Preparing To Build A Raised Vegetable Garden

There is nothing like the taste and satisfaction of growing your own food

. Nowadays, people are so reliant on having others do the job for them that simple things like growing and harvesting food are considered old-fashioned. With the cost of everything increasing and the thought of living a more eco-conscious lifestyle, growing your own vegetables in the backyard seems like a great idea.

Growing vegetables can seem like a difficult task, but it is really simple once you know what you need to look out for. The task can seem even more difficult when your soil is not in the best condition or when your backyard is riddled with little mounds of dirt caused by gophers. Your quick solution comes in the form of a vegetable garden that is raised.

There are many benefits to gardening in a raised bed. You have better control over your crops and what will go in it because it is contained. You won't have to worry about plants growing their roots past the area that you prepared. You won't have to worry about gophers coming in and ravaging through the "fruits" of your labor because you will have protection.

Preparing for your raised vegetable garden is fairly simple, aside from the physical labor aspects of the project. Decide how big you would like your plot to be. If you plan on planting just a couple of vegetables at a time, a simple 2x4' or 3x5' plot would be sufficient but if you plan on having more crops at a time, then opt for something bigger. You need proper spacing between each plant so the roots have plenty of space to grow and they don't start overlapping over one another.

Redwood is great because it repels some insects naturally, but it is pricier. If you make a 10x12' plot, you can expect to pay at least $70 for redwood. Cedar is another great, hardy choice and lasts for many years. It can chip easily, though, so if you will be using plenty of gardening tools around it, you'll want to be a little more careful. Do not ever use treated wood because that has been processed with chemicals, which can leach into the soil and affect the plants.

When it comes to keeping the gophers out, you'll need hardware cloth, which is basically wire mesh, to keep them out. Situate the measured piece of 1" hardware cloth on the ground where you will lay the vegetable bed frame, and that should keep them out for good. You might also want to lay down some landscape fabric to prevent any weeds from growing out underneath. Make a good soil mixture of regular garden soil, compost, manure and sphagnum peat moss or vermiculite.

Some other tools you will need to complete the project are a drill, screws, a level, a shovel, and a hoe or cultivator.

by: Garnet Valentine

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