If water is still in the hole after the end of the second fill test, most plants will not cope under these conditions.
Raised Garden Beds involve creating a border for a small bed, and adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by at least 15 to 20 cm. Drainage will be improved significantly. Each situation will be different and should be approached as such.
I prefer to raise a garden bed with a dug edge. No border materials are required and if properly maintained will look attractive in most garden situations.
If starting a raised garden that requires an edging material, just find some sort of border to retain the soil and compost you will be adding. Sleepers, Bricks or other similar material is often used for this type of raised garden bed.
If your adding your bed directly on grass, place some cardboard or old newspapers on the bottom this will help prevent weeds from growing through. Place some pea straw thickly on the bottom of the raised bed. This will increase initial drainage as the soil contents settle and will eventually break down.
Raised beds are perfect for Vegetable garden beds or Annual beds in an open area. Raised beds are not suitable around any building ‘s walls or around fences.
Now that your drainage is improved your plants will thank you for it.
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